Overview

Analytics is a robust reporting tool that allows you to create visually appealing charts representing applicant and application data. Share enrollment numbers from the past three app cycles for faculty-led programs. See how many applicants committed to programs in Europe in a specific app cycle. This is just the beginning of the possibilities with Analytics! 

Before getting started, note that Analytics focuses first on defining what information you want and need from, for example, your applications. These data points might be applicant name, application status, program name, and app cycle. After you've defined what data you're looking for and determined how you wish to group this data (e.g. first by application ID, then by program name), you'll then have your query. Then you'll be able to apply filters based on the individual needs you have to narrow down your results and create your desired report. In this way, it is possible to use one query from which you can create multiple reports based on how you filter. 

This article discusses the following topics related to Analytics: 

• Permissions & Access
• Navigating Analytics
  • Query List
  • Report List
• Creating Queries
  • Add Field(s)
  • Sorting & Calculations
  • Add Group(s)
  • Adding a Filter Versus Adding a Value
• Query Templates
• Creating Reports
  • Adding and Editing Charts
    • Chart Type
    • Chart Options
    • Filters
    • Table Breakdown
  • Report Tools
    • Share Report
    • Schedule
    • Download
  • Data Table
• Frequently Asked Questions: This section includes responses to best practice questions, such as how to report on Application Tags or Program Countries. 
• Video Resources

This article presents a high-level view of how report building may be experienced. We look forward to adding more updates to this article as Analytics continues to take shape.

Important Considerations

Keep the following information in mind when creating queries and reports in Analytics:

• Queries which contain more than 100 fields may result in reduced performance when running your report. To avoid the report timing out, it is recommended to use 100 fields or less per query. 
• When scheduling and sharing reports, recipients must be a current user of the system in order to receive emails. Applicants can not be sent scheduled or shared reports.
• A maximum of 100 scheduled reports is allowed per site. 
• Withdrawn sub-statuses (i.e. Pre-Decision, By Staff, Declined, Didn't Commit) are not currently supported in Analytics. For offices needing to filter on this data, a suggested option is to batch apply application tags for these sub-statuses in Application Finder and filter on the tags in Analytics.
• The following question item types are not supported with the use of filters:
  • Conditional question items
  • Yes/No with Explanation
  • Data Lookup with Search
  • File Upload
• The following options are not supported with the use of filters:
  • A modified default status alias.

 

Permissions & Access

Analytics appears in the Admin Console which is accessible by any Study Abroad admin. However, only users with the following permissions will be able to view the "Applications" card in the Admin Console:

• Applicant Admin: Applicant Search (simple)
• Applicant Admin: Applicant Search (advanced)

Specific access to Analytics requires users to have the appropriate permission(s).

There are two permission options:

1. Report (Create/Edit)
2. Query (Create/Edit)

Report (Create/Edit) only allows the user to create and edit reports based on queries shared with them. 

Query (Create/Edit) only allows the user to create and edit queries. This includes query templates.

If a user does not have either of these permissions, then they will only be able to view the respective queries and reports that are shared with them.

Important Note: The Analytics  permission system does not honor Data Access Objects (DAOs) at this time. The permission to create queries allows that user to see all data within the site. Therefore, the Query Permission should only be granted to those users who need to have access to everything.

Permissions Best Practice

As a best practice, it is recommended that an office create three permission groups as follows to manage the appropriate personas and add users accordingly:

• Analytics Masters: For main site users who have both the report and query permissions.
• Analytics Report: For those who can create, edit, and share reports.
• Analytics Query: For those who can create, edit, and share queries.

 

Navigating Analytics

Navigate to Admin Console > Applications and click on the "Analytics" link.

 

The main Analytics interface consists of two tabs, "Query List" and "Report List". By default, you will always land on the "Query List" tab when accessing Analytics.

