1. Database Clearinghouse Update
William Johnson Miller
J. Whitney Bunting College of Business, Georgia College & State University
Department of Management
Milledgeville, GA 31061
Presentation to the 48th Annual Meeting of the Decision Science Institute-Washington, DC (2017)

2. Publicly Available (Free) Databases
Business Analytics Teaching Database Clearinghouse
Interest
Viability
Benefits Toward Teaching
Benefits Toward Research
Metrics, Availability, and Maintenance
Metrics
Website or Quarterly ?
Mechanism for Updating

3. Georgia College Database Clearinghouse
Byproduct of Course Project
Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017 (Six Sections)
1st Stage of Project
Teams Choose 1 or 2 Industries (Individuals Find 3 to 5 Databases)
Mgmt 3175 Business Analytics Students Collected 700+ Database Links
Each Team Chooses 3 Preferred Potential Databases
I Meet with Each Team and Help Them Pick Their Project Database
2nd Stage of Project
Teams Use Business Analytic Process to Analyze Their Project Database
Descriptive Analytics (Descriptive Statistics, Graphs)
Predictive Analytics (Regression, Discriminant Analysis)
Prescriptive Analytics (Linear Programming, Decision Analysis, Heuristics, Software)
Presentation and Formal Written Report
Continuing Spring 2018
Teams Vetting Non-duplicates

4. Ideal Data Bases Publicly Available, Free, Downloadable Flat Files
Rows and Columns Suitable for Excel
Query-Driven Software Exported to a Flat File
Columns (Variables)
Several Continuous Variables
Several Categorical Variables
Consider How Variables Interact
Consider Adding Variables From Other Databases
Rows (Cases)
At Least Several Hundred (Could Justify Fewer)
Can’t Have Too Many (Allows Working with a Subset)
Raw Data (NEISS or Complaints or UFOs)
Report Data (Gun Ownership, Arrests)

5. Database Choices Based On Industry
File Template From Database Choices Assignment
At Least Three Data Bases Per Team Member (Five Ideally)
Teams Chose Either One or Two Industries-8/31 (8/29)
Elements
Industry (added Spring 2017)
DB Name
Description
URL
Data Dictionary
#Rows
#Continuous Variables
#Categorical Variables
Report (1) to Raw Data (10)
Submit to OneDrive Shared Folder (As Developed)
Final List Reviewed By Team
Top 3 Final Choices Identified (9/12)
Each Team Meet With Me In My Office By 9/14, Decide on Data Base

6. Databases Analyzed Fall 2016 Accidents Arrests Faculty Salaries
Global Graduation Rates
Halloween Injuries
HIV Studies
Gun Ownership
IRS Info By Zip Code
Loan Complaints
Movies
NFL Teams
NBA Players
Poverty
UFOs
Spring 2017
Aviation Safety
Baseball Injuries
Beer
Building Code Violations
Drug Deaths
MLB Players
Olympic Medals
Soccer Injuries
Traffic Stops
Youth Tobacco Use
Fall 2017
Sports Betting
Global Films
PGA Driving Statistics
Storms
Hunting
College Athletics Revenue
Airline Delays
Fleet Data
PGA Player Statistics
National Food Expenditures
Campus Crimes

