Carnegie Mellon University

Financial Data Warehouse Modernization Project

The Finance Division and Computing Services are collaborating on a project to replace and modernize the current financial data warehouse (FDW) by June 2023.

The FDW Modernization Project includes the implementation of a modern data storage solution that will provide a more robust and supported environment for the new FDW, as well as the implementation of new reporting and analytics tools for users. The new FDW is expected to accomplish the same goals as the existing system, but in a more efficient way and with minimum operational changes or disruption. Although this project is specific to the Financial Data Warehouse, it is a step toward providing an enterprise data storage solution to support the university data analytics and visualization needs.

Executive Sponsors

Angela Blanton, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Stan Waddell, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Leadership and Teams

Contact Us

For questions regarding this project, email fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.
OBJECTIVES BENEFITS TIMELINE LEADERSHIP AND TEAMS UPDATES FAQs

Objectives

  • Select and implement a new data storage solution that can support current FDW needs and be expanded upon for future needs.
  • Replicate and migrate all existing data to the new FDW environment to ensure data consistency.
  • Select and implement modern reporting tools to enhance the FDW’s reporting and analysis capabilities.
  • Provide FDW users with documentation and training for the new environment and associated reporting/analytics tools to ensure a successful transition.
  • Coordinate a phased transition approach to the new FDW environment for users to minimize operational disruptions.
  • Support parallel FDWs (legacy and new) to conduct user acceptance testing and training during the phased transition.

Benefits

  • Better data processing and manipulation.
  • Streamlined financial reporting and analytics results.
  • Enhanced capabilities for data exploration, extraction and analysis.
  • Modern querying and business intelligence tools.
  • Reliable, secure, scalable and supported platform.
  • Enterprise data storage solution that will be leveraged to further our capabilities to provide robust data analytics and visualization support.

Timeline*

Phase 1: Planning and Analysis

(January - June 2022)

  • Back End Platform and Implementation Partner Selection
  • Technical Preparations
  • Stakeholder Analysis and User Groups Creation
  • User Impact and Requirements Analysis
  • Front End User Tool Assessment
  • Change Enablement Planning and Activities

Phase 2: Outreach and Implementation

(July 2022 - December 2023)

  • Warehouse 'Lift and Shift' Technical Activities
  • Front End User Tool Acceptance and Testing
  • Data Validation
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Change Enablement Activities
  • End-User Training (beginning in January 2023)
  • Phased Migration Deployment (beginning in January 2023)

Phase 3: Support 

(February - July 2023)

  • End-User Training and Support
  • Phased Migration Deployment (target completion is May 2023)
  • Legacy FDW Decommission (July 2023)

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*Subject to change as project progresses.

Project Leadership and Teams

  • Angela Blanton, Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer
  • Stan Waddell, Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

 Role

Name

Project Sponsor

Amy Coutu, Sr. Director, Enterprise Applications (Computing Services)

Project Owners
  • Roman Mitz, Director, Enterprise Information Systems (Computing Services)
  • Derek Sommer, Director, Business Applications Development & Support (Finance Division/Computing Services)

Project Manager

Alison Campbell, Sr. Manager, Business Innovation Office (Computing Services)

Technical Lead

Vince Nilson, Principal Software Engineer (Computing Services)

Functional Lead/Analyst

Alfredo Lozano, Sr. IT Business Systems Analyst (Computing Services)

Change Enablement Practitioner

Amanda Perkins, Director, Finance Training and Communications (Finance Division)

 Dept/Division

Member Name

Title

Computing Services

Stan Waddell

Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer

Finance Division

Angela Blanton

Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer

Computing Services

Mary Ann Blair

Assistant Vice President, Chief Information Security Officer

Computing Services

Jamie Brandon

Data Strategy and Governance Lead

Finance Division

Elizabeth Kaciubij

Sr. Director, Accounting/Financial Reporting

Institutional Research

Henry Zheng

Vice Provost for Institutional Effectiveness and Planning

Software Engineering Institute

Eileen Eicheldinger

Manager, Financial Services

Robotics Institute

Cheryl Wehrer

Associate Director for Finance and Administration

School of Computer Science

Walt Schearer

Associate Dean for Finance & Administration

Mellon College of Science

Sharon McCarl

Associate Dean Financial Affairs

College of Engineering

Matt Coley

Senior Director, Business Operations

Heinz College

Jacob Bacharach

Director of Fiscal Management

Student Affairs

Jennifer Cox-Siegel

Director of Finance For Student Affairs

Business Support Services

Karen Faber

Assistant Vice President of Business Support Services

International Campuses

Mark Gambone

Sr. Director, International Finance

 Dept/Division

Member

CMU Qatar

Qaisar Choudary

CMU Rwanda

Bernard Ntezimana

College of Fine Arts (CFA)

