Data access options for UWSDB Retirement

At the end of 2010, the database "UWSDB" is being retired and the institutional information it provides will instead be sourced from the Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) via UWSDBDatastore and Student Web Services. The matrix below helps campus consumers and developers of data determine how best to find the information and data they need to help the University perform at its best.

I am a...

Consumer

Needs institutional information to answer questions and gain insight

How do you want to interact with information?

Run an EDW report
Great! You can search or browse a complete list of available reports at the Decision Support website's Report Catalog.
"Slice and dice," or connecting MS Access, Excel or other programs to the data
Sweet! Learn how to connect to the data you need with step-by-step instructions for your preferred software and operating system.
Diving directly into the data with an ad hoc query
Now that's getting fancy. Establish a connection through Microsoft's SQL Server Management Studio to write your own SQL queries.

Developer

Creates reports and applications for others to use and integrates institutional info

Does your solution need the ability to modify the data?

Yes, we may need to modify data
Sounds like you're building something cool. For maximum flexibility with the data you will want to leverage the UW's web services initiative.
No, we are only interested in read-only data
Sweet! Get all the details on how to build a report with Microsoft Reporting Services at the Decision Support website's Create and Publish reports page. And hey: the web services initiative fits the read-only bill, too!

Does your app need real-time data?

Yes, it relies on having accurate-to-the-minute* info.
You must be building something really cool. The web services initiative is what you'll need because most WS resources reflect data just minutes after it's been changed in the source system (like the SDB).
* Well, some caching goes on; see the docs for details
No, day-old info is fine.
That's great. The web services initiative is still the preferred method for getting data. But if you really need data that's not supplied via a WS and you need the data now, let us know.

If you have other questions about how to source the data you need, take a look at the UWIT's data delivery matrix. You can also send an e-mail with your questions.