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The Data Warehouse

The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of members of staff to a new Web-based system for the querying and retrieval of central administrative data such as the student record, research and finance data etc. The system is known as the Data Warehouse and it will be available to anyone in the University who is required to use it.

The service has been implemented through the creation of a relational database stored on a powerful Unix server. Access to the Data Warehouse is via the World Wide Web and can therefore be from a PC, an Apple Macintosh or a Sun workstation.

Data held in the Data Warehouse

Currently the data that is held in the Data Warehouse is primarily from the student record although there is also some financial and research data. However at the time of writing only student data is available via a Web-based form and it's important to remember that it is not all student data that is available. Data is added as and when resources allow. The Warehouse is still under development and you will be informed of any additions or deletions as they occur.

Accessing data in the Data Warehouse

You need to register to use the Data Warehouse. Before doing this you will need to check the following:

If both of the above conditions are satisfied, then you can register online. This involves filling out a form on the Web in which you will be asked to state which category of data you wish to access and your reasons for wanting to access it. The completed form should be completed on the screen and then printed and sent for signing to the Registrar or the Financial Controller (or their deputies). Once registered, you will then be able to use your Sun username and password to access the Web page from which you can make your searches and download records.

You will be added to two mailing lists. One is called dware which will be used by the Warehouse development team to inform you of any down-times, operating changes etc. The other is called dwusers and is used as a discussion forum where you can exchange ideas and practical tips with other users of the Warehouse, discuss what enhancements you'd like to see and learn about Warehouse developments.

Querying the Data Warehouse

Querying is usually done by entering search terms (such as module code, student ID etc.) into a Web form and clicking a button to retrieve the data. Sometimes you will be asked to choose items from a list instead of (or as well as) entering search terms. The data retrieved can be in two formats: suitable for printing or suitable for downloading into an application (like Microsoft Excel or FileMaker Pro) on your own desktop machine.

You will usually have a choice of these two formats and which you choose depends largely on what you want to do with the data i.e. print it for circulation or download it for merging with your local data. However before you rush to download it, bear in mind the following points. Data that is downloaded can become out of date in a relatively short time. At certain periods of the year the student record can change rapidly. In this case it would be wiser to query the Warehouse repeatedly and resist the urge to capture the data permanently. The Warehouse is intended to be queried often and regularly.

If you do have a need to download data then it will appear in your browser in comma-delimited format, sometimes known as comma-separated values or CSV. You can then select the data and copy and paste it into your application. Alternatively you can save the data as a plain text file and import it into your application. Almost all spreadsheet and database applications (including Excel, Access and FileMaker Pro) can accept comma-delimited data. IT Services, in conjunction with the Registry, will be holding training sessions demonstrating search, retrieval and download of data.

Requesting enhancements to the Web pages

The Web-based forms that will be available to you when you register have been designed after consultation with several members of staff and we hope that they will satisfy your needs initially. However, we are aware that there may be other data that you require and we welcome feedback in this area from the user community.

What to do when things go wrong

From time to time you will experience technical problems when accessing the Warehouse. If rebooting your machine fails to clear the problem then it could be that the Warehouse is simply unavailable. Have you checked your e-mail to see if anything has been posted to the dware mailing list?

If nothing is posted, the problem may be with the Warehouse or with the campus network. In this case you should contact the Helpdesk in the usual way. They should have up-to-date information on any upgrading or other planned work on the Warehouse and also if there are any known systems problems. It's important to give the Helpdesk a clear account of what the symptoms are and what you have tried to do yourself.

You should get into the habit of reading your e-mail regularly as known times when the Warehouse will be unavailable are sent to the dware mailing list. When the Warehouse is back in service you will be informed via this list.

There may be times when the data you receive from a query is unexpected. The data in the Warehouse changes from time to time (students change courses and address for example). If you have any queries about the contents of the database then direct them to Ali Waugh in the Registry (telephone 2118 or e-mail acw5).

What to do next

If you have a valid need to use the Warehouse then follow these steps:

1. Register by completing the form at:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/ITS/pub/dware/dw.html

2. Once registered you will be informed by e-mail, that you can access the Warehouse front page at:

http://tachyon.st-andrews.ac.uk:8080/dware/student_record/indexgen.html

(It's a good idea to bookmark this for future reference.)

3. You will be added to the dware mailing list and will be informed of planned developments via this list.

4. You will be added to the dwusers mailing list. Use this list to communicate with other users of the Warehouse and discuss what sorts of enhancements you would like to see made.

5. If you wish to see a demonstration of search, retrieval and download of data from the Warehouse, then you can sign up for a training session. Current sessions are as follows:

Monday 12 October: 10am-12noon: Swallowgate: PCs only

Monday 12 October: 2pm-4pm: Swallowgate: PCs only

Wednesday 14 October: 2pm-4pm: Modern Languages: Macs and PCs

We would like to see one or two representatives from each School (a senior secretary and an advisor of studies, perhaps) attend these sessions. Our feeling is that it would be most effective for these to pass on the training to other colleagues in their School.

To book your session please contact the Secretary in IT Services (telephone 2770, e-mail sfc).

De-registering

It's possible that over the course of time the nature of your work changes and you no longer have a need to use the Warehouse. We would be grateful if you notified us of this, again by printing off and signing a de-registration form available at:

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/ITS/pub/dware/dwdereg.html

Hania Allen
September 1998