A data mart is a database that collects data together that is focused on a single subject area of inquiry, such as student performance data. Typically a data mart includes a database and a set if reports or report generation tools that allow viewing and analysis of the data. A student datamart archives student demographic and performance data, and has an easy-to-use front-end application that enables teachers to view, analyze and create reports of those data.
If you combined that with data from another area such has human resources, then you would have the beginnings of a data warehouse. Data warehouses are databases that collect together data from many disparate data sources into a unified system for the purpose of generating reports and monitoring the data. In K-12 education data warehouses are not widely used but they are used occasionally, especially in larger school districts.
The Products
What are some leading data warehouse products in this space?
- E-Scholar
- Tetradata
- Confluent Technologies
- CTB-McGraw Hill
- Data Director
- Datawise
- Edgenuity
- Edmin.com
- Edusoft
- Escholar
- ETS- Pulliam
- Maximus
- Pearson Inform
- Performance Matters
- Performance Pathways
- SAS
- Scantron
- Schoolcity
- Schoolnet
- Tetradata
- Turnleaf
- VIP Tone
Why are there so many data marts and so few data warehouses?
One reason why data marts proliferate is that they are so much easier to create. In the school environment gathering several years of data from across several different IT systems can be difficult to achieve. Also, data warehouses are generally not geared for use by classroom teachers.
What about commercial tools?
Commercial tools such as those provided with Microsoft SQL Server are in widespread use. However, some other tools like Cognos have had trouble getting traction in the school market. One problem for Cognos is that it has a steep learning curve and schools often turnover staff frequently. So by the time staff is up to speed, they may be gone and someone new appears that needs training before they can get started.
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