Query List

The "Query List" page features an "All Queries" options box located to the left of the main query listing. From here, the following options are available:

• My Folders
  • Use this option as a way to organize queries that you have created.
  • Click the "+" icon to create a folder. Select the desired queries to include in the folder.
  • Only queries that you have created will appear as an option to place into folders in the "My Folders" section. If you have not created any queries, then the system message "No results returned." will display.
  • Folders can be renamed, modified, or deleted.
• Shared Folders
  • Use this option as a way to organize queries that have been shared with you.
  • Click the "+" icon to create a folder. Select the desired queries to include in the folder.
  • Only queries that you have been shared with you will appear as an option to place into folders in the "Shared Folders" section. If no queries have been shared with you, then the system message "No results returned." will display.
• Templates
  • A listing of templates specific to your site's Terra Dotta products will appear.
  • See the "Query Templates" section of this article for full details. 

The main "Queries" section of the page contains menus from which you can select your desired folder or product line (this will vary by organization) and search for a query. Information is organized by columns as follows:

• Query Name
  • The name of the query appears along with any available description.
• Folder
  • If the query has been assigned to a folder, that folder name will be listed. Otherwise, "Uncategorized" will appear by default.
• Detail
  • The product line using this query is displayed.
• Shared?
  • If the query has not been shared, then "Private" will be displayed. 
  • If you have shared the query with others, then "Share by me" will be displayed.
• More Actions Menu
  • Edit: Navigate directly to the query builder to modify your existing query.
  • Clone: Copy an existing query, make modifications, and save it as a new query.
  • Run: Execute your query.
  • Create Report: Navigate directly to step one of the Report Builder.
  • Create Scheduled Report: Navigate directly to the "Scheduling" step in Report Builder. See the "Creating Reports" section of this article for details. 
  • Delete: Permanently remove a query from your site.

Report List

The "Report List" page features an "All Reports" options box located to the left of the main report listing. From here, the following options are available:

• My Folders
  • Use this option as a way to organize reports that you have created.
  • Click the "+" icon to create a folder. Select the reports queries to include in the folder.
  • Only reports that you have created will appear as an option to place into folders in the "My Folders" section. If you have not created any reports, then the system message "No results returned." will display.
  • Folders can be renamed, modified, or deleted.
• Shared Folders
  • Use this option as a way to organize reports that have been shared with you.
  • Click the "+" icon to create a folder. Select the desired reports to include in the folder.
  • Only reports that you have been shared with you will appear as an option to place into folders in the "Shared Folders" section. If no queries have been shared with you, then the system message "No results returned." will display.

The main "Reports" section of the page contains menus from which you can select your desired folder or product line (this will vary by organization) and search for a report. Information is organized by columns as follows:

• Report Name
  • The name of the report appears along with any available description.
• Folder
  • If the report has been assigned to a folder, that folder name will be listed. Otherwise, "Uncategorized" will appear by default.
• Detail
  • The product line using this report is displayed.
• Last Run
  • The date and time that the report was last run. 
  • A report's data is cached, or stored, after the report is first run for up to eight hours. Loading a report from the cache will return results more quickly than having to retrieve results from the data source each time the report is run.
  • When the cached report data is no longer valid (i.e. it's been longer than 8 hours or the report definition has changed), then a "Cache Expired" icon will appear in this column, letting the user know that a new cache will be generated the next time the report is run. 
• Scheduled
  • If the report has not been scheduled, then "Add Scheduling" will be displayed.
  • If the report has been scheduled, then "Scheduled" will be displayed.
  • If the report has been shared with you, then "N/A" will be displayed.
• Shared?
  • If the report has not been shared, then "Private" will be displayed. 
  • If you have shared the report with others, then "Share by me" will be displayed.
  • If the report has been shared with you, then "Shared by X" will be displayed, with "X" being replaced by the user's name.
• More Actions Menu
  • Edit: Navigate directly to the report builder to modify your existing report.
  • Clone: Copy an existing report, make modifications, and save it as a new report.
  • Run: Execute your report.
  • Exports: Prepare an export file, that when ready, will be available to download from this menu.
  • Delete: Permanently remove a report from your site.

 

Creating Queries

When you need to view specific sets of data, then you can create a query which retrieves that data for you. 

To create a query in Analytics:

1. From the "Query List" tab, click the "+" plus icon in the lower right corner of the page. This action directs you to the Query Builder.