Rob Sauritch

College of Engineering (CIT)/ CEE

Cathy Schaefer

College of Engineering (CIT)/ Dean's Office

Matt Coley

College of Engineering (CIT)/ Research

Rhonda Kloss

College of Engineering (CIT)/III

Benjamin Walfish

College of Engineering (CIT)/Chem Eng

Kristyn Williams

Computing Services

Joe Napierkowski

Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Anna Houck

Facilities, Infrastructure, & Risk Management (FIRM)

Eric Tran

Facilities, Infrastructure, & Risk Management (FIRM)

Chris Kamerling

Facilities, Infrastructure, & Risk Management (FIRM)

Mindy Peskie

Facilities, Infrastructure, & Risk Management (FIRM)

Yadira Valdez

Finance Division (Budget)

Carey Lynn Libertini

Finance Division (Budget)

Karen Hignett

Finance Division (Controller’s Office)

Rodger Lees

Finance Division (Financial Reporting)

Deborah Yakim

Finance Division (International Finance)

Megan Nicely

Finance Division (International Finance)

Karen Sadler

Finance Division (Property Accounting)

Mary Joyce

Finance Division (Procurement Services) 

Jesse Posset

Finance Division (SPA)

Teri McCort

Finance Division (SPA)

Teresa Simpson

Finance Division (Treasurer's Office)

Tammy Chapman

Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy

Scott Petyak

Mellon College of Science (MCS)

Jeff Moreci 

Office of the Provost

Kristin Lavery

Office of the Vice President for Research

Barbara Mulholland

Office of the Vice President for Research

Jill Lentz

School of Computer Science (SCS)

Rebecca Klaas

School of Computer Science (SCS)

Ryan Ries

Software Engineering Institute (SEI)

Michelle Yurkiewicz

Software Engineering Institute (SEI)

Nicole Sommer

Student Affairs

Casey Way

Student Affairs/Athletics

Stefanie Santo

Student Affairs/Housing

Dawn Capozzolo

University Advancement

Carolyn Wolfe

University Communications and Marketing

Sara Novelly

University Libraries

Gretchen Graff

Updates

The FDW Modernization Project includes the implementation of a modern data storage solution that will provide a more robust and supported environment for the new FDW, as well as the implementation of new reporting and analytics tools for users. The new FDW is expected to accomplish the same goals as the existing system but in a more efficient way and with minimum operational changes or disruption. Additionally, this enterprise data storage solution can be leveraged for the university's future data analytics needs.

The second Steering Committee meeting was held on June 28 and the agenda included a project update, including an adjusted project timeline, and a discussion on the proposed front end user tool recommendation, which is PowerBI. Steering Committee members were asked to connect with the User Advisory Council (UAC) member(s) and current financial data warehouse (FDW) users in their area(s) to gather any questions or concerns.

Members of the Steering Committee and the User Advisory Council (UAC) were invited to an optional PowerBI Deep Dive session on July 14 that included: 

  • A brief walkthrough of the PowerBI user interface
  • An example query
  • A high level demonstration of some possible features
  • The opportunity for attendees to ask questions and/or raise any concerns

Current FDW users are encouraged to connect with the Steering Committee and/or UAC members from their area to obtain information or provide feedback on the project. A list of Steering Committee and UAC members is available on the project web page. The next UAC meeting is scheduled for July 28, and the next Steering Committee meeting will be held on August 2.

Regular updates will also be provided to users and key stakeholders through targeted emails, stakeholder meetings, the Finance Bulletin, and the project web page throughout the project.

Questions can be directed to fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.

The FDW Modernization Project includes the implementation of a modern data storage solution that will provide a more robust and supported environment for the new FDW, as well as the implementation of new reporting and analytics tools for users. The new FDW is expected to accomplish the same goals as the existing system but in a more efficient way and with minimum operational changes or disruption. Additionally, this enterprise data storage solution can be leveraged for the university’s future data analytics needs.

