1 Presenters: Lucretia Parham Sara Connor Armstrong Atlantic State University October 30, 2001 11:45 – 12:35 Copyright Sara Connor and Lucretia Parham,

1

Presenters:Lucretia Parham

Sara Connor

Armstrong Atlantic State University

October 30, 200111:45 – 12:35

Copyright Sara Connor and Lucretia Parham, 2001. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial,

educational purposes, provided that this copyright appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or

to republish requires written permission from the author.

Presenters:Lucretia Parham

Sara Connor

Armstrong Atlantic State University

October 30, 200111:45 – 12:35

Copyright Sara Connor and Lucretia Parham, 2001. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial,

educational purposes, provided that this copyright appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or

to republish requires written permission from the author.

Improving Institutional Planning: A Decision Support System for

University Administrators

Improving Institutional Planning: A Decision Support System for

University Administrators

The Future of Higher Education

The Future of Higher Education

• Is Drucker Right?

• Historical Perspective

• Increased Administrative Pressure

Mastering ChangeMastering Change

• Harnessing Technology

• Planning is a Must

• Strategic Vision

• Add Value

• Use Data

The Process of Change Creation

The Process of Change Creation

• More from Drucker

• What is Change Creation?– Get accurate, up-to-date data– Define the future you want to create– Use the universal change principle– Use data to evaluate

Meeting the ChallengeMeeting the Challenge

• Strategic Use of Technology

• Be Proactive

• It’s all about Access

Why do we Need a DSS?Why do we Need a DSS?

Slow and ineffective information retrieval methods

Increase in the amount and complexity of information required

Critical role of information management in organizational success

Sheer volume of the data

Our SolutionOur Solution

Armstrong Atlantic

State University

Savannah, Georgia

Tiered web-based reporting solution for extracting information from SIS

First StepsFirst Steps

Articulate a clear vision for student information reporting

Design a methodology for meaningful information retrieval

Implement a solution incorporating technology, security and user concerns

Multi-tiered approachMulti-tiered approach

• Meta application to create standard reports• Web site that allows users to create simple

reports• Interface for more sophisticated users to

create complex reports using third party software

• Web site where users choose reports created by technical staff

Meta ApplicationMeta Application

PL/SQL code generation capability imbedded in Oracle database

Interface to code generation capability created by technical staff

Customized labels for report attributes Criteria for the report selected from user-defined list Report criteria saved by users for future use or

revision

ExamplesExamples

Registered or joint enrolled students Financial aid students Academic suspension/probation list Honors, freshmen, sophomores, juniors,

seniors, post baccalaureates, athletes, senior citizens, graduating seniors

Benefits of the DSS SolutionBenefits of the DSS Solution

Ease of implementation Non-proprietary solution Little technical staff intervention Cross-platform capability Allows users to browse and create simple reports Uses local tables and views Exploits the data warehouse concept

Web site report creationWeb site report creation

Examples of views created include:

Registration, Admissions, Recruiting, Financial Aid

Design of the views/tables based on the requirements of the different areas

User benefits of web siteUser benefits of web site

Immediate feedback to the ultimate consumer of the information

Simplicity of the interface Views and tables based on user-defined needs Daily updates of information

Technical benefits of web siteTechnical benefits of web site

Use of non-production database Authentication via Banner login name and

password Security control through Oracle roles Ease of modification and maintenance

Using third party toolsUsing third party tools

Crystal Reports or Access to create reports More complex reporting capability Users trained by internal or external staff Examples include cross validation and time

series analysis

Web Site Report RetrievalWeb Site Report Retrieval

Mirrors the current practice Technical staff create reports that users run Available through web site Includes the most complex reports Examples include enrollment statistics

Issues and ConcernsIssues and Concerns

Database complexity led to creation of local tables and views

Technical criteria include hardware and software needs

Training must be done Security is always an issue

Report Builder 6.0.8.8.3

Oracle Server 8.0.6.0.0

Acrobat Reader 4.0

Software Involved in the Creation and Presentation of Local Reports

Level One UserLevel One User

Can choose to AutoRun reports

User only has access to run reports for area

Access to Report Output

Level Two UserLevel Two User

Level Three UserLevel Three User

Access to Application

Development Links

Level Four UserTop Level of Access

Level Four UserTop Level of Access

Access to Technical documentation and utilities

CIS access to Meta-App

Development Links

Extra BenefitsExtra Benefits

Users have the option to set preferences for icons and colors.

Extra BenefitsExtra Benefits

Pop up help screens are available and are customizable.

Extra BenefitsExtra Benefits

The ability for users to add their own help links will be in place soon.

Extra BenefitsExtra Benefits

Error messages are incorporated.

Extra BenefitsExtra Benefits

Color coded error messages are available as well

SummarySummary

Users at all levels can create reports Information format makes sense to users Web-based intuitive solution Comprehensive mechanism to solve the

ongoing issue of information retrieval

Questions and AnswersQuestions and Answers

Are there any questions? Thank you for your time.

[email protected]@mail.armstrong.edu