The Operational Data Store (ODS) is a repository of Banner data that has been formatted for querying and reporting purposes. The ODS database is separate from the Banner database. Therefore, running complex queries will not slow Banner performance.
Not all information in Banner will appear in ODS, and Banner entries do not immediately appear in ODS. It is updated (or refreshed) nightly between 2:00 am and 7:30 am. Also, ODS is read-only so users can't accidentally delete information in ODS.
SAS
Binghamton University has invested in SAS, a state of the art Business Intelligence platform for building custom reporting dashboards that support data-driven decision making. Information Technology Services’s highly-skilled data team will contextualize and visualize the data in your project. SAS is instrumental for querying the Operation Data Store (ODS).
Users may access SAS through most browsers, however some browsers (including Mac) may provide limited functionality.
SAS UPDATE: Hyperion is no more. Since Binghamton University has invested in the more efficient, state of the art Business Intelligence platform, SAS, which will be used for building custom reporting dashboards, it will be instrumental for querying the Operation Data Store (ODS). As this environment is developed, training will be available through the University Training Center. In conjunction with several University departments, ITS is currently transforming older Hyperion reports into the new SAS format.
Metadata
Metadata is data about data. This particular "data dictionary" lets users know what data they will find in the various ODS views (or tables). It lists each field's ODS name, a brief description of the data, the type of data (name, text, date, etc.) and the Banner form and field that the data comes from.
The metadata for the BU ODS tables is now available on the portal. To access the metadata, click 'Other.' Then, enter criteria in the search box.
Searching
You are able to keyword search the metadata, using the search field. In addition, you can enter an asterisk (*), thus returning a list of all tables, whereby the user can click on the individual table name to view it's content.
