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  1. Inside NKU
  2. Information Technology
  3. IT Service Catalog
  4. Reporting and Analytics
  5. Getting Started

Getting Started

Reporting & Analytics (R&A) is committed to providing best-in-class information and analysis through expert consultation.  The team strives to empower and educate NKU users in meaningful data reporting and operational efficiency/excellence.

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This website is designed to be a functional, flexible, daily reference resource for all data reporting.  Individuals tasked with reporting for their respective units will be able to find details on the following:
  • Different systems and resources available
  • How to request, and where to request, the system access needed
  • How to use the systems requested
  • Which queries to use and how to use them
  • Where to find help, from documentation resources to specific requests

 

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Which Data to Use

 

When deciding which data to use, it is helpful to ask the following questions:

  1. Is the data included in the SAP BW or IR data system?  If it is not, use the outside datasource.
  2. Assuming the data is included, will the data be produced for internal (within NKU) or external use?  If it will be used externally in any capacity, use IR data.
  3. Assuming that it will be used internally, will a historical semester snapshot fulfill the need?  IR data is an incredibly easy to access, clean, historical semester snapshot (based on the last add/drop date each term) of both aggregate and student level data that is easy to compare across semesters and years.  Note that an Academic Year of IR data includes the prior summer:  Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring.
  4. If current or daily numbers are needed, use SAP BW data.  Historical data can also be obtained in BW, if needed for comparison purposes, at both the aggregate or student level.  Please review the BW Documentation page on our website to ensure that you are accessing and querying the data appropriately to obtain the expected results, especially for historical terms.  Note that an Academic Year of SAP BW data includes the following summer:  Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer.

 

To request access to any of these systems, please visit our Request Access page for a breakdown of contacts.

 

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Data and Systems

 

SAP:  At NKU, SAP is the system of record.  SAP is comprised of two parts, R3 (the transactional system where data is entered), and BW (the reporting system where current and historical data is stored).  Within all systems, the data is subdivided into three parts based upon its usage type: HR (Human Resources), FI (Financial Accounting), and SLCM (Student Information).

  • R3 data is inputted through the following interfaces:  
    • SAP GUI, Portal Academic Advising
  • BW data is extracted through the following interfaces:  
    • SAP GUI, Portal BEx Web Analyzer

IR:  Institutional Research (IR) is responsible for reporting NKU’s data to state and national organizations, and must therefore extract BW data and filter it to adhere to varying sets of reporting guidelines such as the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education and the U.S. Department of Education.  While both IR and BW figures may vary from one another, both have been validated by their respective curators and are accurate in accordance with the reporting guidelines requested.

Outside Databases:  NKU also has additional systems utilized by individual offices to help manage their unique data collection needs.  With these systems, a BW extract is used to populate base student data for the office, while any office specific data is added into and maintained within that system alone.

 

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