Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!news.glorb.com!postnews.google.com!f15g2000pro.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail From: janpelletier@yahoo.ca Newsgroups: comp.databases.ms-sqlserver Subject: Macquarie University generates new insights with Business Intelligence Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 05:04:29 -0700 (PDT) Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 108 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: 27.32.132.223 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: posting.google.com 1305720276 7547 127.0.0.1 (18 May 2011 12:04:36 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 18 May 2011 12:04:36 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: f15g2000pro.googlegroups.com; posting-host=27.32.132.223; posting-account=3gjv-AoAAABkf2H5-5-Za6uHMRGIjhwg User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; MSIE 9.0; Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; Trident/5.0),gzip(gfe) Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.databases.ms-sqlserver:349 Macquarie University today launched the first phase of a university- wide reporting and analytics program, Datamart. Datamart, powered by Yellowfin=92s Business Intelligence (BI) solution, delivers self-service data analysis to Macquarie University academic and business decision-makers anywhere, anytime, on any device. Macquarie University, based in Sydney=92s northwestern high-tech corridor, seeks to surface deep insight into its wide range of operational data, used to support the strategic direction of the university. =93Macquarie has a strategic goal =96 to be one of the top 200 universities in world rankings by 2014, and to be one of the top eight research universities in Australia,=94 said Macquarie University Chief Information Officer (CIO), Marc Bailey. =93To get there, we need to understand how we=92re performing. To achieve that, we need great data. Actually we have the data, but we weren=92t able to surface it. Now Datamart, with Yellowfin technology underpinning it, provides us capability to expose that data and leverage it.=94 Bailey said that implementing a BI rollout, in an era of greater competition due to the uncapping of student places, would give Macquarie a significant advantage over other higher education providers. He explained that university rankings and research funding were heavily dependent on the type of data submitted to government and regulatory bodies. Bailey also said that Yellowfin would allow Macquarie to improve the quality of teaching and student services based on the analysis of student and survey data. =93Data is a competitive issue for universities. Universities are engines of data, producing endless amounts of statistics and numbers everyday. We=92ve both a capacity to produce it, and a thirst to consume it. When you=92re trying to compare and assess the performance of organizations in the private sector, you=92ve got dollars and shareholder value as the ultimate bottom line. When you=92re trying to compare the performance of a university, you have data as a bottom line. So good data that points in the right strategic direction can help you understand how you=92re doing compared to another institution. If you can deliver that data with high veracity and faster timeliness then you=92ve got a competitive edge. That=92s exactly what Datamart is doing for Macquarie.=94 Macquarie University currently has three key data sets available for Yellowfin to report from =96 student data, research data and Australian graduate survey data. =93These are data sets that universities throughout Australia use to report to the government regulators to explain or justify performance, which are directly linked to funding and to student experience,=94 said Bailey. =93These are three of the most critical data sets for government reporting and for providing the people at Macquarie with the information they need to offer the best services possible and develop winning research, teaching and business strategies.=94 Bailey said that as a university, with many people, located in many different places, all using different technologies to access information, Yellowfin=92s multi-platform, multi-device self-service capabilities were paramount. =93Widespread self-service access to reporting and analytics is vital for our success as a university, and Yellowfin delivers that.=94 Bailey also said that Yellowfin offered the features necessary to accomplish Macquarie=92s goal of =93democratizing data.=94 =93When we looked at Yellowfin, we saw something simpler than the alternatives. It=92s highly intuitive and 100 percent Web-based, so it=92s easier to consume, but without compromise. Ease of use is crucial. The second thing that we saw as a major benefit was the fact that Yellowfin is one of the only BI products on the market with the ability to utilize HTML 5, and therefore receive information on any device or platform =96 Windows, Linux or Mac; iPad, iPhone or Android =96 it doesn=92t matter.=94 According to Macquarie University=92s Information Director, Dr Neil Fraser, using Yellowfin to collate, analyze and report on the university=92s different data sources, will remove the reliance on spreadsheets, eliminating inconsistencies in organizational data, the uncertainty surrounding data accuracy, and uncover new opportunities. =93Yellowfin gives us a common frame of reference,=94 said Fraser. =93Everyone is receiving the same information from the same source, analyzed in the same way. Establishing a single source of truth for data within a university is a significant accomplishment, given the complexity and diversity of operations. By breaking-down departmentalized information stores, Macquarie will be able to understand its operations like never before. =93We can now accurately map where our students are coming from and develop effective marketing strategies accordingly. For example we can monitor student intake around the world or traffic flow around the campus. We can even analyze where our funding comes from based on locality =96 the opportunities are limitless. Yellowfin=92s geospatial intelligence technology uncovers questions, answers and opportunities at a micro level and at a macro level. Being able to visualize our data is key to discovering these types of problems and opportunities.=94 Yellowfin will be progressively rolled-out to a wider population, eventually offering most staff and even students access to a wide range of operational university data, subject to security. To watch a short video about Datamart, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?= v=3DHMty3kLiUaM To watch a video interview regarding the Datamart implementation with Macquarie University Chief Information Officer (CIO), Marc Bailey, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dtd6If7nvykE