Data Ecosystem

The University's data ecosystem is built on a centralized architecture that integrates information from the institution's core operational systems supporting student, financial, human resources, and research activities. Key source systems, including PeopleSoft, Salesforce, SAP, Canvas, and various research administration platforms, serve as the foundation of institutional data. Information is ingested through a combination of automated integrations, application programming interfaces (APIs), and scheduled batch processes managed through Informatica and SQL-based transformation workflows. This integration layer standardizes, validates, and prepares data for enterprise reporting, analytics, and decision-making while maintaining alignment with institutional business processes and data governance standards.

At the center of the ecosystem is the SQL Server Data Warehouse, which serves as the University's authoritative repository for integrated reporting and analytics. The warehouse contains curated operational data, standardized reporting structures, and official frozen datasets used for census reporting, regulatory compliance, institutional performance measurement, and strategic planning. Before data is certified for official use, it undergoes a rigorous validation process involving subject matter experts, functional leaders, and analysts who review preliminary results through Tableau dashboards, analytical reports, and supporting data quality assessments. This iterative review process helps ensure data accuracy, consistency, and reliability before information is approved for institutional reporting and decision-making.

The analytics and reporting layer provides broad access to trusted institutional data through Tableau, Power BI, R, and Python-based solutions. These tools support a wide range of stakeholders, including Institutional Research and Analytics, Enrollment Management, Student Success, academic units, administrative offices, and executive leadership. In addition to informing internal decision-making, the ecosystem supports numerous external reporting obligations, including submissions to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the National Student Clearinghouse, and the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education (CCPE). While the current architecture provides a strong foundation for enterprise reporting, analytics, and governance, the University's data strategy continues to evolve. Ongoing efforts focus on improving data hierarchy alignment, standardizing metric definitions, enhancing metadata and documentation, and strengthening data governance practices. These initiatives help ensure that institutional leaders, faculty, and staff have access to a comprehensive, consistent, and trusted view of organizational performance across the University.

Student and academic data are frozen twice during each academic term to establish official reporting records. The first freeze occurs on the institution's Census Date, capturing enrollment, registration, course activity, and other key measures at the beginning of the term. A second freeze is completed following the end of the term after final grades have been submitted and processed, creating a certified record of student outcomes and academic performance. Prior to each freeze, data undergoes a comprehensive validation and review process involving subject matter experts, data stewards, and analysts to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency.

Human resources data is frozen once per academic term to support workforce reporting, planning, and analysis. These freezes generally occur during the middle of each term, typically in October, April, and June, providing consistent snapshots of employee, position, and organizational information. Validation activities conducted prior to each freeze help ensure data quality and alignment with institutional reporting standards.

Budget and financial reporting follow a separate annual cycle aligned with the University's fiscal calendar. Budget development activities begin each spring and continue through the start of the new fiscal year, with the final approved budget typically loaded into institutional systems in early August. Throughout the fiscal year, reporting views reflecting the current operating budget are refreshed at the beginning of each month, ensuring stakeholders have access to timely and accurate financial information for planning and decision-making.

Research data follows a combination of annual publication schedules and fiscal-year reporting cycles. Academic Analytics data is released annually in October, while National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development (NSF HERD) data becomes available in November. Data within the University's NuRamp research administration system remains accessible throughout the year; however, an official fiscal-year snapshot is created each August to preserve historical records and provide a consistent baseline for trend analysis and year-over-year reporting.

Collectively, these validation, certification, and freeze processes establish trusted reporting periods across the University's student, academic, human resources, financial, and research domains. By creating standardized reporting snapshots and ensuring consistent validation practices, the University provides stakeholders with reliable data to support operational decision-making, regulatory reporting, strategic planning, and institutional performance assessment.