In December 2002 the University of Missouri Vice Presidents appointed the Task Force on Reporting Strategies to explore reporting strategies for the University of Missouri. The task force conducted focus groups and investigated other universities’ reporting strategies. In May 2003, the task force delivered their recommendations to the University of Missouri Vice Presidents. The task force recommended that the University of Missouri create an information repository that uses a web-based tool for reporting. In addition, the task force recommended the appointment of system and campus executive sponsors and point people for the project.
In August 2003, Steve Lehmkuhle, Vice President for Academic Affairs, was appointed as the University’s executive sponsor for reporting and appointed the Reporting Task Force Working Group to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations. The goal was to construct a reporting and decision support system in the mode of the existing UMDW data warehouse that used a web-based reporting tool like Cognos ReportNet.
Throughout the fall of 2003, the workgroup, with assistance from UM IT, focused on selecting a reporting tool for the reporting environment. The group evaluated reporting tools from a number of vendors and sought bids for the acquisition of a reporting system. In late August 2004 University of Missouri concluded a purchase contract with Cognos for both their ReportNet tool as well as their multi-dimensional data analysis tool called PowerPlay. The agreement with Cognos calls for 3 weeks of consulting which is scheduled to take place in September.
Also in August of 2003 UM IT began efforts to implement the information repository recommendation from the workgroup. After deciding that the PeopleSoft EPM decision support system would not meet University of Missouri’s needs, UM IT decided to build an information repository that was simpler, more flexible and more sustainable.
The technical challenge in accomplishing this was to distill the thousands of data tables in the PeopleSoft transactional systems into a reasonable number of tables that were optimized for reporting. The preferred data model for such a reporting system is called a dimensional model or "star-schema". Producing such a data model on our own was likely to take years. UM IT knew that PeopleSoft consulting possessed, or was working to construct, the needed data models. As a consequence of our dissatisfaction with EPM UM made formal claims with PeopleSoft and in the fall of 2003 we entered into negotiations seeking compensation or other concessions for our EPM investments. These negotiations were concluded in February 2004. In satisfaction of our claims PeopleSoft agreed to provide us with intellectual property in the form of dimensional data models for Human Resources and Student Administration; Informatica load maps that would move data from the transactional system into the dimensional reporting tables; and consulting services to perfect the processes that are necessary to achieve daily loads for these reporting systems.
At the beginning of September, Steve Lehmkuhle announced the formation of the University of Missouri Decision Support Team and the University of Missouri Decision Support Project. The team, with members from each campus representing functional and IT areas, will work on an HR pilot project to determine the best way to implement the Reporting Task Force’s recommendations on each campus for University of Missouri faculty, staff and students.
The University of Missouri’s initial license for Cognos is for a fairly limited number of users—those involved in the Decision Support Project. UM has an offer to convert to an Enterprise agreement that UM can exercise until February. At the conclusion of the project, University of Missouri will review the project progress and success and determine if the Cognos tools justify the larger investment.
Cost Reductions Report (PDF)