 

The Query Builder is organized as follows:

• A main "Query Builder" header bar offers the options to cancel the query creation process, save your updates, or save your updates and run the query.
• Title: A mandatory field in which you'll want to provide a unique name for your query.
• Description: An optional field in which you can add details about the contents of your query.
• Four main configuration steps consisting of "Product", "Fields", "Filters", and "Share Options".
• An option to select the applicable product line as per the Terra Dotta products your institution supports. 

By default, you will begin in the "Product" configuration step.

2. After adding a mandatory title and optional description for your query, select the desired product line. For Study Abroad clients, you will choose "Study Abroad".

3. Select a data source from which to build your query.

"Applicants" allows you to pull any information about an applicant, including all details from any applications that applicant may have. "Users" allows you to pull information based solely on the user (and not the application ID) that is user specific, such as comments. This might be used when looking for data on staff users.

4. Next, you'll move to the "Fields" configuration step where you'll add fields and groups to your query as needed.

Important Note: A complex query that contains a lot of fields and categories will take longer to process. It is recommended that you only select the data points required for your query for the most optimal performance. 

 

Add Field(s)

Click into the "Add Fields" search bar for a comprehensive menu of data point categories to load. Each category consists of one or more fields.

Clicking the box to the left of a category will select all data points within it. Clicking the ">" icon will open the category, allowing you to choose individual fields within this category.

 

The fields displayed for many categories, such as those for process elements and applicant parameters, will vary from site to site.

Categories currently include:

• User Information
  • User ID
  • Name
  • User Last Name
  • User First Name
  • User Middle Name
  • Date of Birth
  • User Email
  • Gender
  • User External
  • Phone Number
• Applicant Parameters
• Address Parameters
• Program Information
  • Program ID
  • Program Start
  • Program End
  • Program Group
  • Program Name
  • Program Type
• Program Parameters
• Program Contact Parameters
  • Address Line 1
  • Address Line 2
  • Address Line 3
  • Address City
  • Address State
  • Address Country
  • Email
  • Contact Name
  • Role
• Application Information
  • Application ID
  • App Cycle
  • Program Year
  • Program Term
  • Application Status
  • Phase
  • Application Created
  • Application Completed
  • Itinerary Start
  • Itinerary End
  • Itinerary Created By
  • Itinerary Modified
  • Is Exchange
  • Last Status Update
  • Is Ready for Review
  • Last Activity
  • Last Viewed
  • Application Status Alias
• Application Parameters
  • Application Tags
• Questionnaires
• Materials
• Assessments
• Review Workflows
  • Review Workflow Status
  • Number of Reviews Required
  • Number of Reviews Submitted
  • Review Workflow Created
  • Review Workflow Modified
  • Review Workflow Modified By
  • Workflow Type
  • Reviewer Persona
  • Reviewer Name
  • Reviewer Decision
• Review Forms
• Cost Sheets
  • Cost Sheet Item Name
  • Cost Sheet Item Category
  • Cost Sheet Item Type
  • Item Applicant Parameter
  • Item Program Parameter
  • Application Cost Sheet ID
  • App Cost Sheet Complete
  • App Cost Sheet Last Update
  • Application Cost Sheet Amount
• Advising Details
  • Advising Start Date
  • Program Conversion Date
  • Advising Routing Program
  • Converted To Program
  • Programs of Interest
  • Programs of Interest App Cycles
• Recommendations

Sorting & Calculations

After you've selected your fields, use the ordering options available in the "Sort" column to configure how you want up to three fields to appear. In addition, calculations can be used when numeric fields, such as Reviewer Form question items (see image below), are selected. Calculations cannot be used with the rating question item type.

Important Note: When using calculations, at least one group must be applied to your query in the "Fields" configuration step.

Click on the calculations icon to access and select from the following options:

• Sum
• Average
• Maximum
• Minimum

Add Group(s)

After choosing the fields required for the query, choose how the query should be grouped. Click into the "Add Groups" search bar for a comprehensive menu of data point categories to load.

Groupings are essential in determining the output of your data and how it will be organized in a data table. A best practice is to include the field of "Application ID" so that all output is grouped from this data point.

When using locations, the best practice is to group by "Program Country". 

If you wish to use certain features, such as calculations and visualizations in a report, such as a bar chart or line graph, then a grouping must be selected.

