The Solution:

Apply a real-time data connection to improve scheduling and increase 
operational efficiencies

As an Ad Astra client for over a decade, UArizona Health Sciences sought a more efficient way to access data for use outside of the Ad Astra reporting database. The desire to capture efficiencies quickly evolved into a viable solution with assistance from the Ad Astra development team — accessing a real-time data connection to the Ad Astra reporting database. 

In this case, schedulers sought to use Ad Astra’s event and room usage data within Microsoft Power BI. Ad Astra data used within third-party Power BI allows the university to pull customized reports for finance, events, and student workers — allowing everyone a real-time view of what’s happening. Building and room usage is further optimized as the automatic upload of information allows all of the colleges, units, and departments to use the space more efficiently. These efforts are further enhanced by a data dictionary provided by Ad Astra, which help users navigate the use of the Ad Astra data in the reports.

“Old data is useless,” Wooten said. “If you’re looking for data to make decisions, you need to have the most accurate data available.”

Time gained from these efficiencies goes back into support of the clients, the coordinators of the colleges who are entering the data. By recognizing the importance of the client role, the scheduling department is building stronger relationships and improving continuity between departments. Extra time allows users to explore ways Power BI and Ad Astra data can create other efficiencies at the campuses. The ability to use one report for all users also increases storage efficiency. Money saved allows for the purchase of additional Power BI licenses to empower more users.

Thanks to the efficiencies created through the use of the real-time connection, the University can optimize scheduling of complex and diverse courses, improve reporting, and offer better support and work-life balance to those involved in the challenging task of scheduling courses. 

“What used to be a manual export and a multi-step process has been reduced to an automatic upload,” said Sabrina Torok, Data Analyst Applications Support, UAHS Scheduling, Tucson. “You only need to hit ‘Refresh’ to create custom reports directly connected to the server holding the data. By loading directly from the source, all users can see the updates happening in real-time.”