7:30am - 9:00am   Coffee & Registration

9:00am - 9:15am  Welcome & Session Overview

9:15am - 10:45am   Selling the Data Experience: How to Foster Institutional Adoption of Business Intelligence
Speaker: Rachael Coombes, Business Intelligence Specialist, Wellesley College

One of the hardest parts in any technology project is achieving institutional buy-in. Over the past few years, Wellesley College has successfully implemented a business intelligence initiative that reaches both administrative and academic departments. Come learn what worked, what didn't, and what we would have done differently in our process to find stakeholders and facilitate enthusiastic adoption of data analytics.

10:45am - 11:00am   Break

11:00am - 12:30pm   Barriers to Entry: Data Stewardship and Data Sharing
Speakers: 
Ian Rifkin, Business Intelligence Analyst, Data Warehouse Architect, Brandeis University
Fei Wu, Business Analyst, Brandeis University

Ian and Fei will discuss BI at Brandeis University, including working with data stewards in meeting their data needs as well as the needs of other University community members. Complications and opportunities quickly arise surrounding data access and integration of multiple data points (multiple data stewards). Discussions will include navigation of these complex and sensitive issues as well as details about administration of BI software security / access controls.

12:30pm - 1:30pm   Lunch

1:30pm - 3:00pm   Getting Off the Ground: Bowdoin College’s Story of its DW/BI Initiative
Speaker: Peter Wiley, Director of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing, Bowdoin College

How does a college move from talking about a data warehousing/business intelligence initiative to actually implementing one? Hear how Bowdoin College has done this while navigating past several challenges:  highly decentralized reporting, a lack of data governance, organizational politics, and adequate staffing, to just name a few. In order to launch its DW/BI initiative, Bowdoin has had to answer many tough questions, including whether to buy or build, who’s leading the project, and where to begin. Expect to hear about the successes and the pitfalls that could help others who are also young in their DW/BI efforts or just beginning to plan for such an initiative.

3:00pm   End