Overview 

Cognos is currently the University’s primary platform for business intelligence and reporting. As part of the Digital and Data Futures strategic plan, the University will review its reporting requirements and consider whether any adjustments to the tools used are needed. This work will help determine the long-term direction for business intelligence across the institution.

Current Position

Use of Power BI has increased in several areas of the University, particularly within Planning, and also because many new staff arrive with prior familiarity with the tool. While this is understood, the University does not yet have an established or fully supported institutional approach to Power BI. 
At present: 
* There is a small centrally held pool of Power BI Pro licences. 
* All centrally held licences are currently allocated via an IT Service Request. 
* Any new licence requirements need to be funded and purchased locally by the relevant Professional Services Division or Faculty. 
* Dashboards within Power BI can only be shared with other users who are licenced for Power BI Pro. 
* Dashboards cannot be published publicly 
 

Support Model

ITS is not currently resourced to provide extensive support for Power BI, including dashboard development, data modelling or workspace configuration. Teams that choose to use Power BI should be aware of the following points: 
* Power BI use is permitted but is self-supported at this stage. 
* Users and teams are responsible for developing, maintaining and troubleshooting their own reports and dashboards. 
* Users and teams are responsible for ensuring appropriate data is published 
* ITS can provide general advice but cannot offer detailed or ongoing technical support. 
 

Future Direction

As work progresses under the Digital and Data Futures programme, further information will be shared on: 
* The University’s future business intelligence platform. 
* Recommended tools and standards. 
* Supported approaches to data visualisation. 
* Future licensing and support arrangements. 
Updates will be communicated through the appropriate governance groups and published on the intranet. 
Further information on PowerBI products can be found here.