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Data Governance

Data contract

In a nutshell

An explicit agreement between whoever produces some data and whoever consumes it about its structure, meaning, quality and delivery times.

A data contract sets out in writing what a data consumer will receive: which fields and formats, what each one means, which quality levels are guaranteed (for example, "under 1% blank values"), how often it arrives and whom to notify if something changes.

It solves a very common problem: one team changes a column in its system and unknowingly breaks another team's report or AI model. With a contract, changes are agreed and checked automatically before release.

It is closely linked to data mesh and data products, but useful in any company: it turns "the data I get is bad" into a measurable commitment.

Reference: Buenas prácticas de ingeniería de datos

Related terms

Data qualityData mesh and data productData Owner
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← Back to the glossaryUpdated: October 2026 · Informational content, not legal advice.