SITS Data Re-structuring Project
SITS is the central administrative student records system. The SITS Academic Model comprises all course, programme and related tables and their data within the SITS database.
Why is a new Academic Model required?
Until recently, the current data setup within SITS has been broadly adequate and has provided the required functionality and flexibility from the point of initial system implementation in November 1999. Since implementation, as one would expect it, system capabilities as well as user requirements have increased and on this basis we have found the current setup within SITS prohibitive to existing and future development work that is critical to effective University business. It is therefore of high importance that this issue be resolved appropriately without delay. A project team from Registry, Admissions, English Language Teaching and Business Improvements, led by Gail Davidson, has been tasked with implementing the changes.
What is being changed and when?
The project is currently underway and it is intended that the implementation of the new set up will be carried out in phased stages to address systems and processes in manageable groups. The project team started with reviewing the coding structure used in the database. The new coding structure has to be expandable and flexible, and has to mirror the academic programme structures. This includes course and related data in the main tables, but also tables including award (AWD, AWC, CLA), subject, topic etc. The new coding structure has now been agreed and is being implemented in the development database. Testing existing and defining new required processes using the academic model is the next stage. As student and course related data is regularly exported into the Data Warehouse, from where it is used by many other applications and users (e.g. Advising, Student Transcripts, Exams etc), there are knock-on effects of the proposed changes on all these systems. Therefore the project has to address the consequent changes in all these other systems as well. This phase of the project is planned to start early in May. The main ‘go live’ stage is planned for mid July 2007, followed by a Stage 2 deadline in advance of matriculation and a Stage 3 deadline after matriculation.
Who will be affected?
Although the impact of the changes will affect University-wide processes and systems, through careful management of the project and a substantial amount of development work on the Data Warehouse system and related databases and systems, the migration to the new coding structure should be ‘seamless’ for the users. To ensure that this is the case we have identified key system users and are in the process of contacting individuals to ensure that they are aware of the changes taking place and how they might be affected. In particular we are trying to identify any members of staff who are responsible for systems, databases and reports that are driven by ODBC links to the Data Warehouse (student data) and SITS tables. If you access information in this way and you have not been contacted already, please contact Gail Davidson (e-mail: gr4, telephone 2791).
Further information about the project can be found under the title of SITS Data Re-structuring on the BI website:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/business-improvements/projects/SITSData/
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