What is the Enterprise Data Warehouse?

The Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) is a secure, central system that brings together data from many sources across the University of Washington. It helps faculty, staff, and students make better decisions by providing access to current and historical data for reporting and analysis.

Think of the EDW as a digital library for UW's data. Just like a library organizes books by subject and makes them easy to find, the EDW organizes data from different campus systems and makes it accessible in one place.

Who uses the EDW?

The EDW serves over 1,000 unique users across campus, including:

• Business analysts
• Department administrators
• Data custodians
• System administrators
• Developers
• Research staff

Common use cases include:

• Finance and budget analysis
• Human resources and payroll reporting
• Academic performance tracking
• Research administration
• Advancement and fundraising analytics

Available data sources

The EDW includes data from these major UW systems:

• ASTRA - access management
• Adaptive - budget planning
• Advancement - fundraising and alumni relations
• Core Data Hierarchy Management (CDHM)
• Curriculum Management
• Finance, Planning & Budgeting (FPB) - academic and finance reference data
• Funding Entity Core Data Management (FECDM)
• Notify.UW - course availability
• Research Integration Platform (RIP) and SAGE - research grant proposals and awards
• Student Database (SDB) - student records and data
• Workday - human resources, payroll, and finance

In addition, EDW includes data from systems external to UW, such as:

• ADP - Clinical salary data for Institutional Base Salary
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - Consumer Price Index data
• NSG Standards Registry - Geopolitical Entity data
• Washington State Office of Financial Management (OFM) and Federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - Classification of Instructional Programs data

What to consider

While the EDW offers many advantages, keep these factors in mind:

Data refresh timing

Data is updated once per day, so real-time information isn't available. See our database load statuses.

Alternative options

• Check the BI Portal first for pre-built reports and visualizations which address many common needs
• Consider Enterprise Web Services (EWS) for real-time data access needs

EDW Case Study

The Office of Global Affairs used EDW data to create an interactive global map showcasing UW's international engagement. With just one staff member and a small budget, they were able to:

• Display real-time data about UW's global partnerships
• Create engaging visualizations for marketing purposes
• Provide accessible data for international partners and students
• Support senior leadership in discussions with partner universities

As Sudha Sharma from Global Affairs noted: "I'm glad UW-IT exists because I wouldn't be able to do what I do."