University of California, Riverside Storage and Access to Campus Data A Framework for Developing a Longitudinal Student Data Mart

Transcription

1 University of California, Riverside A Framework for Developing a Longitudinal Student Data Mart by 1 Robert Daly Assistant Vice Chancellor, Academic Planning and Budget Chuck Rowley Associate Vice Chancellor, Computing and Communications Introduction As the University of California, Riverside continues to grow and strives to achieve its goals, 2 the need for timely, accurate, and easy-to-access data is paramount. UCR has ambitious goals, and a data retrieval and reporting system is critically necessary to support academic planning, program assessment, and campus decision-making. Measurement of UCR s success in achieving its goals can only be measured by the availability of comprehensive and easy-to-access data. Currently, most of the data needed to support measuring UCR s success is already stored in existing operational or transactional computer systems or in existing relational data bases known as data marts. 3 Access to data in transactional systems typically requires knowledge of various query tools, table layouts, and, in some cases, computer-programming skills. Using web-accessible data marts to retrieve information is easier than accessing data from transactional systems, but it nonetheless requires knowledge of business rules and data definitions. A different approach is critically needed to efficiently extract and present data if UCR is to achieve its goals. The purpose of this paper is to delineate that different approach. To understand why a different approach is needed, it is useful to review how campus data are currently stored and how data are extracted. Getting data into a data base has been historically and efficiently accomplished via transactional data storage systems. Transactional data are generated daily as a result of standard campus operations. Transactional systems are specific to the functions they support (e.g. purchasing, accounting, payroll, etc.) and the data elements contained in each system reflect the operational needs of the office. Importantly, these data systems are optimized to enhance the processing of transactional data and tend not to be optimized for reporting or analysis. That is, they tend to be designed to get the data stored. Transactional systems are also perpetual in nature in the sense that transactions are constantly being added to the database or existing records and data fields are frequently updated or changed, providing up to-the-minute transactional details. Access to the data is typically via custom computer vendor supplied queries and programming tools or interfaces developed by C&C. These transaction systems could be written by campus programmers (e.g. the campus purchasing system) or purchased from a software vendor (e.g. PeopleSoft). 1 Andrew Grosovsky, Vice Provost, Undergraduate Academic Programs provided encouragement and substantial input for this paper. 2 Chancellor Cordova published UCR s goals in Data marts are typically data storage systems that store copies of transactions and are used for reporting and adhoc queries.

2 University of California, Riverside Page 2 of 6 Over time, the difficulties of creating reports from transaction systems has led to the development of alternate reporting and data display systems. Data marts are assembled using transactional level data and are stored in a relational database system. Data marts are usually copies or mirror the data stored in operational systems. Like transactional systems, these operational data marts are perpetual in nature. However, operational data marts are structured and optimized to allow for easier data retrieval, faster reporting, and the generation of complex ad hoc queries allowing the generation and customization of operational style reports. Access is often via a web interface, although application programs such as BrioQuery, Access, and Excel can also be used to retrieve information from a data mart. Many of UCR s operational data marts have already been built or are under development. Plans exist to expand and enhance some existing data marts. The following data marts already exist or currently being developed at UCR: 1. Financial System Data Mart (summary and detail query access widely utilized across campus) 2. Budget System Data Mart (summary and detail query access widely utilized across campus) 3. Payroll Expenditure Data Mart (detail query widely utilized across campus) 4. Student Information System Data Mart (detail query of limited data utilized across campus). 5. Purchasing System Data Mart (planned deployment for early 2006; web query tool exists for transactional data). 6. Human Resources Data Mart (planned deployment for late fall 2005). Goals for the Longitudinal Student Data Mart As previously mentioned, data values in operational systems and operational data marts are continuously being updated, making it difficult to capture one consistent view of campus data. The perpetual nature of transactional systems with the characteristic of changing data values creates a data system that makes comparisons over time difficult. Longitudinal data systems contain stores of historical data where data values do not change in the sense that data are added at meaningful, fixed points in time and have universal (enterprise wide) meaning that is consistent over time. For example, enrollment data are recorded at the end of the 3rd week of courses and that data are used as the fixed point for longitudinal data. Thus, the first of many goals in building the Longitudinal Student Data Mart (LSDM) is to provide data elements that are fixed at a point in time. Additionally, data sets spanning multiple time periods or data sets about cohorts of entering students are very difficult to extract via transactional systems and operational data marts, making it difficult to capture changes over long time periods. This issue exists with UCR s student data. UCR has a comprehensive student data system, the Student Information System (SIS), but it was designed as an operational computing and data storage system. Computing and Communications (C&C) has developed a student data mart, the Student Data Warehouse, but its data store mirrors that of SIS. Thus, the second goal of the LSDM is to create a data system that can capture changes over time and provide data for tracking cohorts of students.

