This is the third iNews article about upgrading the database application that is central to UC Berkeley's fundraising enterprise. For background on the project, see Update on migrating the Campuswide Alumni/Development System (CADS) to a new application and Fundraising campaign to benefit from new Campuswide Alumni/Development System (CADS).
UC Berkeley's project to migrate the Campuswide Alumni/Development System (CADS) from Datatel Benefactor to SunGard Advance has evolved into a broader initiative called CADS 2.0. In addition to moving the existing development database to the Advance application, CADS 2.0 has expanded to include enhanced business reporting tools (via BusinessObjects Enterprise XI) and planning for the implementation of a new CADS data warehouse.
The expansion of the project, which is being managed by the IT group in University Relations' Advancement Operations unit, addresses the need for a robust, centralized data system that can fully support Berkeley's currently unfolding $3 billion fundraising campaign. The campaign strategy of collaboration and communication among multiple decentralized fundraising units requires maximum capacity across all dimensions of data use, from entry/extraction to analysis, trending, and forecasting — which the reenvisioned CADS is designed to offer.
In fact, the evolution of CADS will be so profound that even the name is being changed: CADS now stands for the Cal Advancement Data System. Over the life of CADS, the breadth of its data has expanded beyond alumni, and the system's functionality and user base have grown. Cal Advancement Data System more accurately conveys the full scope of the current and future CADS.
Cutting through the information smog
There are about 130 frontline fundraisers across campus, and records for more than 1.1 million individuals and organizations in CADS. But since campus fundraisers can only personally reach out to less than two percent of those prospective donors, how can they best deploy their resources?
Enter business intelligence.
The key to effective advancement is locating prospective donors who are willing and able to give to the University. The reporting options fundraisers currently have are extremely limited: The CADSWeb application offers some visibility into donor and prospect behavior, which is supplemented by a combination of base and ad hoc reporting through the offices of Advancement Information Management and Prospect Development in Advancement Operations. But BusinessObjects Enterprise XI provides full analytics and will give users a dashboard of real-time fundraising information and the ability to generate reports on just about any conceivable metric.
"Offering users direct access to the data is the best outcome for both users and IT," says Leland Smith, Advancement Operations' associate IT director, who is overseeing the BusinessObjects implementation. "BusinessObjects offers a three-dimensional view of our data. While we will provide a full range of standard reports, BusinessObjects' real power is allowing users to perform their own customized analytics. This self-service model helps IT and end users alike work more efficiently."
A clean, well-lighted place for data
While there's no shortage of data already available in CADS, it's just a portion of the sum total of data available across the campus. And with powerful business intelligence tools coming online, too much data is no longer a problem; fundraisers just need access to the right data. An enterprise data warehouse (EDW) that brings together data from across the entire campus would be a boon to fundraisers while simultaneously giving other (non-fundraising) units access to the valuable data stored in CADS.
So when Advancement Operations IT (AO IT) looked into building a new data warehouse to replace the legacy CADS warehouse, they looked for partners who would help create a true enterprise solution. They found that partner in Tessa Michaels' Administration–Business and Technology Solutions (BTS) group. BTS supports Administration and the campus in achieving business goals and maximizing the value of technology investment.
AO IT is currently building a new CADS data warehouse. The plan is to eventually integrate it into a much larger campuswide enterprise data warehouse that is being developed by BTS, who is working with the campus data proprietors, the Data Stewardship Council, and IST–Data Services. The foundation for the enterprise data warehouse is being laid now; it will be extended by 2010 to integrate student, financial, Foundation, HR, and facilities information. Once the EDW foundation is built, additional subject areas will be added, as prioritized and funded by the campus. Sharing data across the entire campus instantly creates value for the whole University community, not just one department.
Pilot slated for November
Advancement Operations IT staff are currently preparing for a test deployment of CADS 2.0 scheduled to roll out to Advancement Operations Gift Management on November 3. It will comprise the Gift Processing module of SunGard Advance and reporting from BusinessObjects Enterprise, both of which will run on top of the new CADS data warehouse. This small-scale deployment is scheduled to run through the beginning of February 2009, giving IT time to work with Gift Management to test CADS 2.0 in a real-world environment. After a successful test, CADS 2.0 will be rolled out in phases across the campus beginning midyear 2009.
CADS 2.0 project website
An information site for progress on the CADS 2.0 project has been set up at http://cads2.berkeley.edu/ (requires CalNet ID to access).