 

5. Next, move to the "Filters" configuration step.

Important Note: The following question item types are not supported with the use of filters:

• Conditional question items
• Yes/No with Explanation
• Data Lookup with Search
• File Upload

The following options are not supported with the use of filters:

• A modified default status alias.

Filters are optional tools which allow you to trim down a large data set, such as app cycle, to a particular subset of that data, such as only those app cycles in 2021. Filters are added to your query to include the information you want others to be able to access. 

Before you get started applying filters, keep the following information in mind:

Adding a Filter Versus Adding a Value

Each time you click on "+ Add Filter", think of this action as adding a new data point on which you want to filter. For example, if you were filtering on both Program Name and App Cycle, you would click "+ Add Filter" twice to create two distinct sections, each separated by the use of an "And" operator. The logic for these filters would read as "When the data point is App Cycle and Program Name".

Within each data point that you add as a filter, you have the option to add one or more values on which to further define your results by clicking on the small "+" icon to the right of your line item. For the field of App Cycles, you might want to filter on 2 specific app cycles, or values. After I add my first app cycle of Spring 2022, I would click on the "+" icon to the right of my line item to add a new line within the same data point of App Cycle.

 

This action prompts an operator of "And" to appear between my previous value of Spring 2022 and the second one I added of Fall 2022. By default, the operators will be set to "And". However, I will click on the edit pencil to change the operator to "Or" because I am using different values within the same data point. In this way, the logic reads as follows: "When the data point of App Cycle contains Spring 2022 or Fall 2022 and the program name contains Museum Studies Amsterdam".

 

When you are ready to get started using filters, click the "+ Add Filter" icon. 

A filter modal will appear with the following configuration options:

• Add Field: Click into this field and select the desired data point.
• Operator Menu: Think of an "operator" as a command that can be used to further define your query results. By default, the "Equals" operator will appear, yet the option of "Not" can also be selected. Depending on the type of data point you've chosen as a field, more operator options may appear for use, such as "Greater Than" or "Contains". Again, these operators will vary across parameter and question item types, for example.
• "X" Icon: Click this icon to remove all filter information.
• "+" Icon: Click this icon to add an additional value on which to filter for the same data point. 

Important Note: When using the "Not" operator with a question item response, the system is only looking for responses that are not the response selected. The system is not looking for instances where no response is true.

When multiple filters are used, "And" logic is used between each filter. In the example below, the query is looking for applications with a status alias of "Program Cancelled" and a GPA of greater than 2.5 and a response to the selected question item where the response contains the term "Global".

6. Finally, move to the "Share Options" step.

After filtering to the desired subset of data that you want to include in your query, the query can be shared with an individual or a group currently in the system. If the query is to be shared with someone not yet in the system, they should be added to the appropriate permission group first. This step in the query building process can be edited after saving it.

The "Notify Users By Email" toggle, when enabled, will send one email to all recipients which notes the name of the query and owner of the query.

 

Recipients can access the shared query from their "Query List" tab in Analytics. The "Shared?" column will display the full name of the individual who shared the query.

 

7. After your query is configured, it can be saved or both saved and run to immediately view the results.

If a title has not been entered prior to clicking "Save" or "Save & Run", then the system will select a name in order to save the query. This name can be edited. Clicking "Save" in the "Query name" modal will save or save and run the query, depending on what was initially selected in the header bar. 

The action of "Save" will return the user back to the main "Query List" tab while "Save & Run" will navigate the user to the "Query Execute" page. This page displays the results of the query in a table format. From this page, a user can return to the main query list, edit the query configuration, or create a report using the query.

 

 

Query Templates

A series of pre-designed templates are available for use with queries to make it easy to get started with using Analytics.

Important Note: Query templates only appear as options to admins who have the Query (Create/Edit) permission.

From the "Query List" tab, navigate to the "All Queries" options box located to the left of the main query listing. Click on the option for "Templates".

A listing of templates specific to your site's Terra Dotta products will appear. A short description of each template is provided under the "Query Name" column. The "Detail" column lists the relevant Terra Dotta products, as applicable to your site, for which the query template can be used. For those templates with filters applied, you can adjust these filters to view a different time or date range.

