To better meet the needs for university reporting, the departments of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (IRE) and Information Technologies (IT) have been working with data stewards around campus to transition critical reports and data sources from Cognos to Tableau as part of the University’s Central Analytic Platform. Key participants in this migration include Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Information Technologies, the Office of Enrollment Management, Human Resources and Payroll, and Decision Support.
Proposed Timeframe
The Central Analytic Platform
Requesting Access
User Licenses
Cognos Transition
Training for Tableau
Support
Contact
FAQs
The computer hardware and database software which support Cognos reporting will be out of license and warranty at the end of April 2024. UDIT will need to decommission this infrastructure by this time.
Many core reports and domains have already been migrated and validated already as part of this transition.
HRDM, the HR data mart, was disconnected from Cognos in November 2023.
SADM, the student data mart, was disconnected from Cognos in February 2024.
FIDM, the finance data mart, was disconnected from Cognos in March 2024.
UD’s Central Analytic platform (VGER) runs using the Tableau Server. It can be accessed at https://vger.udel.edu/
Login utilizing your UD Central Authentication Service (CAS) credentials.
Access is granted to dashboards at the project level and approved by Data Stewards. To request access to VGER, submit a request using this link: https://services.udel.edu/TDClient/32/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=143
Please Note: IRE has been working closely with the Registrar’s Office for several months to replicate Cognos reports into VGER. These reports include the Enrollment (E), Schedule of Classes (S), Graduation (G), and Advising (A) reports. There is no need to request access to these reports as access will be granted during deployment.
IRE licenses Tableau on a per user basis. Only one license is needed per person. Individuals have access only to the data they need to perform their job responsibilities.
The licenses available are:
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Viewer: View and interact with dashboards
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Explorer: View, interact, create, and edit dashboards. Explore data using Ask Data and Tableau workbooks.
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Creator: Author and publish new dashboards and create new data sources using the desktop tool. All Explorer capabilities are included as well.
Crosswalk of Cognos to Tableau Reports/Data Sources:
This crosswalk compares Cognos packages to data sources and dashboards currently available on VGER. Although all users may not have general access to these data sources, they will be used to create dashboards and workbooks to replace the functionality of the Cognos models. This crosswalk will be continuously updated with more information.
Extensive help, tutorials, and other free resources can be found on Tableau’s website.
IRE has curated a list of recommended training that is available on their site: https://docs.ire.udel.edu/docs/tableau/
IRE has also curated a Salesforce Trailmix of modules and videos for beginners to Tableau. You will need to set up an account with Salesforces’s Trailhead (separate from your UD credentials) to access the training. To access the training, go to https://trailhead.salesforce.com/users/jabbruzzesi/trailmixes/getting-started-with-tableau-vger-at-ud.
UD-hosted Zoom meetings:
IRE hosts bi-weekly meetings on Thursdays of the VGER Users Group where current members can join Cognos-specific breakout sessions. Questions pertaining to report editors and authors are addressed in these sessions.
IRE is also hosting Zoom meetings every other Thursday at 3 p.m. to answer your questions and address your concerns about the Cognos shutdown. Join via Zoom: https://udel.zoom.us/j/96379453269
If you have any questions or concerns to share, contact the IRE team using this TDX form, or reach out via the project’s Microsoft Teams chat: Team-University Reporting (fka Cognos).
Q: Do I need to request a Tableau license and permissions for the platform?
A: IRE has been working closely with the Registrar’s Office for several months to replicate Cognos reports into VGER. These reports include the Enrollment (E), Schedule of Classes (S), Graduation (G), and Advising (A) reports. Once they have been validated by REGO and optimized for public consumption, the reports will be made available to end users through training modules on how to locate, access, and run reports on VGER. There is no need to request access to these reports as access will be granted as part of deployment.
Q: Do I need Tableau training to run reports?
A: Orientation and instructions will be provided as part of deployment.