A kick-off meeting was held with the User Advisory Council (UAC) on June 13 with an agenda that included the following:

  • FDW Modernization Project Overview
  • University Data Integration, Reporting, and Analytics Overview
  • Project Team
  • FDW Modernization Project Approach
  • Propose Front End User Tool
  • Next Steps
  • Resources

The UAC members will represent the business needs of all FDW users, provide functional feedback before, during and after implementation of the new FDW, act as champions of the project and liaisons for sharing information with other FDW users, participate in user acceptance testing, help identify user training needs and necessary resources for the phased transition stage and post-implementation, and provide input on migration schedule to minimize potential business-calendar conflicts.

The project team also visited key stakeholder groups such as the Administrative Leadership Group (ALG) and Academic Business Managers Council (ABMC) in May to introduce to the FDW Modernization project and have discussions to collect their initial feedback.

Current FDW users are encouraged to connect with the Steering Committee and/or UAC members from their area to obtain information or provide feedback on the project. Regular updates will be also provided to users and key stakeholders through targeted emails, stakeholder meetings, the Finance Bulletin, and the project web page throughout the project.

Questions can be directed to fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.

A kickoff meeting was held with the Project Steering Committee members on April 27 with an agenda that included the following:

  • FDW Modernization Project Overview
  • University Data Integration, Reporting, and Analytics Overview
  • FDW Modernization Project Approach

The Steering Committee members will champion the project purpose and objectives, provide timely and valuable guidance to the project team, assist with resolving any escalated project-related challenges and encourage stakeholders from their areas to participate in the project.

Thank you again to the nearly 70 FDW users who indicated an interest to participate in this project on the FDW Project Modernization survey. Approximately 30 User Advisory Council (UAC) representatives have been contacted and asked to confirm their UAC participation by May 20. The UAC is expected to kick off in early June and calendar invitations for confirmed participants are forthcoming. While the UAC members will formally represent their business units, the project team will also identify opportunities to connect and engage with all users at key points during the project.

The project team is also planning to visit key stakeholder groups such as the Administrative Leadership Group (ALG) and Academic Business Managers Council (ABMC) in May to introduce the FDW Modernization project and have discussions to collect their initial feedback.

Regular updates will be provided to users and key stakeholders through targeted emails, stakeholder meetings, the Finance Bulletin, and this web page throughout the project.

Questions can be directed to fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.

Current FDW users were invited to participate in the FDW Modernization Project User Survey, which ran from March 29 – April 8, to gather actionable information to understand the user experience with the current FDW tool, what improvements users might like to see and how the FDW query data is currently used. There were 162 completed responses received, for a 39% survey completion rate. Thank you to everyone who participated and took the time to provide your valuable feedback! The FDW Modernization Project team will leverage the survey results to help inform decision making as the project progresses.

Survey respondents were also asked to indicate if they are interested in participating on a User Advisory Council (UAC) for the project and many users responded positively. The project team will be reaching out to selected users in the coming weeks with additional information.

Thank you in advance for your participation and collaboration! General questions about the survey or FDW Modernization Project can be directed to fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.

The FDW Modernization Project includes the implementation of a modern data storage solution that will provide a more robust and supported environment for the new FDW, as well as the implementation of new reporting and analytics tools for users. The new FDW is expected to accomplish the same goals as the existing system but in a more efficient way and with minimum operational changes or disruption. Additionally, this enterprise data storage solution can be leveraged for the university's future data analytics needs.

The project steering committee is expected to kick off in the next month and includes representation from areas across the university, and FDW users will have opportunities to engage in this project and provide feedback through surveys, user advisory groups, user acceptance testing, and training opportunities. The first user survey will be distributed in late March and will include an opportunity for users to volunteer to participate in the User Advisory Council for the project.

Regular updates will be provided to users and key stakeholders through targeted emails, stakeholder meetings, the Finance Bulletin, and this web page throughout the project.

Questions can be directed to fdw-project@andrew.cmu.edu.

FAQs

Check back often for the most recent FAQs.

No, a phased transition will be conducted to allow users to be migrated to the new FDW environment at different times to minimize operational disruptions.

No. Both environments (legacy and new) will be available during the transition period. This will allow data and query validations, user acceptance testing, and training activities in the new FDW environment. This will ensure that all data is correct and queries are functioning as expected before the legacy environment is decommissioned.

Yes, the legacy environment will be decommissioned and no longer available for use after all users have transitioned into the new FDW environment and it has been confirmed that all data is correct and queries are functioning as expected.