The Benchmark Survey is a 24-question survey that provides an overall indicator of the level of data management capability and structure that exists across a variety of industries and countries. Since the Benchmark Survey uses the DCAM Assessment model as its framework for analysis, a method for comparing the Benchmark Survey score to a DCAM Assessment Score can be useful for further insights into an organization’s data management capabilities and how it compares to other industries.

The 24 Benchmark survey questions cover the scope of 31 DCAM Capabilities; however, since there is not a 1:1 correlation, the scores between the survey and an assessment can only be compared at the Component level — not at the Capability or Sub-capability levels.

To compare a Benchmark score with a DCAM Assessment score at the Component level, average the Benchmark scores that pertain to a particular component to calculate the Benchmark Component score that compares to a DCAM Assessment Overall Component Score.