Update from the Information Centre
Are you thirsty for data? The University’s Business Intelligence journey
Since 2019 the University has been implementing a business intelligence strategy aimed at enhancing access to management information to aid strategic decision-making. To support this process, Microsoft Power BI has been adopted as the institutional visualisation tool to display data in dashboards which are made available to the staff community. To date, two project phases have been delivered, focusing on student population data and research data. In AY 2022/23, two further project phases are planned for delivery, with HR and finance data being made available in dashboards. Additionally, dashboards are being created around various external data sources, e.g. HESA data.
The Power BI Portal
The University has set up a Power BI portal where all institutional Power BI dashboards are made available. [link https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/power-bi-dashboard-portal-12779.php] Most dashboards are available to the whole staff community although some have restricted access(*) to support privacy and data protection. If you are not able to access a dashboard and think you should have access rights, then do get in touch with the Information Centre at informationcentre@abdn.ac.uk.
Currently, we have the following dashboards available, with more to follow in the coming weeks:
- Student FTEs
- Student Programme Enrolments
- Student Course Enrolments
- Research Applications and Awards
- Research Excellence Framework (REF)
- Research Income (*)
- Research Staff: Applications, Awards and Income by Protected Characteristics (*)
- Student Staff Ratio
Coming soon:
- National Student Survey (NSS)
- Graduate Outcomes
Accessing and using Power BI
You need a Power BI licence to access or develop Power BI dashboard. We are pleased to announce that as of 25th August 2022, most University staff have a Power BI licence, meaning that they can access dashboards published in the Power BI Portal.
Can anyone develop Power BI dashboards?
Yes, anyone with the appropriate licence can develop a dashboard in Power BI. We would recommend you get in contact with the Information Centre to make sure you have the appropriate access, are following appropriate Information Governance and data visualisation best practices.
If you have created a Power BI dashboard that you would like to share with the staff community then contact the Information Centre for more information on the governance procedures to be followed at informationcentre@abdn.ac.uk.
Not sure where to start? How to access Power BI training
In order to get access to the Power BI environment you will need to complete a short training module, “Introduction to the Data Environment”, to familiarise yourself with data governance. You can access the training here and it only takes a few minutes to complete: https://training.abdn.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=18.
In addition, we offer the following training:
Using Power BI Dashboards. This training is tailored one-to-one sessions featuring a walkthrough of our Power BI Dashboards, letting the user know how to navigate the dashboard environment and use the dashboards to gain insight into the subject and supporting data. This training should normally take approximately 30 minutes. A video guide is currently being developed to provide an alternative to this training.
Dashboard In A Day. This training is aimed at users who want to use Microsoft Power BI to transform data and create reports and dashboards from this data. This training is often delivered over a whole day or two half days by external partners Altis, but we do have training materials available for those who want to work through this training material via self-study.
For more information visit https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/power-bi-training-12783.php
The Information Centre
The Information Centre is a virtual team managed by the Directorate of Planning that looks after the University’s Power BI data environment and the associated quality processes, governance, training and support. You can read more at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/information-centre-11483.php
How to get in touch
If you have any questions about business intelligence and Power BI then please contact the Information Centre at informationcentre@abdn.ac.uk.
Visit the Information Centre webpages at:
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/information-centre-11483.php https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/governance/information-centre-11483.php