3 University of California, Riverside Page 3 of 6 The next goal in building the Longitudinal Student Data Mart is to provide a consistent view of UCR student data in the sense that it will provide an authoritative (that is, accurate, historical, comparable, verifiable, and repeatable) record of UCR student data. Thus, the LSDM will also serve as the official source of data about UCR s students and will support campus decisionmaking by providing the needed data for student-related reports and analysis for campus executives, chairs, and department managers. Data from the LSDM will be used to provide required information for campus-wide and program-specific accrediting agencies as well as for the Senate s academic program reviews. The authoritative nature of the Longitudinal Student Data Mart will help make academic and administrative policy information rich, thereby enhancing campus efforts to improve the effectiveness of UCR s programs and departments. By achieving the above goals, the Longitudinal Student Data Mart will be able to support the data access needs of multiple audiences. To accomplish this goal, access to UCR s Longitudinal Student Data Mart is structured to meet the needs of the three groups of users: the public, department administrators, and campus analysts. Each group has different data needs, expectations, reasons, and requirements for its access to campus student data. Via the LSDM, all members of the campus community will benefit by having ubiquitous access to student data. These three user groups and their types of access to campus data are described below. Public The Public includes members of the press, parents, prospective students, faculty, and staff, and all other members of the public who want easy access to facts and information about the UCR s students. The data that will be presented will be summarized to give an extensive but generalized view about UCR s students. Data access for the public data view will be selectable and consist of pre-designed views of UCR data. The data will be presented in the style of fact books, campus portfolios/profiles, and other summarized data reports. These views of UCR data will be pre-designed, allowing each to be selected and accessible using a web interface. The data presented to the public will be viewable in the sense that the data will be presented as read-only. However, and where appropriate, these viewable data can be downloaded for use in papers, reports, web pages, articles, and presentations. UCR Managers The UCR Managers user group includes faculty, department chairs and administrative staff, college deans and their staff, financial analysts, and other UCR employees needing operational and performance data for managing their units and fulfilling their responsibilities. Data access for this operational data view will be queryable via a web- interface. Many queries will be pre-designed (or canned ), and user-designed queries will be storable and reusable.

4 University of California, Riverside Page 4 of 6 UCR Analysts The UCR Analysts user group includes campus institutional researchers, analysts, planners, and anyone requiring access to detailed-level data that spans multiple student operational areas, time periods, and data sources. For example, data needed for program reviews could include student performance, graduation rates, financial aid, campus survey data, and comparable data from other universities. The accumulation of data from these multiple data sources is called analytical data. Analytical data stored in the LSDM will be accessible via application programs such as SAS, SPSS, Excel, Brio Query, and other reporting and analytical software. Generally, to access the data, some type of programming language code will be written by the analysts. Using these tools requires experience with programming languages, data structures, and extensive familiarity with UCR s data, thus limiting access via this method to only the most highly trained and skilled UCR analysts and researchers. Expected Benefits and Outcomes All data systems should produce significant benefits to justify their development. For the Longitudinal Student Data Mart, some of the benefits were presented as goals in the Goals section of this paper. These included the ability to access a standardized and authoritative source of data, the ability to provide reports spanning multiple time frames, the ability to serve multiple audiences, and the ability to provide a consistent view of UCR student data. Other significant benefits include: 1. Access to the LSDM will be possible using multiple methods, including Web-based interfaces, application programs such as Excel and SAS, and with programming languages such as SQL, Perl, and Focus. This multiple access capability will allow every type of authorized user to obtain access to needed data in the manner that best suits his or her needs. 2. The production of pre-defined ( canned ) and ad-hoc data reports would become a relatively simple task, available to a variety of users having different skill levels. 3. Faculty and staff will be able to respond more quickly to the increasing number of data and information requests from on and off campus. 4. There will be a significant savings in the amount of time and effort spent by faculty and staff for data retrieval, reporting, and analysis.

5 University of California, Riverside Page 5 of 6 Current Student Data Mart Projects Most of the data needed for the Longitudinal Student Data Warehouse already exists in campus operational systems such as SIS. The initial phases include: Web-based Selectable Access The Vice Provost, Undergraduate Programs, and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Institutional Planning are working with James Lin in CHASS and the Institutional Research Council to develop a data reporting Web site for the Executive Vice Chancellor/Provost. The data included in the EVC s Web page will be formatted for viewing by the Public user group. Included in this first step is the creation and publication of a series of student profiles and program portfolios. Implementation of this phase of the Web site is expected in the academic year. A broader and more extensive selectable data system for the campus is in the very beginning phases. Computing and Communication and Institutional Planning will have responsibility for its design, with Computing and Communications assuming responsibility for the implementation phases. It is expected that the initial phases will be operational by the end of 2006 winter quarter. Student Longitudinal Data Mart Computing and Communications is currently developing the first phase of the Student Longitudinal Data Mart. This initial phase is an outgrowth of the implementation of the Course Information Reporting System (CIRS), a campus operational data mart. The structure of the data storage for CIRS will serve as the model for future Student Longitudinal Data Mart phases. The planned second phase of this data mart involves adding student survey data obtained from Student Affairs. Queryable Web Site (Data on Demand) With the assistance and guidance of Computing and Communications, a queryable Web site is being created for the UCR Managers group. This queryable web site will provide access to needed operational and summary data used for unit reporting and management. Summary The purpose of this paper is to create a framework for the development of a longitudinal student data mart. This framework will provide access to UCR s student data for three type of users: members of the public, campus managers and operational staff, and UCR s analysts and researchers. The type and style of access to campus data is described for each type of data mart user. This paper also delineates the goals of creating and building the longitudinal student data mart. Each goal is consistent and supportive of the campus goals as established by Chancellor Cordova < To help the Chancellor and the campus

6 University of California, Riverside Page 6 of 6 achieve these goals, the overriding purpose in developing a longitudinal data mart is to provide the needed data to measure the campus progress in achieving its goals. While the development of Longitudinal Data Mart is important to UCR, it is only a part of a larger effort to build a comprehensive and authoritative campus information system aimed at meeting the reporting and data access needs of a preeminent research university. This type of comprehensive information system is commonly referred to as a Campus Data Warehouse. 4 While this paper discusses the design and goals of a Longitudinal Student Data Mart, it can serve as a model for the building of all campus data marts and the Campus Data Warehouse. 4 At UCR, the Campus Data Warehouse consists of a collection of campus data marts.