Templates for use with Terra Dotta Study Abroad include:

• SA-Payment Report: Create a query for payment materials with a payment status of "Success". Modify the filter to view a payment status of "Initiated" or "Failed". Available data points include the following:
  • Application ID
  • Material ID
  • Material Name
  • Amount
  • Amount Paid
  • Payment Created Date
  • Vendor
  • Payment Method
  • Account Type
  • Account Number
  • Currency Type
  • Approval Code
  • Receipt Number
  • Material Status
  • Payment Status
  • Payment Updated Date
• Applications Created in the Last 14 Days
• Applications Marked Ready for Review
• Itineraries Starting in the Next Month
• Program Start Dates and Itinerary Start Dates in the Next Three Months
• Accepted and Committed Applications by App Cycle

To get started using a query template:

1) Click on the "Use Template" button for the desired template.

2) The query builder will open with a series of pre-selected fields, groups, and filters applied. Admins can review these settings and make any desired edits. Click "Save" to generate the saved query on your site.  

 

 

Creating Reports

With an existing query, you can create a report. As an admin user, you can create a report in one of the following ways: 

• "Query List" Tab: Create Report or Create Schedule Report Options
• Select either option from the triple dot "More Actions" menu of your query in the "Query List" tab.
• The "Create Scheduled Report" option offers a set of default scheduling settings and creates a report at the same time.
• "Report List" Tab
• Click the "+" icon in the lower right of the page to access the Report Builder.

To create a report from the "Report List" tab:

1. Click the "+" plus icon in the lower right corner of the page. This action opens the Create Report interface. To build a report, it is required to select an existing query and to name the report. 
   
   
2. Click “Continue” in the lower right corner to generate your new report.
   
   

Adding and Editing Charts

Once generated, the report page will display the report together with a range of options to manage the report and add a chart.

At the top of the page, the main header displays the name and description of the report, offering the option to edit the report name and description. 

On the left side, information displays on any filters applied from the query. Below this section, a table showing the data appears, including a button to export the data.

In the center section, a column of buttons appears containing tools, including:

• Share Report
• Schedule
• Download: Available when a chart type has been selected, this button appears to allow

On the right side, a menu of options for chart and data table options includes:

• Chart Type: Offers the use of a visualization to better represent your data
• Chart Options: Set your X Axis and Y Axis and change the appearance of your chart by toggling on/off Axis Labels, Hover Values, Horizontal Lines, and showing only the Top ‘X’ amount of values
• Filters
• Table Breakdown: Toggle on/off the detail and the total of your table

More information on each of these features is included below.

Chart Type

Depending on the report, applicable chart types will be available as options.

Click on the dropdown Chart Type to select a visualization to better represent your data. The options that appear on your screen are dependent on the query you choose and how that query uses groupings.

Stacked chart options are available to use in situations where, for example, you have two groupings in your query. Choosing a stacked option allows you to not only select the two groups you want to show in the graph, but it also allows you to rename the X and Y-axis labels, managed under Chart Options in the side panel.

Chart Options

Under Chart Options edit Axis grouping and labels. The "Show" section provides the ability to further refine how you view your data.

• Toggle switches allow you to show or hide axis labels, hover values, values as percentages, and horizontal lines.
• The "Top X Values" toggle enables you to limit the data to show only the top 3/5/10/Custom values in your data set. Switching the ‘Top X Values’ toggle on gives you the option to show all other values under the label “Other”. These values are grouped together and shown in gray on your visualization.

Filters

Expand Filters to add and/or manage existing report filters. Filters are optional tools which allow you to trim down a large data set to a particular subset of that data, such as only those app cycles in 2021.

Filters are added to your report to include the information you want others to be able to access. Any filters automatically applied are inherited from the query used to build the report. If those filters need to be updated, that action must be done on the query level.

Filter options that appear in the menu that are related to your site's specific data (i.e. parameters, process elements). After a filter is selected, you are able to drill down and pick the desired value options for each filter.

When a filter is added, it is automatically part of a new filter group. Additional filters can be added to a filter group using the "Add Filter" button. Any filters within a group use AND logic.

Additional filter groups can be added by clicking the "Add filter group" button. Clicking on the pencil icon between filter groups makes it possible to switch between AND and OR logic.

