1. Starting a Data Center on your Campus
IASFAA Fall 2013 Conference Grand Harbor Dubuque

2. Data Integrity
A little about our campuses: Mt. Mercy University St. Ambrose University

3. Data Integrity What is Data Integrity? Who uses the data?
Why is it important?
Data Integrity is the ensuring of clean data that can be used in reporting out to official surveys and the department of Ed. Also to ensure proper processing of student data between offices.
The entire campus uses the data. Reporting out and across offices.
It’s important because of official reporting, but also because what one office does affects another office.
IASFAA Fall 2013 Conference Grand Harbor Dubuque

4. Data Integrity
Why did our campuses decide to take action to ensure data integrity?
During the planning process, what were the areas that needed to be addressed and how did we find them?
What department were the key players involved in ensuring that your plan would be implemented?
Bullet 1:
Mt. Mercy:We converted to PowerCampus is 2009.  The conversion process created/brought to light the need to do some data cleaning.  Additionally, the software system prior to conversion was not integrated and now with PowerCampus being integrated, the different offices began to be affected by the data integrity of data entered by other offices – what previously wasn’t so important to one office now needed to be important to them because of how it affected other offices on down the line.
SAU: Also during a conversion, we discovered over 4000 duplicate records, that still need to be cleaned up. We also have users who continue to enter data incorrectly or rather, incompletely. Something needed to be done.
Bullet 2:
Mt. Mercy:We looked at the priority items affecting all areas and started there – such as addresses, names and demographic information.
SAU: We are starting with Enrollment, since that is where the data first enters the system. If we can catch the inaccuracies in the beginning, there will be less clean up down the line. Mainly Core data and duplicates.
Bullet 3:
Mt. Mercy: When we did the conversion, we had established a super-user in each of the areas (Registrar, Business Office, Advancement, Accelerated, Admissions, Fin Aid, IR) and these super users would be pulled together as appropriate to discuss data entry issues, procedure changes etc.  When the auditing scripts, which run weekly, were developed we asked for input from these users as to what types of data items needed to be checked.
SAU: All the Enrollment Offices to begin with. We are trying to re-establish Power –Users in each office, creating a structure of Power, Lead, and end users. Right now, my staff is playing the role and Super-User and helping to support the other offices Power-Users.
IASFAA Fall 2013 Conference Grand Harbor Dubuque

5. Data Integrity
What types of road blocks did we experience during the process?
What are some steps that you can take in your offices to ensure data integrity, especially for smaller offices?
Bullet 1:
Mt. Mercy: Time.  It took and still takes time for the DBA and his report writer to design these auditing scripts, maintain them, send results out ,etc.  
SAU: People don’t like to change their processes, so when a new office comes in and tells them this is how it needs to be done, it doesn’t always go over very well. Continuing to find more incorrect or incomplete data. Like tearing in to an old house to do repair work. Other offices outside of the Enrollment area and starting to rely on us for data at a more ‘campus-wide’ level and it is hard for our small staff.
Bullet 2:
Mt. Mercy: Well, I don’t think the offices can get a lot smaller than what we are.  One DBA, one report writer, one data person.  We just have tried to take one step at a time and fit it in the best we can.
SAU: Know your own office procedures and how they affect other offices. Work together with the other offices to come together on processes as a whole, as opposed to just ‘your’ office procedure. Get out of the office silos.
IASFAA Fall 2013 Conference Grand Harbor Dubuque