7. to all DASI Folks
From: Robert L Andrews
Sent: Sunday, April 23, :20 PM
Subject: Data, Analytics and Statistics Instruction Information
This message about Data, Analytics and Statistics Instruction, DASI, has multiple items listed below.
Bill Miller’s message about creating and maintaining a list of free public databases
At the Southeast DSI Meeting in Charleston (and previously at the DSI 2016 meeting in Austin), we talked about setting up a Business Analytics Clearinghouse for folks who teach Business Statistics and Business Analytics for Publicly Available Free Databases that could be used as an aid in teaching. (This Clearinghouse could also be of benefit for research since some of these databases are very extensive and have practical applications.) As we all know, real world databases have surprises that textbook databases do not often contain, so there is a benefit to having students work with such databases. (Gathering the databases can be relatively easy in that not only could we have students do it, but also we can ask colleagues who probably are aware of many such databases that could simply be added to the list.) I have lists of databases from my last two semesters gathered by my students (some are good some are not so good). The idea was that we might set up a Clearinghouse where others could contribute and use the databases we would be gathering. We would need a vetting process for new databases, we would archive them as well (in case websites go away), and we would need decisions about metrics that we would maintain for each database. If there is interest, we might also have forums for comments about results with certain databases as well as somewhere to share information about Course Projects where we have our students analyze the databases as part of a semester activity. If the Clearinghouse project is popular and folks think it would be a good idea we might also give periodic updates at DSI meeting as part of the DASI sessions
If you are interested in being involved in this project, please me, In the , please let me know if you either
a) want to be included on communications about the project and also have access to data bases as they are made available and/or
b) want to help design the Clearinghouse Project.
At this point, based on feedback from the meetings I am pleased to say that colleagues from Georgia College who know about website design have agreed to help. After I see the level of support from you all based on responses, I can go on to communicate with our Dean, saying that folks at other universities are interested, and see what kind of support Georgia College might provide to developing this project.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Bill

8. Interested Individuals From DASI Group
Outside Georgia College
Wei Chen York College of PA: involved
Lee, C. Christopher Central Connecticut State University: Communications and access to dbs
Donohue, Joan University of South Carolina: interested
Maria Bardossy University of Baltimore: Will help
Mohammad Merhi Indiana University South Bend: Communications and access to dbs
Anshu Arora Savannah State: Card only ( failure)
Cory Hutchinson Louisiana State University: Access to db
David Levine Baruch College (CUNY): Card only
Torsten Doering Daemen College: Card only
Hui Chen University of Tennessee Martin: Mentioned interest
Robert L Andrews Virginia Commonwealth University: DASI leader
Georgia College
Chris Lowery, Business Statistics
Tanya Goette, Website Design
Caroline Collier, Website Design
Dale Young, Dean

9. Email to Interested DASI Folks
From: william miller Sent: Tuesday, September 19, :01 PM Subject: FW: Data, Analytics and Statistics Instruction Information=Clearinghouse Update I believe everyone expressed an interest in this Database Clearinghouse project. Some of you said you wanted the updated list and some said they would also like to help with organizing/designing this project. I was going to get this out sooner, but there was a hurricane… It is still in pretty rough shape, but I have attached the latest list of free publicly available databases. I do have permission from our Dean as a starting point to put links to the database and anything else we want associated with the Clearinghouse on my faculty website. From this starting point, we need to proceed with how we plan to make the databases available to all the DASI folks and anyone else who might be interested. What kind of information we should provide about each database, encouraging others to add to the databases, and perhaps eventually forums to discuss which databases are most valuable, etc. We also need a name for the Clearinghouse. I hope everyone’s semesters are starting off well, and I look forward to hearing from you about how we should proceed. I am set to make a presentation at DSI in Washington, DC from 8:00 to 9:30am on Saturday, November 18th, so we should think about what I might want to say. Thanks so much! Bill

10. Decisions Excel File Emailed
Name of Clearinghouse
Starting Distribution Method
Excel File ed
Bill’s Website with Individual Links (
Link to PDF on Bill’s Website
Later Distribution Methods
Forums, Advertising, etc., Reporting Web User Traffic
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter???
Others Contributing to List
Vetting Links
Archiving Databases
Organizing List of Databases
Database Elements Tracked
Cleaning Up, Certifying, and Maintaining List
Method and Frequency
Legal Issues
Managing Links: Flat Files vs. Directories vs. Querying Software

11. Managing Links: Flat Files vs. Directories vs. Querying Software
Gas Prices
beginning-2007
UFOs
Gambling
Injuries
Hospital Compare
Coffee
Food