DATA STORES
Collected and validated data is stored in multiple different Data Stores at the USG. Each of these Data Stores has a particular purpose and focus.
Data Reference Tables
- Data maintained internally, usually manually, as reference information for valid data element values along with their descriptions and characteristics.
- Also includes data maintained for the Catalog of Authorized Academic Programs, FICE/High School Translation, and External Sites.
- Reference tables are a catalog of valid values, used in validating incoming data to ensure data quality, and are used to provide additional information for reporting purposes.
ODS Tables – Operational Data Store tables
- Temporarily stores institution data during data collection and validation, prior to final storage in the PDC tables.
- Source data for the data collection turnaround reports.
- Includes only data for the current data collection period.
PDC Tables – Persisted Data Collection Tables
- Stores data throughout time as collected from the USG institutions, after validation is complete.
- Relational data store.
- Serves as the source data tables for both the DDWH and RDS Data Stores.
DDWH – Dimensional Data Warehouse
- Holds read-only, historical and aggregated data.
- Dimensional data store.
- Includes data for multiple data collection periods over time.
- Comprised of data from the PDC tables, transformed and formatted for fast retrieval.
- Used primarily as the data source for the Cognos Self Service reports.
RDS – Reporting/Relational Data Store
- The Reporting Data Store is one of the primary data stores used by USG EDMA for official reporting on Academic data. This data store is currently used to support about 90% of official USG census based reporting.
- Relational data store.
- Includes data for multiple data collection periods over time.
- Includes data from the PDC tables, transformed and aggregated for ease of use in reporting and data analysis.
- RDS data is stored in layers. The foundation layer is comprised of the base tables, which are the primary tables on which the other objects are built. A second layer can be called a business layer. The business layer contains most of the same data in the base tables, but also adds some business definitions, filters, calculations, and joins. Finally, there is an aggregate layer, which stores summary data at the system level, and is used for our public facing academic reports at USG.
For the Human Resources Data Collection, detailed information can be found on the Research and Policy Analysis website.
Additional data are collected from other external sources such as the Georgia Student Finance Commission and the Georgia Department of Human Services and stored in the USG data stores in addition to the USG institution data. These data supplement the USG data and expand USG’s capabilities for data analysis.
Data collected by the USG covers multiple subject areas and allows for robust reporting capabilities.
