Data Warehouse

Background

In the late 1990’s the benefits of consolidated data and data analysis prompted substantial efforts towards building a data warehouse. However it would be almost two decades later that our solution would take shape. Although resources were limited, IT and administrative staff continued to press forward with efforts in a period of growth as we learned and implemented many important procedures that prepared us for today.

Solution

Two years ago the pieces came together. The hard work of committees such as the General Person Team, Data Governance, IT Portfolio Management, and Institutional Effectiveness formed a framework for developing and implementing new procedures. The decision makers and general University culture was also ready to adopt and progress into data driven decision making. The final piece, Wherescape Red software, was purchased through due diligence with the promise of enabling IT staff to do a lot with a little. True to it’s word, with only limited staff resources, in a short year the initial phase of the data warehouse was complete.

Results

Weber State’s Data Warehouse is functioning with 10 fact tables and over a dozen supporting dimensions. We are able to answer questions that we never have before. We regularly hear comments such as, “I always wished I could get that information.” People’s eyes light up as the catch the vision. Now we have more request for new data than we can keep up with. The warehouse is growing, as is the adoption of new approaches to solving problems, helping the University
meet its goals.