Data administration (DA) is a position that has emerged with the growth of information technologies. A review of DA literature confirms that, although DA is widely associated with database management systems (DBMS), there is no standard DA job description, DA staffing and location within the organization vary, and DA functions range in description from highly technical to highly administrative. The Data Administration Office at Northern Arizona University (NAU) provides an example of the evolution of DA. Established subsequent to the university's conversion to a new computer system in the fall of 1984, the office began as a one-person operation concerned primarily with data integrity and policy development. Now its activities include the documentation and standardization of procedures, policy development, and logical database design. Based on the NAU case study, it is possible to make generalized observations concerning the creation of DA subsequent to system installation; the bearing of organizational structure and politics on DA; public-sector commitment to data as a centralized resource; the relationship of data accountability to accuracy; successful DBMS implementation; and potential increases in DBMS data integrity problems. Sixteen references are provided, and draft copies of NAU Computer and Data-Related Policies and the NAU Data Access and Use Agreement are appended. (KM)