Learn About UW Data: Types and Tools

Last updated: October 16, 2024
Audience: All UW

Data is the backbone for many of the technology tools and services used at the UW to power teaching, learning, and research. UW Information Technology makes this data available to the people and applications that need it. This data may be delivered as reports, databases, or APIs, but what matters is that you have sources for UW data that are secure, accessible, and consistent.

The following image illustrates the data types and tools available, as well as the applications and users who may benefit from them. The data types and tools are explored in more detail in the sections below.

An illustration of the different types of data, tools, and users in the UW data ecosystem.

 

Data Types

There are many types of data available to people, systems, and tools at the UW. At a high level, this data can be grouped into the following categories. To learn more about the different types of data available and how they can be used, explore the guides below.

Academic data is information about students at the UW. This data type includes information about student demographics, course schedules, enrollment, degrees, majors, registration, transcripts, and many other topics related to academics.

Common use cases

People across the UW need access to academic information to enable their work. These are a few of the common ways people use academic data:

  • Answer questions about students and academics using reports (BI Portal).
  • Analyze large amounts of academic data from using data cubes (BI Portal).
  • Answer unique or specific questions about students and academics (Enterprise Data Warehouse).
  • Build an application that needs accurate, regularly updated academic data (Enterprise Web Services).

Resources for Academic Data

Advancement & Alumni Relations data includes information related to the fundraising and marketing lifecycle. For example, donor, prospect, and alumni engagement, gifts and giving, and relationship stewardship activities.

Common use cases

UW Advancement leverages Advancement & Alumni Relations data to bring together development, alumni and stakeholder engagement, and marketing and communications.

  • Compare UW’s endowment values to other public universities.
  • Evaluate UW’s global engagement in four key areas: international students, study abroad students, research awards, and UW alumni.

Resources

Core Data includes a cross-section of source-similar reference data from multiple domains, that is designated by the UW Data Governance Steering Committee as essential to the core business of UW and is managed to guarantee uniformity and usage of this data to support UW functions.

Common use cases

  • Identify key dates across UW calendars for faculty, staff, and students.
  • Leverage standardized country names and codes.
  • Ensure funding entities (for example, donors) are referred to consistently.

Resources

Finance data includes information related to the finance lifecycle. For example, funding and investments, budgeting, receipt and distribution of funds, and financial reporting.

Common use cases

  • Integrate an application with Workday Finance Data (Enterprise Web Service/Enterprise Integrations).
  • Report on historical data from the Financial Accounting System (FAS), as allowed per assigned security role(s) (BI Portal/Enterprise Data Warehouse).
  • Obtain current finance data from Workday, as allowed per assigned security role(s) (BI Portal/Workday/Enterprise Data Warehouse).

    A note about Workday reports: 
    In Workday, reports are assigned by security role. The security role not only determines which reports the user can run, but which reports they can discover. In the BI Portal, a user can discover any report in the catalog. While a user’s security role determines which reports they can run, this visibility allows users to identify potentially useful reports, check the Security Information tab to determine which roles have access, and then request elevated access, if warranted.

    While you can run reports directly in Workday, the best way to discover these reports is via the BI Portal.

Resources

Human Resources data includes information related to the Human Capital Management (HMC) lifecycle. For example, data from recruiting to appointment, benefits, training and development, and retirement.

Common use cases

  • Integrate an application with Workday HCM data (Enterprise Web Services/Enterprise Integrations).
  • Obtain human resources data from Workday, as allowed per assigned security role(s) (BI Portal/Workday/Enterprise Data Warehouse).

    A note about Workday reports: 
    In Workday, reports are assigned by security role. The security role not only determines which reports the user can run, but which reports they can discover. In the BI Portal, a user can discover any report in the catalog. While a user’s security role determines which reports they can run, this visibility allows users to identify potentially useful reports, check the Security Information tab to determine which roles have access, and then request elevated access, if warranted.

    While you can run reports directly in Workday, the best way to discover these reports is via the BI Portal.

Resources

Property & Space Management data includes information related to the real estate and space management lifecycle. For example, planning, construction, asset management, maintenance and improvements, occupancy, and dispossession or removal.

Common use cases

  • Integrate an application with facility and room data from InVision (Enterprise Web Services).
  • Search for historical asset records (BI Portal).

Resources

Research data include information related to the research lifecycle. For example, proposals, expenditures on budgets, and completion of the research project.

Common use cases

  • Obtain research data from the UW’s System to Administer Grants Electronically (SAGE) (BI Portal/Enterprise Data Warehouse).

Resources

Once you have an idea of what type of data you need to use, you can start leveraging the tools and services the UW offers help access, parse, and understand the data.

Data Tools to Access and Understand Data

Depending on what data you need and how you need to use it, there are several tool options that can help you access, organize, and understand data to achieve your specific goals. Look through the options below to explore how they might help you achieve your data goals.

BI Portal is a tool to access data via customizable reports or data cubes. For many needs, BI Portal will be the first place to look for data, as it provides pre-built reports and off-the-shelf tools to answer common questions using data from key subject areas such as student information, finance, HR/Payroll and Research Administration.

Considerations

  • You don’t need to know how to write any code or SQL to use reports or data cubes, so this is the most accessible option for people that want easy access to data.
  • What you see is what you get. If the data you need isn’t in a report or cube, it likely isn’t available through BI Portal.
  • New reports and data cubes come online frequently
  • You can request data that is not available in reports or cubes. If it is available, UW-IT might be able to get it to you, given time to fulfill the request.
  • Data is updated daily and not available in real time

The Enterprise Data Warehouse is a collection of relational databases (an RDBMS) that serve as a secure, central system of reference, integrating data from many sources across UW. Using the Enterprise Data Warehouse, you can answer more complex or specific questions using data from the UW that might not be available in a pre-packaged form from BI Portal.

Considerations:

  • Knowledge of SQL is necessary to use the Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • Data is updated daily and not available in real time
  • New data the UW recently started collecting may not immediately be available through EDW
  • Often the choice for bulk data requests
  • Many campus analysts are familiar with using SQL to access data

Enterprise Integrations connect Workday (HR Payroll and/or Finance) data with other critical software/applications. These integrations enable seamless data flow and real-time information sharing, automating workflows and reducing manual data entry.

Considerations:

  • Link Workday with existing software/applications for streamlined data exchange; individuals do not use these integrations.
  • Reduce manual data entry and minimize error.
  • Improve data consistency and reliability across integrated platforms.
  • Submit an Enterprise Integration Request form to get started.

Enterprise Web Services (EWS) are a secure collection of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that integrate data to and from many sources across UW. The EWS is a system of reference that enables enterprise business applications to access commonly shared source data in a scalable, real-time, and highly available architecture.

Considerations:

  • In order to use Enterprise Web Services, you’ll need to talk to UW-IT about your need and desired use. We can determine what access you need, get you set up to start using the API, and get you started
  • Enterprise Web Services are used by software and applications to access data; individuals cannot use the web services.
  • Advanced knowledge of API usage, software development, and data ecosystems is usually necessary to leverage web services.

Knowledge Navigator is your guide to UW data and information. It is a web-based application designed to give context to the enterprise data you use for decision-making. It has terms and data definitions for most data sources from the UW.

Tableau is a powerful suite of tools for creating data visualizations to help you understand and communicate using data.

Get started with UW data