It’s in! Now how do we get it back out? The potential and the pitfalls of reporting from student systems. Bryan Hughes Head of Student Administration Systems Support

Workshop Outline  Purpose of the workshop  Leeds Met’s experience  Lessons learned  Your experiences  Conclusion

Leeds Met’s experience pt 1.  Business Objects is the corporate reporting system  Banner is the student records system  Business Objects pointed at Banner in 2002/03  Reports from live Banner database

Leeds Met experience pt 2.  Expectations raised. “Whatever’s in the system, we can get back out”  Increasing buy-in for the student system  Most demands met (nearly!)  Few report-writers, many report users  The exam board period of 2004/05!

Leeds Met experience pt 3.  Increased reporting skills  More complex reports  Less report-writers  ~400 reports available to most users  More users (incl. academics and senior managers) – 950 distinct users in the last 18 months

Report types 1.  Letters (admissions, enrolment, results)  Student lists (module, cohort)  Student details (modules attached, contact details)  Assessment (exam candidate lists, marks sheets)

Report types 2.  Progression (exam board spreadsheets, classifications)  Awards (degree certificates, diploma supplements)  Validation reports  Management information

Report examples – Confirmation of Attendance

Report Examples – Module Tie-up Checklist

Report examples – exam board spreadsheet

Report Example – Diploma Supplement

Report Examples – Results Letters

The Future  Reports rationalisation  Upgrade/migration  Parallel universe  Business Intelligence!!!

Lessons Learned  Planning is vital  Resource must be allocated  Implement change control before things go wrong  Must be able to ‘take the strain’  Manage expectations  Be consistent

Decisions To Make  Live vs warehousing  Technical vs functional ownership  Flexible vs controlled  Nomenclature

Conclusion  Getting information out is as important as getting information in