Data Concepts
What does it mean to "clean" data?
Data Cleaning is the process of identifying and correcting or removing inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, or duplicate data within a dataset.
It is used to ensure data integrity and accuracy for processing or reporting.
How do we define an Applicant?
An individual with an active Admissions application.
Typically the category of Applicant falls between Prospect and Student, however current students can also apply and be applicants. New Applicants have limited access in MyMRU, may have a MRU email, and can apply for awards.
What is a Form?
A document or interface used to input or collect data. Often used in databases and web applications.
A form is a method for collecting data. It can be setup like a Google form, or it can be a page in Banner where users input data. Anywhere that you are entering data, you are doing it with a form.
Which department(s) use Banner?
All Departments.
Banner (or Banner Admin) is the central ERP for Mount Royal. It contains data, processes, functions, and reports for all areas of the university, including the Students division, HR/Payroll, Accounts Receivable, and Accounts Payable/Purchasing.
What is a CRM?
Customer Relationship Management software is used to manage and analyze interactions with customers and potential customers.
CRMs coordinate various functions into one strategic approach, including case management, communications, engagement, workflow, reporting, and statistics.
How do we define an Active Student?
A student with an active (AS or WS) General Student Record for the term.
The terms: Eligible, Active, and Registered are often used interchangeably to describe students, but they each represent a different stage or status in a student's lifecycle. They are like tiers where each term is a subset of the previous one. Eligible>>Active>>Registered.
What is a Database?
An organized collection of structured information, or data, typically stored electronically in a computer system.
An easy way to think of a Database is to think of it as a collection of individual tables or spreadsheets. Each table stores data about a particular topic. The tables are joined based on common values. Using multiple tables instead of one giant table is done to improve efficiency and reduce duplication of data.
Which department(s) use Argos?
All Departments.
Argos is a centralized reporting tool which uses Banner data to create operational and statistical reports for all departments within the Students division. Currently, nearly 500 reports have been created, with more being requested and created each week to meet the various needs of the division.
What is Cyber Security?
The practice of protecting computer systems and networks from theft, damage, or unauthorized access to the data they hold.
Cyber Security is a critical component of the technological landscape. As the amount of data and systems we use grows, the need for robust security awareness and practices become paramount.
What is a Registration Deposit?
A deposit paid by a student which allows them to register for courses in a term.
The payment of a Registration Deposit is the trigger point that moves an Eligible student to an Active status, allowing them to register for courses. The Registration deposit is only required for the Fall and Winter semesters.
What is a Condition?
A specific requirement or criterion that data must meet. Often used in conditional logic and data filtering for queries or reports to define the population.
A condition filters a data set. For example: Show me students who are registered in course XYZ in the Winter. Course XYZ, registered, and the Winter semester are the conditions that need to be met for a student to appear on the report. A student missing any one of those is not included.
Which department(s) use DegreeWorks?
Student Records.
Degree Works (MRUGradU8) is the system that helps a student track their degree progress. It is used primarily by Records to evaluate a student's degree progress, but is also used by Central and Faculty Advising to assist students who are changing programs or deciding which courses to take. Lastly, it is where all prerequisites are stored and checked during registration.
What is a Data Warehouse?
A large repository of data collected from various sources within an organization. Used for reporting and analysis.
Think of a Data Warehouse like a hub or central source of truth. It's the Master database that all other databases feed into. It allows us to not only centralize data into one source, but also standardize that data.
How do we define a Full Time Student?
A student who is registered in 9 or more credits for the Fall/Winter semesters, or 6 or more credits for the Spring/Summer semesters.
Full-time status is a metric used used to determine eligibility or compliance for Awards, Loans, Athletics, or certain mandatory fees. It is calculated based on a student's course load. A full course load is equivalent to 15 credits (or 5 courses) and a student is considered full-time when they reach 60% of a full course load or 9 credits.
What is a CRON Job?
A time-based job scheduler in Unix-like operating systems. Used to automate tasks, including data processing and backups.
A CRON is simply a schedule stored at the server level which tells the system to do something at that time. It's like a scheduled task list. E.g. At 2pm, do this.
Which department(s) use Infosilem?
Scheduling.
Infosilem is the system used by Scheduling to create and manage the academic schedule along with input from Faculty Admins and Chairs. It also facilitates ad hoc room bookings on campus for various users and departments, and manages the exam schedule for each term.
What is a System Environment or Instance?
An environment or instance refers to a specific setup of software and hardware where a program or application can run.
Environments allow us to have different versions of a system. Test systems or sandboxes are examples of different environments. These can also be referred to as instances.
What does the acronym 'YOS' represent?
Year of Study - the current year of study for a student based on their academic progress towards program completion.
Generally, for a standard degree program, each year is marked by the completion of 30 credits (10 courses).
What does the acronym 'API' mean?
Application Programming Interface - A set of rules and specifications that software programs can follow to communicate with each other. Allows for data exchange and integration.
An API is a set of rules or restrictions that define how a system can integrate with another or what data is available. Similar to how users with different roles may have access to different things, APIs define the things that different systems have access to in a standardized way.
Which department(s) use 'BBAM'?
Student Awards.
Blackbaud Award Management or BBAM is the Award Management tool used to facilitate the collection, selection, and tracking of awards, scholarships, and bursaries on campus.