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Data Warehouse Overview

Last Updated: October 6, 2020 12:26:41 PM PDT
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Find out how to access central campus data using the Data Warehouse.

Background

The Data Warehouse (DW) is a collection of UC San Diego data, sourced from applications such as ISIS, IFIS and PPS, that allows campus consumers to answer a full spectrum of business questions. The current Data Warehouse was established over 20 years ago and contains a great deal of historical data. Additionally, a set of data named SQL-DSE (SQL for Departmental Support Environment) provides point-in-time snapshots to support departmental data consumption. SQL-DSE does not have the same data integrity or metadata requirements as the rest of the Data Warehouse.

Data Management Modernization

We live in an increasingly data centric world with more reliance on quality data. Data consumption requirements and related technologies have changed dramatically over the past 20 years based on the volume of data, analytics, ad hoc querying needs, data integration, big data, lower cost and higher powered compute capabilities and self-service IT models. ITS has adopted some key technologies to address these changes and improve Data Warehouse services to the campus community such as:

  • Providing current, off the shelf Business Intelligence (BI) toolsets such as Cognos and Tableau to campus consumers
  • Running a version of IBM’s DB2 database system (DB2 BLU) that’s built for optimization of analytics
  • Using data virtualization technology that lets us build a single logical data representation from disparate physical data sources
  • Initiating a metadata management program to inventory and fully define our enterprise data assets and then provide campus wide access to the information

  • The most critical task is defining a new, integrated data model that will provide quicker query response and support more natural ad hoc analysis. Data Warehouse 2.0 – the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) will include all key areas such as Student, Finance, HR, Research, Advancement and person/party as well as departmental data.

We want your involvement

We have started building the data model with input from key subject matter experts. Next, we want to hear from the broader Data Warehouse community. If you have a local data store built with data extracted from the current Data Warehouse and are interested in having a voice regarding the new EDW content, please fill out this survey.

Enhancement and Changes

The ITS Data Warehouse support team will communicate structural and other significant changes to the DW community and provide sufficient lead time to complete testing. To request an enhancement to the current Data Warehouse content, submit a service request to ACT-DBWAREHOUSE@ucsd.edu.

Data Content

DataLink provides information about the existing DW data content including definitions and attributes as well as specific data access requirements.

Data Access

Access is controlled by AccessLink via approval from Data Stewards. Use DataLink to guide you through the appropriate access requirements and Data Steward contacts.

Data Consumption

Data is made available via:

  1. QueryLink (including Easy Query)
  2. SQLExecuter
  3. Departmental query software.
  4. Newer Business Intelligence tools such as Cognos and Tableau. To find out about these new capabilities, see the Business Intelligence page.
To report an incident or suggest an enhancement, submit a service request to busintel@ucsd.edu. For any general Data Warehouse related questions or comments, e-mail its-bia@ad-ucsd.edu.