New UM Reports List web page

What’s happening to the reports you use to do your job?

Following up on the blog post entitled ‘ESUP Questions...Is UM Reports Going Away?’, ESUP has published a new web page to help faculty and staff find out what’s happening to their favorite UM Reports.

The UM Reports List web page includes background content about the connection between reports and their associated business process and a link to a spreadsheet listing reports affected by ESUP with:

• Tabs for UM Reports from the Finance, HRMS, and Student systems
• Report numbers and descriptions
• Information about what’s happening to each report as a result of ESUP
• Where to find the report after the scheduled systems launch in April 2015*

“The UM Reports list begins to answer the questions many UM Report users have been asking - Which reports are staying? Which reports are being replaced with new PeopleSoft tools? and Which reports are being retired?,” said Mary Keenan, UMD director of Strategic Enrollment and Institutional Research and member of the Enterprise Data Management and Reporting Steering Committee. “Like most UM Report users, I have my go-to reports. It’s helpful to review the list to check on their status,” added Keenan.

Additionally, visitors to the page will find two short videos and a job aid about the new Reporting Center including:

• a two-minute sneak peek introducing the new center as a consolidated catalog of reports coming from UM Reports, UM Analytics, and PeopleSoft
• a nine-minute demonstration giving a deeper view into how people will access the center and find the reports they need
• a one-page job aid with call-outs highlighting its features 

Please visit the new page to learn more about what’s happening to UM Reports and email esup@umn.edu if you have any questions.

*This article was updated on 02/04/2015 to reflect the most recent timing information.

IDEAA iCOP June meeting recap

The Integrating Data, Enterprise Architecture, and Applications (IDEAA) informal community of practice held its most recent meeting on June 24. IDEAA is a venue where the University IT community can discuss ESUP and the coming changes to the data, processes, and technology powering critical data systems such as the Data Warehouse and the x.500 directory.

Agenda items included:

• ESUP Portal and Student updates - William Dana, Portal and Student project director, shared how the portal will be a new tool to aggregate services from different areas customized to each individual with its main focus on helping people get their University business done. William also highlighted a few changes coming in the Student area like replacing the Course Guide application, integrating Moodle and the new Faculty Center, and re-baselining security.

• Reporting Center demonstration and Knowledge Base update - Amy Schult, business analyst from the Reporting and Data Management team, gave a brief demonstration of the new Reporting Center, a centralized place to display and organize enterprise level reports within the new MyU portal and covered the Knowledge Base, a tool being built for report writers and developers.

• ESUP and file transfers - Bernardo Prigge, from the Infrastructure team, talked about a new file transfer service coming with ESUP.

• Data Warehouse - Bill Collings, from the Integration team, gave updates on changes coming to the Data Warehouse.

• University systems and applications - Janie Moore, from the Integration team, provided status updates from colleges and departments with applications that pull data from PeopleSoft.

Click here to watch a recording of the June meeting.

The next meeting of the IDEAA group will be on July 22, from 9:30 to 11:00 in room 402 Walter Library or on Google Hangouts at http://z.umn.edu/ideaalive. Click here for more information about IDEAA and to find recordings of earlier meetings.

ESUP Reporting information sessions and program status update

On June 18, ESUP staff presented the latest information on the Program’s status as a whole and its efforts around University reporting and data management to approximately 100 colleagues.

Amy Winkel presenting at the reporting and data
management information session in Nicholson hall

Dennis Wenzel, executive program director, gave an overall Program update recognizing the progress and effort made so far, the hard work and high level of collaboration on the project from across the University and acknowledging the road ahead won’t be easy.

Amy Winkel, Amy Schult, and Barbara Scotford from the Reporting and Data Management team also talked about their team’s scope for ESUP with more specific information about what’s happening with UM Reports, the Data Warehouse, and the new Reporting Center, which is being developed as part of the Program.

Amy Schult presenting
on the new Reporting Center

“I was most interested in the status and new developments in UM Reports,” said Mark Bultmann, director of Advising Initiatives and coordinator of Special Scholarships. “It is my lifeline to data for the student groups I monitor. I also appreciated the Reporting Center job aid and the features highlighted on that document.”

Click here to watch a recording of the first session, to see the reporting presentation, and to see the Reporting Center job aid used at each session.

ESUP fosters University reporting and data management collaboration

Through ESUP, a strong partnership has formed between the Program’s Reporting and Data Management (RDM) work stream and the Enterprise Data Management and Reporting (EDMR) initiative. Together, RDM and EDMR are addressing important reporting and data-related capabilities for the University over the short and long-term.

RDM is a project within ESUP which creates a more short-term focus. Its goals for the Program include:

• Meeting Go-Live reporting needs related to the upgrade
• Aligning central reports to business processes
• Identifying and creating reports needing real-time data

“Our goal is to work with the work streams to make sure their Go-Live reporting needs are met for faculty and staff,” said Amy Winkel, RDM project director for ESUP.

EDMR is the business owner, or governing body, for RDM and will continue to oversee reporting beyond the life of ESUP. EDMR’s overall goal is to improve the availability, understanding, use, and value of data used throughout the University. It will reach its goal through:

• Shared data: access to common and comprehensive data sources
• Shared understanding: a common platform for institutional and unit reporting
• Shared tools: awareness and application of standard metrics and data definitions
• Shared development: a structured environment to exchange knowledge and ideas

“EDMR is about getting the most out of the data, reporting, and analysis assets available to the University,” said Steve Gillard, University data custodian and director for the Analytics Collaborative. “The two groups have a very good working relationship and this collaborative effort improves approaches to problem solving which leads to better solutions.”

A concrete example of this partnership started recently when RDM staff identified three topics that required EDMR collaboration:  reporting standards, direct data access and the identification and definition of key data elements. As a result, one of EDMR’s tactical committees, the Data Governance Team (DGT), is considering these topics at an institutional level to develop actionable next steps and recommendations for long-term solutions.

In the coming weeks, the ESUP Update blog will include articles with more details about the collaboration around these three topics. In the meantime, please send questions to esup@umn.edu