What the Data team hopes to accomplish with the R3 Project

Posted on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023

decorative image

The R3 Project Data team is responsible for moving the information housed in GeneSIS over to the new Student Information System (SIS), Thesis Student Management (Thesis SM).

Throughout this process, the Data team will ensure the information that’s migrated over to the new SIS is accurate, reliable and secure. These efforts will also enhance the student and employee experience when it comes to accessing customized information and running reports and analytics.

Of course, this is all easier said than done. We’re going to be breaking down what the Data team does on a regular basis in order to accomplish their tasks.

The Data team’s project schedule

The Data team has created a detailed project schedule to help them complete their tasks and stay on track.

The schedule is comprised of several iterations, each one with its own theme. And even though the dates may change as the Project progresses, the order of these iterations won’t. This will ensure that the right tasks are completed in the right order.

Who the Data team works with

The Data team works with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from Thesis, the Functional team and other Algonquin College departments. They also work closely with the Business Analysts and Business Systems Analysts.

As well, the Data team keeps in contact with a few Working Groups. This is because they rely on business decisions and need to be aware of the various conversations occurring that’ll impact things like Data Migration.

Data cleansing

Since we’re moving from our homegrown GeneSIS system—which has served the AC Community well for three decades—to a new, cloud-based system, the Data team is working on cleaning up the existing data.

To put it simply, the data team is working on cleaning up the things that no longer make sense anymore. This could include things that are no longer needed in the new SIS or that can be replaced with an equivalent.

To do this, the Data team does the following:

  • Finds areas of concern where data cannot be used
  • Develops solutions to these concerns (some are programmable, while others require manual/direct intervention)
  • Reviews data migration throughout each iteration on a regular basis

This is, of course, a continued process that the Data team is working on.

Flexi-Fields and what they mean

Now, what do we mean by Flexi-Fields?

Flexi-Fields are elements we know we want that we don’t already have. Going back to our car analogy, we can think of Thesis SM as the base car model that’s offered when you’re buying a car. However, we need more than the default package—the car needs to be modified so that it can meet the needs of the College.

For example, there are different types of Financial Aid in Ontario, such as OSAP. Thesis SM doesn’t actually have anything related to OSAP, so this is where Flexi-Fields come in.

The importance of testing

Testing can be easy, tricky, or both.

For example, the Data team might find syntactical errors or a more complicated error that needs to be investigated more thoroughly. When such a case occurs, the Data team might turn to Thesis in order to find a solution.

Let’s use another analogy: the square peg and the round hole.

The goal of testing is to make sure that the square peg fits into the round hole, which is not such a straightforward process. This is why testing goes through many trials and errors before finding a solution that ensures future iterations and migrations are successful.

How Data Governance plays a role

With Data Governance, we’re asking ourselves the following questions: Who has access to what? Who needs this information? Who doesn’t need this information?

To answer these questions, we need to look at an employee’s role and which department they work in. This is because most of the data housed in the SIS doesn’t need to be accessed by every employee—it’s information that they’ll never use.

In other words, we have to understand what we get, what we need, and what we keep when it comes to data.

*

If you’re wondering where you can find more information about the Project, then the R3 Project FAQ and Glossary sections are great resources!

Additionally, don’t miss our next R3 Showcase Event to receive important updates and learn more about the R3 Project. We’ll also be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

The next R3 Showcase is set for Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at 2:00 p.m.


Comments

Comments are closed.