Data Management Standards

Creation of a Data Warehouse and Data Management Standards

One of the key components of the Office of Research & Institutional Effectiveness (ORIE) is the data warehouse. The data warehouse is a repository of data from the LSCS Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system,iStar. The iStar system is an Oracle PeopleSoft product that completed implementation in January 2011. iStar is a state of the art relational database that houses all the LSCS data and processes into one unified system.

Data from the modules in iStar that are contained in the data warehouse include: Human Resources, Finance, Supply Chain, and Campus Solutions (student records). The master copy of the ORIE data warehouse is hosted at Lone Star College System’s Office of Technology Services.

Because the student data contained in the ORIE data warehouse are subject to federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) regulations, compliance with FERPA is critical to the operation and success of LSCS and the researchers in ORIE have implemented numerous mechanisms to protect the privacy of Texas students.
Some examples of these protective mechanisms include:

1. The social security numbers of all students and staff are not contained in the data warehouse. Instead, iStar removes the confidential data and assigns alternative IDs that enable researchers to track individual students or staff. At no time will researchers have access to social security numbers (SSNs).
2. All researchers with approved and secure access to these data are required to sign a confidentiality agreement that states they will comply with the FERPA regulations.
3. ORIE is bound to ensure that no electric data files or copies of the data are permitted to leave the LSCS facilities. Also, print outs of the results of analyses may leave LSCS only after ORIE staff have ensured that confidential data are not included. All research products (e.g., reports, presentations) generated from analyses of ORIE data must also be checked by persons not involved in the research to ensure that small numbers are masked before publication or release.  

FERPA^[1] regulations restrict the release of this information only to the students themselves, with proper identification. Any other entity or person, including parents, will need proper written consent from the student to have access to the student’s educational records. LSCS may only disclose educational records without students’ consent under the following conditions (34 CFR § 99.31): (See reference to the adoption of FERPA rules by the District/Colleges in Appendix A.)

• School officials with legitimate educational interest;
• Other schools to which a student is transferring;
• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes;
• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student;
• Organizations conducting certain studies for or on behalf of the school;
• Accrediting organizations;
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena;
• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies; and
• State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

The following outlines the requirements and limitations for LSCS departments/divisions to follow in obtaining permission for inquiry and update access to the system’s official records.  Data security is everyone’s responsibility and must be impressed upon all employees.

Access will be awarded only after appropriate tailored training is received, as documented by the employees’ supervisor. Failure to abide by the guidelines outlined in the training manual will result in removal of access. 

Employees/Users must protect all LSCS data files from unauthorized use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. Users are responsible for the security, privacy, and control of data to which they have access as authorized users of the ORIE data warehouse system. All users are responsible for all transactions occurring during the use of their username and password. Users are not to loan or share access codes with anyone. If it is found that a user inappropriately loans or shares their access codes, that user is subject to disciplinary action, which in some cases may include termination.

The reporting tool that LSCS purchased with the PeopleSoft conversion is titled: Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) renamed OBI at Lone Star to represent its affiliation with the Office of Research & Institutional Effectiveness Business Intelligence (OBI)

http://wwwapps.lonestar.edu/istar/dashboards/dashboards/kpi/iemr/StuProgGenEd.htm

http://wwwapps.lonestar.edu/istar/dashboards/dashboards/kpi/key_areas_of_growth/Overview.htm