Table Breakdown

Expand Table Breakdown to see options that only pertain to the data table: Detail and Totals. By default, both of these toggles will be switched on.

By switching off the Detail toggle, the table hides all excess information and only shows the data that is represented by the X and Y axes. 

Deactivate the Totals toggle to ungroup totals in the data table.

Report Tools

The report builder interface includes tools for sharing and scheduling your reports. These options are located in the middle section section. 

The four icons located in this area correspond to the following actions, which are further described below.

• Show/hide chart options
• Share report
• Schedule report
• Download

Share Report

The final step available in building a report is "Share". This is an optional step that an office might use if they only want to share a report with an individual or group and do not want to configure scheduling.

To share a report, click the share button in the side panel.

The share interface to appear on the screen.

This share interface consists of the following options and fields:

• Notify Users by Email
  • Enabling this toggle setting means that an email will be sent to any individuals or groups to which the report has been shared, notifying them that a report is available to view by logging into the site.
  • If the toggle is not enabled, then the report will be available for viewing when the individuals or groups log into the site. However, no email notification will be sent to them alerting them of this share action.
• Group
  • Select from any of your site's staff groups.
  • Ensure that all desired users are in the group before adding it as an option.
• Individual
  • Enter the email address of the desired user. Selecting the appropriate email address will populate the fields for "First Name" and "Last Name".
• Add User or Group to Share
  • Click this option to add another individual or group.

If any individuals or groups need to be removed from the share options, click on the "delete" icon.

Schedule

The next step in building a report is "Scheduling". This is an optional step that an office might use if they want to create recurring, automated notifications in which users are either notified that the report is available or sent an updated copy of the report. 

To create a schedule, click the clock button in the side panel and wait for the schedule interface to appear on the screen.

This scheduling interface consists of the following options and fields:

• Enable Scheduling: This box must be checked off in order to use the scheduling feature for your specific report.
• Start Date
  • The date on which the report will first be sent. 
  • By default, this will be the date on which the report scheduling is configured. 
• End Date
  • The final date on which the report will be sent.
  • Must be 365 days or less from the start date.
• Frequency
  • Select how often you wish the action for your report to occur.
  • Choose from hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. 
  • The hour listed will be the hour for which the action will occur. The default hour listed can be modified.
  • The minimum frequency interval is every 4 hours.
• Actions to Do After Run
  • Export File: A file will be ready for the user after logging back into the site.
  • Send Attached By Email: A copy of the report will be emailed to users.
  • Send on Email Body: The report will be emailed within the body of an email along with a link to download the full report. This makes it such that the recipient does not have to be logged into the site. 
  • Notify Ready: An email is sent that the report is ready to view.
  • Export to SSH Folder: A "Reports" folder will appear in the client's Terra Dotta-provided SSH folder with the report in a .CSV file. Offices should ensure that they've set up access to their SSH folder prior to utilizing this option. This includes working with Terra Dotta to ensure the required environment setting is defined. Otherwise, the export will not be placed in the SSH folder as expected. For more information, see the Transferring Data to Terra Dotta article. 

Send Email From

For actions which involve sending an email notification, you will be prompted to select from whom the report should be sent using the "Send Email From" menu. Select from the logged-in user or the email addresses configured for your account (i.e. Contact 1, Contact 2). 

Users to Attach/Notify

Then the email recipients can be added using the "Users to Attach" section (for the actions of "Send Attached by Email" and "Send on Email Body") or "Users to Notify" section (for the action of "Notify Ready"). Enter in the email address of the site user. Select the correct email address that appears, and this action will populate the fields for "First Name" and "Last Name".  Use the "+" icon to add an additional user, or delete a user using the trash icon.

Important Note: Recipients must be a current user of the system in order to receive emails. 

If you do not need to use the "Sharing" option, then you can click "Save" to preserve your changes - or click "Save & Run" to generate your report while preserving your changes.

Important Note: In addition to creating a scheduled report from the Report Builder's "Scheduling" step, you can also create a scheduled report from the triple dot "More Actions" menu of your query in the "Query List" tab. Select the "Create Scheduled Report" option. This action opens up the Report Builder to the "Scheduling" tab.

