Data Consulting

Data Services

Silverpoint’s clients employ a wide variety of products to store their data, and often use multiple systems to store copies of the same data. Many of these products are enterprise level, while others are small applications developed internally to meet a specific need. Some have flexible interfaces and architectures with no strict standards on data entry or validation, and others are created with clear guidelines on how data is collected, stored and shared.

Regardless of the system of record in use at a school, Silverpoint is committed to working with the entire range of client systems, ensuring that our clients maximize their return on the investment they make in Silverpoint and their other systems.

Identifying Issues

A data consulting engagement can provide the following benefits to a school. First, Silverpoint will help to identify deficiencies in the client’s data cleanliness and report specific data cleanliness issues. Typical deficiencies include:

  • Duplicate entries for individuals
  • Information inconsistent with database table headings, such as phone numbers in email address fields
  • Internally inconsistent data (two addresses or phones that are the same but are spelled or abbreviated differently)
  • Multiple phones or addresses of the same type (home, work, etc.) for the same person

Solving Problems

After data cleanliness issues have been resolved, Silverpoint will work with the client to develop data export formats that will minimize the cost associated with updating data in the Silverpoint SchoolSuite(r) database. Good export formats tend to have the following properties:

  • Unique constituent ID numbers that do not change
  • Data in rows with each row identified with unique constituent ID numbers
  • Either in .csv format or in Excel with all columns formatted as “text” - including IDs, class years, and other numerical fields
  • Data as it should appear on the website, meaning there should be extraneous data such as commentary or notes in phone or address fields
  • Data is either a complete directory or a change set - only records that have been updated since the last refresh. The export Format chosen will be the same for each refresh
  • Files, and, if using Excel, tabs within files, are named exactly the same for each refresh. Eg – do not include the date in the title of the file.