# A Better Model of Data Ownership

DevFeed: [A Better Model of Data Ownership](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-better-model-of-data-ownership-1980.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://developers.soundcloud.com/blog//a-better-model-of-data-ownership>)

Published: 2017-06-20T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [SoundCloud Backstage Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/soundcloud-backstage-blog.md>)

Topics: [datasets](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/datasets.md>), [Microservice](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/microservice.md>), [Architecture & Design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/architecture-design.md>), [Microservices](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/microservices.md>)

Tags: [architecture](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/architecture.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/data.md>), [datasets](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/datasets.md>), [interfaces](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interfaces.md>), [maintenance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/maintenance.md>), [microservices](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/microservices.md>), [scale](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/scale.md>), [schema](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/schema.md>), [teams](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/teams.md>)

## AI overview

The article presents a data-ownership model inspired by SoundCloud's move from a monolith to microservices. It argues that clearly defined ownership of datasets gives the appropriate teams responsibility for maintaining data, interfaces, availability, timeliness, and visibility. Clear boundaries and interfaces can improve cohesion, reduce coupling and coordination costs, and let teams work and scale more independently, although network communication introduces additional complexity.

## Source excerpt

Once upon a time, we had a single monolith of software, one mothership running everything. At SoundCloud, the proliferation of microservices came from moving functionality out of the mothership. There are plenty of benefits to splitting up features in this way. We want the same benefits for our data as well, by defining ownership of datasets and ensuring that the right teams own the right datasets.