revAlation · Chicago 2026
Data governance · Alation · September 16 to 17, 2026

Governance that gets used.
Not just deployed.

Alation gives you the catalog. Archetype designs and runs the operating model that makes it part of everyday work: stewards who actually steward, definitions people trust, and a program your team owns after we leave.

Alation × Archetype · Alation partner since 2022
Sound familiar? · real questions our clients could not answer

None of these are technology problems. All of them are governance problems.

"We wrote the policies. I'm not sure anyone's read them."
"I have two teams with two different numbers, one of which is public."
"Our Snowflake spend is growing, but nobody trusts the data it holds."
"Critical reporting is maintained by hand, and only one person knows how it works."
"Their first question was where the training data came from. We didn't have an answer."
"I couldn't tell you today who has access to our customer data."
Governance is not the goal. Data excellence is the goal. Governance is how you get there.
Why programs stall · and how we break the cycle

Governance gets deprioritized when leadership can't see the value. Leadership can't see the value when the business never felt any.

The downward spiral
  1. Make a policy"We need to do something."
  2. Bigger is better"And we need it now."
  3. Assign the work"People love work!"
  4. Chase participation"Did you do it?"
  5. Leadership asks"Why isn't it done?"
  6. Program festers"Oh, nobody actually does that."
Breaking the cycle
  1. Identify the pain"Where is the greatest need?"
  2. Scope the work"Start small, win big."
  3. Make life easier"Less rework, fewer arguments."
  4. Adoption and spread"This is how we do it now."
  5. Credibility earned"A visible track record."
  6. Credibility spent"Buy-in pays off."
Building trust creates a groundswell of support with enough momentum to carry the next initiative.
Our approach · tap to expand

Lean governance, scoped on initiatives built to solve real problems.

Tailor the structure to your Why and your What. Worry about the How once the first win is in hand.

Why

Why are we governing the data?

Start with the challenges and opportunities driving the interest.
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Ensuring trust and compliance

Establish ownership and accountability for data. Meet regulatory requirements and mitigate risk.

Enabling business insights and AI

Uncover insights and drive data-driven decisions. Democratize data, increasing usage and trust.

Supporting strategic goals

Enable data to serve high-level business objectives. Bridge the IT gap and make data actionable.

How

How will governance operate?

Three pillars. Alation carries the third one.
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Operating model

Structure with groups, roles, and clear responsibilities, tiered from strategic leadership to working groups.

Policy and process

Established policies for organizational consistency. Repeatable, scalable workflows to manage data.

Tools and technology

Modern tools that streamline governance and increase engagement. Integrate, centralize, and automate the key initiatives.

What

What is the focus of governance?

Initiatives integrated with the business and the data lifecycle.
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Data cataloging and knowledge management

Documented metadata for discoverability. User guides and shared knowledge that enable the organization.

Data quality and monitoring

Defined rules for completeness, accuracy, and reliability. A monitoring and support process for new issues.

Data security and compliance

Classification and protection of sensitive data. Policies aligned to regulatory requirements.

Data landscape and architecture

Oversight of data assets and infrastructure. Scalable architectures with standards that enable every user.

How Alation and Archetype work together · platform plus operating model

Alation owns the platform. We make it the way your organization works.

AlationArchetypeYour impact
Platform
AlationOwns the platform
ArchetypeConfigures it for how you actually work
ImpactFaster time to value, less guesswork
Technical deployment
AlationLeads the Right Start
ArchetypeReinforces and accelerates delivery
ImpactCleaner setup, fewer rework cycles
Governance model
AlationProvides guidance
ArchetypeDesigns and operationalizes
ImpactGovernance that actually gets used
Stewardship
AlationIntroduces the concept
ArchetypeEmbeds it into daily workflows
ImpactReal accountability, not just roles on paper
Adoption
AlationEnables capabilities
ArchetypeDrives behavior and usage
ImpactHigher engagement, sustained momentum
Long-term sustainability
AlationSupports
ArchetypeOwns the transition to run state
ImpactSelf-sufficient teams, lasting impact
How we implement · prove, then design

We don't wait until the end to deliver something. Most of the framework gets designed after the first win.

Step 1

Align and target

Agree on what governance is for before deciding what it looks like. Strategic objectives, executive sponsorship, and the measures of success.

Step 2

Assess and scope

Understand what exists and what needs to be built: current practices, tooling, and organizational readiness. Bound the MVP.

Step 3

Prove, then design

Run a high-impact use case first. What we learn from making governance work in one place determines how we design it everywhere.

Step 4

Adopt and evolve

Extend the practice beyond the pilot. Communications, training, and enablement to embed it. Measurement to show it's working.

Proof · what we have done

Catalogs that run. Programs that outlast the project.

State government
EOTSS
Alation · Data Intelligence Platform

A statewide Alation deployment, standardized so every executive office can onboard the same way.

The Commonwealth needed a common Data Intelligence Platform so agencies could find and share data across a federated landscape. Archetype piloted and standardized the Alation rollout, and today supports the platform's health, standards, and stewardship community.

