Diploma in Catalog and Operation of Data Products
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in data product catalogues and operations, with 8 modules covering data products and catalogues, catalogue platforms, lineage and semantics, quality and operational reliability, access, security and compliance, platform operations and federated adoption and governance, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Catalog and Operation of Data Products — studying from South Africa
South Africa has a growing digital economy, with strong demand for data scientists, analysts and simulation specialists in finance, mining, telecoms and government. Major banks, mining houses and telecommunications operators such as MTN and Vodacom rely on advanced analytics for planning and operations. Universities including the University of Cape Town and Wits contribute research in machine learning and computational modelling. Protection of personal data is governed by national legislation, which shapes how analytics work is carried out.
Fees for South Africa: R 27 900 (South African rand), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in South Africa
Typical roles
Questions from South Africa
Is a SEIUM qualification recognised by any South African professional body for data and AI?
South Africa has no single statutory register for data scientists or AI practitioners, and bodies such as the Computer Society of South Africa and the South African Qualifications Authority set their own standards. SEIUM is a private online institute whose qualifications are not state degrees and are not accredited by a national body. Recognition is decided by employers or the relevant body, so ask them directly before enrolling.
Do South African employers in data and AI value private online qualifications?
Demand for data and analytics skills in South Africa spans banking, insurance, telecoms, retail and government, and employers often assess skills through portfolios, technical interviews and experience. A private online qualification may support your CV, but it does not guarantee a job or salary outcome. Show prospective employers the syllabus and your project work to gauge their interest.
How does the workload fit with a job, and what English level do I need?
The programme is fully online and taught in English, so you need confident reading and writing skills. As it is remote, no student visa is needed to study from home. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, with an assigned technical tutor and a final project. Fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Define data products with their ports, metadata and owners.
Implement catalogue platforms such as DataHub or OpenMetadata.
Capture column-level lineage and build business glossaries.
Publish quality indicators and service levels in the catalogue.
Design access and security policies that comply with regulations.
Operate a self-service platform with CI/CD and cost control.
Drive catalogue adoption through federated governance.
Who it's for
- Data product owners.
- Data platform engineers.
- Catalogue and metadata leads.
- Data stewards.
- Data governance architects.
- Data quality analysts.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter banking and insurance.
What you'll work with
- ISO/IEC 11179 (metadata registries)
- W3C DCAT 3 (data catalogue vocabulary)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/679 – GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- ISO 8000 (data quality)
- ISO/IEC 38505-1 (governance of data)
- Royal Decree 311/2022 – ENS (Spanish National Security Framework)
- Regulation (EU) 2022/868 – Data Governance Act (data sharing and intermediaries)
- DataHub
- OpenMetadata
- Unity Catalog
- dbt
- OpenLineage with Marquez
8 modules
1.1Operational definition of a data product1.2Input, output and control ports1.3Technical, business and operational metadata1.4Catalogue versus internal data marketplace1.5Discoverability and semantic search1.6Domain ownership and accountability1.7Data Product Descriptor Specification1.8Life cycle: onboarding, versioning and retirement1.9Catalogue maturity models1.10Workshop: data product specification in YAML
2.1DataHub: architecture and metadata model2.2OpenMetadata and connectors2.3Unity Catalog on Databricks2.4Microsoft Purview and Collibra2.5Automated metadata ingestion2.6Metadata APIs and events2.7Integration with BI tools2.8Platform selection criteria2.9Costs and licensing2.10Practical: deploying OpenMetadata with connectors
3.1Table-level and column-level lineage3.2OpenLineage and Marquez3.3Lineage from dbt and Spark3.4Business glossary and taxonomies3.5Lightweight ontologies and SKOS3.6Automatic classification of sensitive data3.7Sensitivity tags and propagation3.8Change impact analysis3.9The DCAT model for catalogues3.10Lab: column lineage in a dbt project
4.1Quality dimensions applied to products4.2Declarative quality rules4.3dbt and Soda tests4.4Freshness and volume monitors4.5Quality scores visible in the catalogue4.6Incidents and communication with consumers4.7Data product SLOs4.8Change management with semantic versioning4.9Orderly deprecation of versions4.10Case study: quality score published in the catalogue
5.1Access request and approval workflows5.2Role-based and attribute-based access control5.3Policy as code with OPA5.4Dynamic masking and row-level filtering5.5Record of processing activities5.6Data retention and deletion5.7Access auditing5.8Secure data sharing between domains5.9Classification under the ENS (Spanish National Security Framework)5.10Practical: attribute-based access policy
6.1Self-service platform teams6.2Product templates and scaffolding6.3CI/CD for data products6.4Infrastructure as code6.5FinOps and cost allocation per product6.6Platform observability6.7Support and request management6.8DORA metrics applied to data6.9Living documentation and onboarding6.10Workshop: product template with CI/CD
7.1Data communities of practice7.2Catalogue adoption metrics7.3Collaborative metadata curation7.4Incentives for domain owners7.5Federated governance and global standards7.6Interoperability between domains7.7Cultural change management7.8Maturity assessment7.9Evolution roadmap7.10Case study: catalogue adoption plan
8.1Diagnosis of the starting situation8.2Metadata model design8.3Tool selection and implementation8.4Onboarding pilot products8.5Published lineage and quality8.6Access policies8.7Operations and adoption plan8.8Catalogue success indicators8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it can be combined with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is DataHub, OpenMetadata, Unity Catalog, dbt and OpenLineage with Marquez, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Real procedures are studied: deploying a catalogue with automated metadata ingestion, publishing lineage and quality scores, and designing governed access workflows. Assessment is continuous by module plus the final integrative project.
Standards covered: ISO/IEC 11179, W3C DCAT 3, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), ISO 8000, ISO/IEC 38505-1, Royal Decree 311/2022 (ENS), Regulation (EU) 2022/868 (Data Governance Act).
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with DataHub, OpenMetadata, Unity Catalog, dbt and OpenLineage with Marquez, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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