Actionable data is more than just insightful data. It is timely, insightful data. If you provide insightful data the day after it is needed, it changes from actionable to at best out of date, and at worst useless. When you are part of a small data shop, your form of currency is often not ability but time. We are always asked if we can do something when the real question is, “Do we have time to do something?”

In Vassar’s Advancement Services area, we have 4 people providing data and reporting needs for over 70 individuals across multiple areas. There are myriad requests that seemingly come in all at once, all the time. What is a small shop to do? Well, what Vassar’s Advancement Systems and Reporting team did was to address the request, and then ask ourselves: Who else might make this request? How would they request it? Can we service that request right now as well?

This started our journey on generalizing requests and being proactive to them as opposed to reactive. We started automating this analysis through the use of Stored Procedures, Functions, Custom Fields, and Dashboards to create safe environments for self service. Then our team could focus on more complex actions.