Background. A strategy of using data to improve constituents' lives through an interconnected government: shared data, consistent processes, common technologies, and best-of-breed tools as a foundation for agencies to collaborate and innovate.

Approach. Network and security configuration, operations and standardization, a real-world proof of concept with data teams, a deployment package for future offices, and a roadmap for cross-charging and program expansion.

Fully deployed platform with approved, documented security and networking configuration, including SSO.
Two executive offices onboarded with stewards actively using the tool; more agencies engaged through a standard onboarding program.
Agreed metadata standards for catalog content, domains, and tagging, with training and documentation embedded in the platform.
Ongoing: data discovery and access module support, Alation platform health and advisory, and stewardship community support through FY27.
Healthcare
Academic medical center
Data catalog program design

A year after buying a catalog, adoption had stalled. Sixty pages later, it had a plan tied to a real go-live.

Hundreds of systems, dozens of consumer groups, and highly distributed analysts. Archetype delivered an immediate plan for a catalog capability in support of a major system go-live, plus the longer-term program and governance recommendations.

Approach. Preparation with key leaders to identify stakeholders across the data community; rapid assessment through interviews and system review; synthesis of where the catalog could be most effective; planning; and executive-level recommendations.

Demand assessment naming the key business needs, and a target catalog feature set aligned to the program.
Recommended approach and minimum standards, a short-term adoption plan aligned to the go-live, and a prioritized roadmap for expansion.
Renewed enthusiasm for the catalog among stakeholders; stewards capturing their knowledge in one searchable place.
Healthcare
Data Governance 2.0
Operating model design

Governance had been tried before. This time the Director of Data Governance stood up a team and ran it.

Archetype interviewed most of senior leadership and the previous governance council, then designed the charter, organizational design, operating model, and implementation roadmap for Data Governance 2.0.

Output. An 85-page, 14,000-word operating model design: an approved charter setting vision, mandate, and objectives; groups and individual roles; the processes of governance; a full set of roles and responsibilities; and a roadmap and communication plan for standing it up.

A comprehensive operating model complete with mandate, objectives, and organizational design.
A practical plan the client used to establish the team and implement a renewed program.
Public sector
New England
Data quality automation · Snowflake

Two months a year of manual checking became a daily engine with a dashboard.

A CRM presented health plan options to residents, and occasional inconsistencies meant potentially incorrect options. Archetype coded the failure scenarios into repeatable tests running daily against the Snowflake warehouse, with drill-down to each issue.
Time spent resolving issues significantly reduced and spread across the year instead of a pre-renewal crunch.
Administrators gained time to fix root causes in process, training, and public guidance.
Issue volumes tracked over time to demonstrate improvement in quality and public experience.
Who we are · Archetype Consulting

A management and technology consulting firm with a dedicated Data Governance practice.

Founded in 2006 and based in Boston, Archetype specializes in analytics, business intelligence, data management, and performance management. Our governance work sits inside a full data stack practice, so the catalog connects to the warehouse, the pipelines, and the reports people already use.

20+
years helping enterprises trust their data
85
pages in one client's approved operating model
500+
glossary terms and metric definitions captured with stewards on one rollout
2→
executive offices live on a statewide catalog, with a package for the next ones
Five questions to get started · bring these to our call

These five questions alone can start you on the right foot.

1

Under what authority will data governance operate?

2

Who will lead data governance?

3

What is going to be better as a result of data governance?

4

In practice, what will the data governance team actually do?

5

How will you measure success?

What success looks like · the approach determines the outcome

From low adoption and ambiguity to embedded governance and sustained value.

Without Archetype
  1. Slow onboarding, unclear roles
  2. Generic use cases, low adoption
  3. Stewards in name only
  4. Catalog sits unused after launch
  5. No clear path to self-sufficiency
With Archetype and Alation
  1. Rapid alignment, defined governance from day one
  2. Prioritized use cases driving real business value
  3. Trained, enabled stewards actively enriching data
  4. Catalog embedded in everyday workflows
  5. Documented playbook for long-term independence
Faster value. Stronger adoption. Lasting impact.
“

You already own the catalog.
We make sure it gets used.

At Archetype, forward is not just a direction. It is a decision. We partner with leaders who are ready to move, with precision, with speed, and with purpose. We bring clarity to complexity. We turn strategy into systems. We activate technology that is not just smart, but scalable.

Leaders do not just need answers. They need outcomes. So we do not just consult, we lead. We do not chase trends. We build infrastructure for tomorrow. And we do not wait for the future to arrive. We make our clients ready for it.

Forward Ready.
Measurable · Strategic · Scalable · Actionable · This is consulting that activates
Email Halley and Greg to set up a discovery call Re-read the stories
Your Archetype contacts at revAlation
Halley Peddle
Manager | Business Development
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Greg DiLullo
Senior Director | Digital Advisory
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Talk with Halley or GregSet up a discovery call
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