Several default settings will be applied as follows:

• Start Date: The date on which the "Create Scheduled Report" button was clicked.
• End Date: One year from the "Start Date".
• Frequency: Weekly
• Actions to Do After Run: Send in Email Body.

You have the option of modifying these settings to best fit your needs before saving the report.

Important Note: Recipients must be a current user of the system in order to receive emails. 

Download

When a chart has been selected for the report, the download button appears.

Clicking this button will download the chart in a PNG format.

Data Table

The lower section of the report editor displays the data in a chart format.

The export button can be used to export the data in .csv format.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1 - Can you provide some examples of the types of queries and reports that can be generated in Analytics?

Before you get started creating queries and reports in Analytics, consider your end goal: what do you need to extract X data for and why? Some questions you might ask are:

• How can my report data demonstrate what my office is doing/has accomplished?
• What data can I pull to demonstrate workflow management?
• How can I demonstrate growth in comparison to last month, last year, etc.?

With this in mind, some examples could be:

• Applications submitted for a given app cycle or program year.
• Committed applications for a given time period, grouped by a particular category such as program region/app cycle/program year.
• Applications by status for a particular time frame.
• Scholarship applications submitted and approved for a particular time frame.
• Emergency contact information for travelers.
• Queries based on Cost Sheet data points.
• Reports based on Advising data points, such as programs of interest.

2 - I own a query that I have shared with a colleague. How can I ensure that this person sees changes that I make to the query going forward?

After the owner of a shared query makes edits to the query, they need to click "Save" to preserve the changes made. This action will also update the query so that those with whom it has been shared will see the updated query. 

3 - I've created a new alias for a status on my site. How do I ensure that that the new alias displays in Analytics?

When you create a new alias for a status, you create a new alias ID. This means that any prior status used before this change will continue to display as it was until it is changed. Any future changes will use the new alias ID and display with the new alias.

4 - I need to be able to run a report in Analytics that distinguishes between applicant types. Which field should I use?

When creating a query, select the field of "User External" from the "User Information" category in Step 2. When you run your query and any subsequent reports with that data field, the output in the "User External" column will be either "Yes" (for external applicants) or "No" (for internal).

5 - In Analytics, why am I unable to view a data point (e.g. a parameter or questionnaire) that I recently created?

When new data, such as a parameter, is added, it will not be available in Analytics until the report definition is refreshed. This refresh action takes place 8 hours to run. Only Terra Dotta Support has the ability to manually run this refresh on client sites. 

6 - What is the difference between the option to "Run" a report and "Rerun" a report?

When you run a report, you are generating a view of the report's data, either from a cache or from results retrieved directly from the data source.

When you rerun a report, you are always generating a view of the report directly from the data source, even if the current cached data is still valid. 

Both the report owner and any recipients with whom the report has been shared have the ability to rerun the report. Note that if one person reruns the report, then the report will be rerun for everyone with whom the report has been shared. 

7 - I need a quick way to create a query. What are my options?

Save time with creating queries in Analytics with these options:

1) Use the "clone" option to copy an existing query. After generating this copy, you can make edits and save the query as a new one. To access this option from the "Query List" tab, click on the triple dot "More Menu" at the end of the row of your desired query. From the menu that appears, select "Clone"

2) Use one of the available query templates which provide pre-populated fields, groups, and filters for common queries. After applying the template, you can make additional edits and then save the query as a new one. Access templates from the "Query List" tab by clicking on the "Templates" link of the "All Queries" section.

8 - I've shared my report with an individual and have selected to notify the user. If I choose to edit the report to share it with a different individual and notify them of the action, will the email notification be sent to everyone again?

No, if the report was shared with someone and they were notified of the action, then they will not be notified again in the scenario as described above.

9 - I have shared a report with a group of program directors that shows students who have been accepted into their programs. What options do I have to ensure that the individuals with whom I have shared the report see updated data each time they view the report?

If you are sharing a report, then the recipients of this shared report only have the option to run the report. Running the report pulls the data from a cache until that cache expires or the report definition is refreshed (which is every 8 hours from the last action).

