WebFOCUS Makes the Grade With Award-Winning Reporting Portal
Customer Company Size
Mid-size Company
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- WebFOCUS Developer Studio
- WebFOCUS Enable for Adobe Flex
Tech Stack
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Adobe Flex
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Productivity Improvements
- Customer Satisfaction
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Applicable Industries
- Education
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Use Cases
- Real-Time Location System (RTLS)
About The Customer
The Minnesota Department of Education is a state agency that collects and disseminates education data. Its roughly 420 employees help approximately 2,000 schools and 350 school districts to manage educational programs and assist with school improvement initiatives. The department gathers student enrollment data, student assessment data, staffing data, and other information that helps schools compute funding formulas at the federal and state levels. The department’s data collection and analysis activities also help the state run its academic programs more efficiently and help educators and administrators make knowledgeable decisions.
The Challenge
The Minnesota Department of Education (DoE) was facing a challenge in evolving their systems for data collection and basic compliance reporting to offer school districts greater insight into current activities and help them predict important trends. The department was gathering student enrollment data, student assessment data, staffing data, and other information that helps schools compute funding formulas at the federal and state levels. However, their previous reporting efforts focused on basic utility reports for delivering data to their constituents, along with a variety of compliance reports to obtain and secure funding. There was not a lot of consistency in how data was analyzed and shared, nor was there the broad accessibility that they desired.
The Solution
The Minnesota DoE decided to build a business intelligence (BI) environment that would enable schools to demonstrate student progress, identify strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately improve its educational systems. They chose Information Builders’ WebFOCUS BI platform to provide advanced analytic capabilities. The department sent several people to WebFOCUS Developer Studio classes and to Information Builders’ annual Summit User Conference to gain proficiency with the WebFOCUS environment. They also retained an architect from Information Builders Professional Services to help develop a comprehensive reporting portal. This new reporting system accesses student assessment data from Microsoft SQL Server databases and financial data from flat files on a mainframe system. The department has since created reports for the Assessment Division, Special Education Division, and many of the district finance departments.
Operational Impact
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