Plymouth State University Gets the Picture with Rapid Insight Data Integration Software
Data integration and analysis enables N.H. school to quickly pull data from many sources for comprehensive analysis and reporting
Conway, NH - November 17, 2008 - Plymouth State University has simplified data management with Rapid Insight® Data Integration software, which enables the school to make smart decisions about enrollment and long-term growth. The school uses Data Integration to collect data from multiple sources and view it in myriad ways to stay ahead of frequent and mandatory internal, system, state and federal reports while successfully planning for future goals.
"Heading up Institutional Research, I have fiduciary responsibilities to make sure the correct data from all areas of the campus are accessible, analyzable and reported to the right people," said Scott Mantie, associate dean for institutional research and assessment at Plymouth State University. "That's getting harder as the data gets more diverse, and there are regulatory demands to see it in more ways. Rapid Insight Data Integration lets me do the work of three people, preparing both ad hoc and long-term comprehensive reports."
Data Integration transcends traditional extract, transform and load (ETL) tools by enabling users to automate reporting processes, create analytic datasets, and uncover answers that previously were not available without custom programming or complex SQL statements. Its graphical interface incorporates drag-and-drop icons and arrows that let users simply connect the data sources to a host of functions such as: merge, filter, cleanse, aggregate, de-dupe, flatten, append, sort, rename, etc.
"I've worked with SQL, Oracle, Microsoft Access, Banner and a host of other data integration applications and languages over the past two decades," said Mantie. "Data Integration is a quantum leap ahead in terms of productivity and ease of use."
Plymouth State uses Data Integration to pull data from databases in different departments to create an omnibus institutional census for each semester. That census, which is a global view of all data for everything from majors, to drop-out rates and specific geo-demographic behaviors, is the basis for up to 60 reports, including the one for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Some of the different reports Mantie and his team run help the school predict applicant enrollment and determine how many students will graduate and the majors they´ll pursue. They can see which students attend what classes on any given day, and map that to grade point average. All of this information will help the university make decisions to continue to grow.
"Regardless of their industry, overburdened CIOs and data administrators complain that today´s data management applications are too complex to manage, too expensive to run and too inflexible to adapt to market change," said Michael Laracy, president and CEO of Rapid Insight. "Plymouth State University is an example of an institution taking a proactive step to wring the most value from their data with a tool that provides the flexibility and smart functionality to make the best business-critical decisions."
About Plymouth State University
Plymouth State University (located in Plymouth, New Hampshire) is a coeducational, residential university with an enrollment of approximately 4,300 undergraduate and 2,700 graduate students. Founded in 1871, Plymouth has evolved from a normal school to a teachers college to a state university. For more information, visit www.plymouth.edu.
About Rapid Insight Inc.
Rapid Insight Inc. is a leading provider of business intelligence and automated predictive analytics software. With a focus on ease of use and efficiency, Rapid Insight products enable users to turn their raw data into actionable information. The company's analytic software simplifies the extraction and analysis of data, enabling clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies to fully utilize their information for data-driven decision making. Founded in 2002 in Conway, New Hampshire, Rapid Insight is a privately held company with clients and partners across the nation.
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