If the report recipients have a need to view updated data in the report more frequently, then here are a few options:

• Add scheduling. This can be done from the main Report List page. When you add scheduling, you can select the frequency at which an updated report is sent to your recipients, the minimum time of which is every 4 hours.
• As the owner of the report, you could manually re-run it or re-save it. These actions would then update the report that your recipients see with an updated data since the report was last refreshed. 
• Consider sharing a query. In this way, the recipients could clone the query to create their own report which they would have the option of re-running manually. Recipients would need to be assigned the Analytics permissions in order to clone a query, and it would mean that they would have access to data. 

10 - How can I access a file to download from Analytics?

If a query or report contains a field of a question item of the file upload type, then the value populated for that field will display as "File Uploaded" if an upload is present. If you need to view this file, then you should group by the field of Application ID as it contains a direct hyperlink to view the application in a new tab. From this view, you can access the questionnaire and view the file upload. 

11. When I use the field of "Program Country", why are my students listed multiple times?

As a best practice, a grouping should always be used with a query as this controls how your output will appear and be organized in your results. In Analytics for Study Abroad, everything is connected to the applicant/applications, and this is why the Application ID grouping is always recommended. When using the field of Program Country, the best practice is to group by both the fields of Application ID and Program Country.

For any application, if there is one program country, then you will see one row for that application ID.
If there are multiple different countries for the same application, then you will see multiple rows grouped to that one application ID. If you do not use groupings, then it may appear as if you are seeing duplicates in your report output, yet this is expected. The system is listing all data in columns with no organization to it.

For the query below, I've grouped by Application ID, Program Country, and Program City. With Application ID, all data connects to each respective Application ID. As I move towards the right in reading my results, I can see the grouping of Program Country followed by the grouping of Program City and then my other fields. 

 

In the Application ID column, the number in parenthesis, such as (2), indicates the number of program cities. Then moving to the right, you see the program country followed by a breakout of rows when you have different program cities. If you there had been two different program countries, then the results would be broken out by two rows.

12. How can I report on Application Tags in Analytics?

When reporting on Application Tags, there will only be one output column in Analytics. Keeping this in mind, when you create your initial query, you will want to group by Application ID and include the field of Application Tags. When using that query to create your report, you will need to apply filters for Application Tags. You have two options:

Regular Filters

If you use a regular filter, you can select the application tags on which you want to search. Since selecting more than one application tag will be considered as different values for the same field, you would need to pay attention to the operator used. In the example below, I've selected the operator of "And" which means I want to only see applications where both the tags of "Assign to Joani" and "Earned Academic Credit" are present.

My results would therefore only include those applications with both tags assigned, such as the following:

If I were to change that operator to "Or", then I would be telling the system to show me applications that have either the tag of "Assign to Joani" or "Earned Academic Credit" present. In this way, the results could appear as follows - and include other app tags that were assigned to applications that also had either "Assign to Joani" or "Earned Academic Credit" assigned as tags:

Dynamic Filters

The other option is to apply a dynamic filter for your application tags. With this option, you click on the triangle icon to the left of your filter. This gives you the option to select all of the application tags on your site as shown in the image below:

When you run your report, you will be prompted to choose which tags you want to see in your results. The thing to keep in mind is that only "OR" logic is used, so if you select more than one tag, the results will be when the applications contain "X" tag OR "Y" tag. This also means that results could include other application tags where the application has at least "X" or "Y" tag applied. 

The output in Analytics will not be "Yes" or "No" in the Application Tags column. Instead, it will list the name of the tag present based on your filters in the same cell. 

 

Video Resources

Evaluating Withdrawals with Analytics

This instructional video demonstrates how to create a general query focused on applications that have been withdrawn that can then be used to create more targeted reports, such as applications withdrawn in a specific app cycle for a specific program for a specific application status alias.

 

Analytics: The Future of Terra Dotta Reporting

Explore the in's and out's of the future of Terra Dotta reporting, Analytics. See how it can be leveraged to help meet your office, and your institutions, reporting needs. Examples on how to use Analytics were demonstrated!

This is just the start of the future of reporting at Terra Dotta, so play around and share your thoughts. 

 

This webinar was held Thursday, May 14, 2020 and presented by Christina Meredith, Product Specialist - Travel/Agreements, and Robert Brigman, Product Owner - Travel & Analytics.