How Bath Spa University reduced report creation time from weeks to hours with Ometis

The challenge

Bath Spa University staff had become dependent on static reports with no way to analyse data interactively. Only a few individuals with technical skills could interpret these reports or handle raw data for in-depth analysis.

The university lacked an effective platform to give users standardised analysis tools. Without a shared data system, managers risked misinterpreting data when querying operational systems directly.

Jon Sebright, Head of Information Services, and Chris Stedham, Business Intelligence Systems Manager, identified the need for an easy-to-access information system after reviewing the university's business intelligence and reporting systems.

The solution

After meeting with several BI vendors, Bath Spa University chose to implement Qlik. The decision was primarily influenced by Qlik's rapid development capabilities.

Chris Stedham explains: "We were often asked for a sample of our data and the vendor would promise to return in two weeks with a working prototype, so it was Qlik's ability to develop and deploy applications in hours or days, with no base requirement to use data warehouses which impressed us most."

The defining moment came during a "seeing is believing" workshop conducted by Ometis (acquired BME Solutions) and Qlik using Bath Spa's actual data.

"We produced much of the information we wanted to give to members of staff in about seven hours, this gave us the Qlik bug and we were hooked," says Chris.

Chris also highlighted Qlik's value proposition: "Qlik was the best value for money solution which required three days consultancy to get things up and running and for us to develop a large range of analysis models in the Qlik environment."

The university had the foundation of their first Qlik application on the demonstration day itself. Within weeks, they had progressed to a functional application that staff found useful and engaging.

"A great thing about Qlik is that we can quickly bring data together in a prototype. If the idea is worth pursuing, we act accordingly. If not, we've spent a few hours on it, not days getting the data into system before we can then start to create the application, which is the feeling we got with tools from other business intelligence vendors," Chris notes.

The results

Bath Spa University has developed Qlik applications across numerous key areas, including:

• Student applications
• Student registrations
• Analysis of HESA and HESES returns
• Finance reporting
• Graduate destinations
• Student to staff ratio analysis
• Human Resources KPIs
• Analysis of assets and inventory
• Analysis of questionnaire data from SNAP Surveys
• Analysis of accommodation bookings
• Analysis of the Active Directory IT function

Qlik has improved business efficiency for decision-makers by providing an easy-to-use analysis tool. The university has shifted from simply providing reports to offering an easily navigable information environment that supports informed decision-making.

"Qlik didn't just answer the University's standard questions, it allowed people to ask questions they hadn't thought to ask before – and it's changing the way they work," Chris explains. "As a result of working with Qlik, Bath Spa University staff are more knowledgeable. We now have more informed decision makers and we are asking them to take responsibility for owning and understanding the data."

The implementation has allowed the university to deploy a common BI platform where a single version of the truth can be shared and accessed by all via a browser. They've successfully combined different data sources from SITS, Coda-Dream, ResourceLink, SQL Server, Microsoft Excel and text files in an information-rich environment that reaches all levels of the organisation.

Based on Qlik's success and the ability to develop and deploy applications quickly, the university plans to develop additional applications and increase the user base. Qlik has been adopted as the university's reporting tool of the future.

"Bath Spa University shows how putting data in the hands of users creates immediate value. Their ability to build applications in hours showcases the practical benefits of Qlik for higher education institutions." 

Steve Sapseid, Sector Manager at Ometis