DARTS : Data Cookbook Resources

A clear path from question to answer

The Data Cookbook will complement and extend the work that has been done on the DARTS website in Confluence. Some of the DARTS pages will be moved to Data Cookbook, and some will remain where they are. The sites will be linked so that our users can move back and forth between pages seamlessly.

Data Cookbook will make accessing the right data quicker and easier by assisting with documentation of the steps and processes used to arrive at an agreed upon definition for data elements. And these elements can be combined into collections to define larger scale objects such as a table or view, a report or a data mart.

Workflows

Workflows are the backbone of the Data Cookbook. In the example below, the data object, for example the definition of student FTE, is created in a draft state. The functional area or areas for this draft definition are identified as part of the initial process. Once that happens, a user group of 3-4 individuals will be automatically notified of a draft definition in need of review. Asynchronously or as a group, they will go to the Data Cookbook and add their knowledge to the definition, enlist other experts if necessary, and eventually-- collaboratively-- approve the final definition.

With proper use, the work put into each solution will never NEED to be repeated, yet it can always be improved upon and updated.  If a definition is later found by someone to be missing crucial information, a new version can be created and approved using the same process through which the first version was refined and approved.

User Groups

The user groups will consist of subject matter experts identified by the members of each functional area, who collaborate on definitions and reports to achieve consensus on their validity, use, and meaning.

This diagram is a basic outline of how we are organizing the structure of the workflows and user groups. The crossover diamonds indicate that we will need folks with knowledge of, or contacts in, another database to call upon when the definition requires it.

We are planning to have 2-5 User Groups for each of the three MaineStreet databases, each consisting of 3-6 subject matter experts. The user group members review definitions on a regular basis to move them toward a collaboratively approved state.

User Group Skills and Qualifications

• • Expert level data knowledge of multiple topics within one or more UMS databases (CS, HR, FN).

  • Knowledge about the job functions associated with those topics.

  • A network of colleagues with similar & complementary expertise to collaborate with is preferred (SME liaising with colleagues to provide feedback on definitions)