Anyone Can Analyze: Lists vs. Reports 4607

Anyone Can Analyze: Lists vs. Reports

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During a recent holiday visit, my extended family joined me in watching one of my favorite Pixar films – Ratatouille (2007). Among the movie's many charms, I especially love how the protagonist (a rat named Remy) and his conscience (the imaginary spirit of a jolly TV chef) are willing to take chances and delight in inspirational change.

In tech, as in life, change is constant. Chef Gusteau reminds us that with change, "If you focus on what you've left behind, you'll never be able to see what lies ahead."

With that in mind, as we continue to expand the functionality of "SKY" lists, we encourage you use these "SKY" lists instead of older advanced and basic lists or reports.  These two modern lists offer at least the same information in a better user experience as the multiple older reports they can now replace.

User List
List managers can use the User List to replace these reports:
  • User Overview
  • Users by Grad Year & Role
  • Users Missing Host ID (sort the host ID column to show blank values first)
  • First N Logins (use the filter for "Last login")
  • Bad/Missing E-mail (use the recently added columns for bad and CC emails)
Student List
List managers can use the Students List to replace these reports:
  • Student Body Sensitive Information (for increased security social security numbers are not visible)
  • Students in Grade
Follow the Recipe
In my family, there are two basic types of bakers and cooks.
  1. The first type always follows the recipe, exactly. If a brownie recipe says it serves 12, they make exactly 12.  Once a recipe is mastered, they memorize and execute it with unerring efficiency and consistency. They run the kitchen like a well-oiled machine. But ask them to make a substitution because something is out of stock at the grocery store, and you'll likely see a look of bewilderment or brief panic.
  2. The second type are more like pirates. They consider recipes as mostly inspiration and rules as more like rough guidelines, which can be useful or discarded at the cook's whims. They improvise fantastic surprises from the odd items they find in the pantry, freezer, and fridge. But, ask them to recreate the dish from last week, and you'll never get the exact same meal twice.
You may find these two profiles also apply your comfort or your approach to lists, reporting, and analysis.
  1. Perhaps you'll prefer to follow some else's "recipe" (what to include and how to assemble it for consumption) exactly, so you know what to expect every time.
  2. Alternatively, after you know the basics (how to create a list, choose columns, filter data, sort by a column, export, save, etc), you may feel more comfortable customizing your creations, rather than sticking to a strict recipe.
In either case, we encourage you to share your favorite "recipes" for lists and reports, or read others for inspiration, from this discussion area.

For the novice, consider writing out what you want to know or do in the form of a sentence or question, before you open the app. This may help you focus on the outcome you want to achieve. For example, "Show me current students in each advisory who still need locker numbers, so we can make sure facilities provides new combination locks for them."

After you articulate which information you seek and why, you can look for key words that can guide you to know what list, columns, and filters to use. In this case, you might use the Students List, sorted by the Locker Number column to show "blank" values first, and filtered by each Advisory teacher. You might then Export the list of locker numbers for each advisory teacher to keep with their advisory records, in case students forget their numbers during the first days of school or you need to search a specific student's locker during the school year.
 
Conclusion
As always, more improvements and changes are coming. So, stay tuned for future release letters and community posts about them to learn more. And remember to check out the Ideas section or webinars about early adopter programs and the discovery process!
 
Remy: Change is nature, Dad. The part we can influence. And it starts when we decide.
(He turns around to go.)
Django/Remy's Dad: Where are you going?
Remy: With luck, forward.
News Blackbaud K-12 Education Solutions™ Blog 04/17/2018 11:07am EDT

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1 Comments
Well said! I love your analogy (and the movie)!

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