A private banking group based in Luxembourg had already invested significant time and resources in Collibra. However, after several implementation attempts, the platform remained fragmented, difficult to maintain and disconnected from the business.
The bank engaged Murdio to assess the existing setup, repair its critical components and transform Collibra from a technically implemented system into an operational data governance platform supporting BCBS 239 requirements.
The challenge
When Murdio joined the project, Collibra had already been implemented by several external teams. Although technically live, it had not become a consistent governance environment across the organization.
Key challenges included:
- Fragmented configuration: Communities, domains, asset types and relationships lacked one coherent architectural approach.
- Overcomplicated models: The operating and asset models were difficult to maintain and scale to new business divisions.
- Unreliable ingestion: Connections to source systems were unstable, resulting in incomplete metadata and lineage.
- Accumulated technical debt: Failed upgrades, inconsistent configurations and incomplete documentation made further development risky.
- Governance standards outside Collibra: The bank’s Group Data Management Standard had not been translated into repeatable workflows and controls.
- Regulatory pressure: The bank needed greater transparency into critical data, reports, lineage and End User Computing processes to support BCBS 239.
- Limited adoption: Previous efforts had focused on technical implementation, with little business involvement and no sustainable content management process.
The solution
Murdio deployed a four-person team combining Collibra architecture, Data Quality, metadata integration, automation and business adoption expertise.
The engagement followed Murdio’s Audit & Repair approach. The team first assessed the existing environment, identified the root causes of its problems and translated the findings into a prioritized repair backlog.
Auditing and stabilizing the platform
Murdio reviewed the bank’s communities, domains, asset model, roles, workflows, integrations, lineage, Data Quality setup, dashboards and user journeys.
The team then:
- Re-established and stabilized connections to source systems.
- Improved metadata ingestion reliability.
- Simplified inconsistent configurations.
- Restored the Collibra Data Quality environment after approximately two months of downtime caused by failed upgrades and misconfiguration.
- Introduced structured technical oversight to reduce the risk of further failures.
Rebuilding the governance foundation
Murdio redesigned the operating and asset models around consistent, reusable patterns covering:
- Business terms.
- Reports, KPIs and measures.
- Critical data elements.
- Data quality rules and issues.
- Systems and physical data assets.
- End User Computing assets.
- Governance standards.
Wherever possible, Murdio used Collibra’s out-of-the-box capabilities to limit unnecessary customization and make the platform easier to maintain and upgrade.
Embedding governance standards into Collibra
The bank’s Group Data Management Standard was translated into a practical governance lifecycle:
Create → Review → Approve → Monitor → Deprecate
Murdio implemented:
- Create-asset workflows guiding users through required information.
- Validation rules preventing incomplete assets from progressing.
- Approval workflows assigning tasks to the correct Owners, Stewards and Custodians.
- Control Tower monitoring whether approved content continued to meet governance standards.
- Contextual guidance embedded directly in workflows.
This allowed the bank to enforce governance requirements inside Collibra instead of relying on static documentation and manual checks.
Supporting BCBS 239
Murdio created structures for connecting critical data elements, reports, ownership, data quality controls and business and technical lineage.
The team also introduced a dedicated model for End User Computing assets, including spreadsheet-based calculations and manual processes used in critical reporting. These assets could be linked to their owners, source data, reports, risks and controls.
Data Quality results were integrated with lineage and issue management. When a result fell below the expected threshold, an issue could be created in Collibra and assigned to the appropriate Steward. Users could then identify the source of the problem, affected systems and downstream reports.
Preparing the platform for operational go-live
The bank had previously achieved a technical go-live, but Collibra had not become part of daily governance work.
Murdio designed role-based landing pages and simplified user journeys for Business Users, Data Owners, Stewards, Custodians and the CDO office. Wherever possible, each user could complete their part of a process in one step, and generally in no more than three.
The team also introduced a structured onboarding program combining governance training, role-specific demonstrations, weekly sessions, individual clinics and assisted content preparation.
Business information collected in Excel was transformed into Collibra import templates and connected with relevant ownership, lineage and data quality information.
Five divisions (Risk, Compliance, Finance, Client and IT) were onboarded within three months.
Results
Within nine months, Murdio transformed the bank’s Collibra environment into a stable and business-ready governance platform.
Key outcomes included:
- Broken integrations and platform components were repaired.
- Collibra Data Quality was restored after approximately two months of downtime.
- The operating and asset models were simplified and standardized.
- Governance standards were embedded through workflows, validation rules and approvals.
- Critical data, reports, lineage, Data Quality and End User Computing processes were connected in one environment.
- Data issues could be traced to their sources, affected reports and accountable roles.
- Five business divisions were onboarded within three months.
- Dashboards enabled the CDO office to track governance progress and business contributions.
- The repaired platform created a scalable foundation for future data products, Customer 360 and AI governance initiatives.
- The bank achieved results significantly above the industry average in its DCAM assessment, receiving high scores across all evaluated categories.
Conclusion
By combining a structured audit with hands-on implementation, Murdio helped the bank identify and repair the root causes of its Collibra problems without replacing the entire platform.
The result was a stable, maintainable and scalable environment supporting regulatory readiness, operational governance and long-term business adoption.
Murdio’s Audit & Repair service helps organizations regain control of complex or underperforming Collibra implementations by identifying what is not working, repairing the underlying issues and creating a clear foundation for future growth.
