Whether you are the one wanting better access or the one acting as a gatekeeper, who gets to see what data is a major concern for any company. I saw an article back in the fall about who not to put in charge of your data access, so I’m passing the wisdom it shares along.

In general terms, most IT professionals follow the principle of least privilege. I believe this is a very good principle to follow, don’t see this as a rejection of it. However, using security measures that prevent users from accessing their own data in non-standard ways is not a generally good answer.

Data administration and data warehousing are highly collaborative endeavors. They require a “Can’t we all get along,” approach. A top down, hierarchical approach that discourages input from users is simply not going to work.

If you are the gatekeeper, don’t prohibit people from gaining a different form of access to their data. As the gatekeeper you don’t really “own” any data. Instead, work with others to explore these new ideas. Help them look and see if their new method is viable and beneficial. If it is successful, chances are others will want to try it out for themselves.

If you take a “let’s work this out together” approach to these explorations you will be seen as a team player. As Brett said, “Just do your best to make their job easier (the same courtesy you probably expect from anybody asking you for help) and you’re likely to get, and stay, in their good graces for years to come.”