University of Maryland

The University of Maryland (UMD), a public research university, offers 220 degree-granting programs in 12 colleges, including 92 undergraduate majors, 107 masters’ programs, and 83 doctoral programs. UMD is located in College Park with more than 41,000 students, making it the largest university in both the state and the Washington metropolitan area. The University prides itself on being a global leader in research, entrepreneurship, and innovation.

Challenge

Before iDashboards Enterprise Reporting from TruOI, the University of Maryland primarily used spreadsheets for their data reporting. By the time they were done creating the reports, they were practically unreadable and already outdated. UMD also utilized Tableau and a financial reporting software, but those tools weren’t providing the consolidated information they were looking for. They needed a tool that would that could deliver live, actionable information to their dean and department chairs in a visually engaging way.

“iDashboards Enterprise Reporting delivers real-time dashboards – it’s not reports – and I think that’s a big differentiator. It’s very dynamic.”

Dave Kenny
Assistant Director, University of Maryland

Solution

The University of Maryland looked at a number of data visualization tools, but ultimately chose to implement iDashboards Enterprise Reporting because of its visual appeal, ease of use, and drilldown capabilities. The system allows them to take basic reports and spreadsheets and turn them into engaging, real-time dashboards. Now, their dean and department chairs can see information as it happens, eliminating the need to run multiple reports and minimizing the chance of human error.

Results

With iDashboards Enterprise Reporting from TruOI, UMD has real-time ownership over their data and can create dynamic dashboards themselves. The tool is exceptionally user-friendly, so they do not have to rely on external parties for their reporting needs. They can easily pull real-time data from multiple sources and integrate them together in one view.

The dashboards they have created provide a high-level view of their most important metrics with the ability to narrow their results and drill down into the granular details. UMD is also beginning to use iDashboards Enterprise Reporting for non-numbers related items. They are using the system as a staff directory, for example, because it makes it easy to access and visualize information from all their sites across the state of Maryland.