Data Domains

William & Mary uses institutional data to support academic programs, research administration, student services, finance, people operations, facilities, advancement, reporting, compliance, analytics, planning, and decision-making.

W&M organizes institutional data around university activities so information can be understood, stewarded, protected, reported, analyzed, and used responsibly.

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Activity-Based Data Approach

W&M organizes data around the work of the university, not only around systems or departments.

This approach helps W&M understand what work is being performed, what information supports that work, what the data means, who helps steward it, and how it should be used responsibly.

W&M uses an activity-based approach to understand:

What activities the university performs
What information supports that work
What key measures, Data Facts, and KPIs mean
What sources, calculations, and business rules are trusted
Who helps the institution understand, steward, govern, and use information responsibly

This keeps governance connected to real university work instead of treating data as only a system, report, or technology issue.

Data Subjects

Data Subjects are major institutional areas used to organize information and governance concepts.

W&M’s data subjects include Academic, Research, People, Finance, Student, Operations, and Regulatory, Policy & Reporting.

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Data Subject	What it generally includes
Academic	Teaching, learning, curriculum, courses, academic programs, academic structure, instructional activity, and academic outcomes
Research	Research administration, sponsored projects, proposals, grants, awards, sponsors, compliance, and research reporting
People	Faculty, staff, employees, affiliates, retirees, emeriti, roles, appointments, and institutional relationships
Finance	Accounting, budgeting, funds, grants, gifts, expenses, procurement, assets, and financial reporting
Student	Recruiting, admissions, enrollment, registration, financial aid, student services, degrees, and student success
Operations	Advancement, athletics, facilities, library, communications, IT, legal, risk, audit, business services, and other operational functions
Regulatory, Policy & Reporting	Cross-domain information used for official reporting, compliance, accreditation, rankings, audit, and public accountability

Concept Master Framework

W&M uses a Concept Master Framework to organize institutional information into reusable governance concepts.

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Level	Purpose
Subject Area	Major institutional area
Data Domain	Major area of institutional information within a Subject Area
Data Sub-Domain	Focused operational area
Data Category	Optional logical grouping when useful
Data Object	Reusable institutional concept or business information entity

Data Objects, Data Facts, and KPIs

Data Objects are reusable business concepts. Examples may include Student Enrollment, Course, Academic Program, Employee, Fund, Grant, Gift, or Work Order.

A Data Object may have many related Data Facts.

A Data Fact is a trusted measure, metric, count, calculation, outcome, or indicator that answers a question about one or more Data Objects. For example, Work Orders Completed measures how many facilities work orders were completed during a defined period.

A KPI is a key institutional indicator that may be made up of one or more Data Facts. For example, a Facilities Service Performance KPI may use Data Facts related to work orders created, work orders completed, completion time, open work orders, and emergency work orders.

Data Facts are defined over time through system projects, reporting needs, governance activities, analytics work, and data initiatives. Their definitions, business meaning, business rules, trusted sources, stewardship guidance, and usage context are documented in W&M’s practical Glossary/Catalog as the capability matures.

Example: Operations Data

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Governance Level	Example
Subject Area	Operations
Data Domain	Facilities Management
Data Sub-Domain	Work Management
Data Category	Work Activity
Data Object	Work Order

Related Data Facts may include:

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Data Object	Related Data Fact
Work Order	Work Orders Created
Work Order	Work Orders Completed
Work Order	Average Days to Complete Work Order
Work Order	Open Work Orders
Work Order	Emergency Work Orders

A related KPI may combine one or more Data Facts to show progress against an operational priority. For example, a Facilities Service Performance KPI may use Data Facts related to work orders created, work orders completed, completion time, open work orders, and emergency work orders.

Data Stewards and Data Groups

Data Stewards are W&M subject matter experts who help define, explain, improve, and support appropriate use of institutional data.

Stewards are associated with data groups such as subject areas, domains, processes, and institutional activities. They help ensure data is understood, used appropriately, and improved over time.

Detailed stewardship assignments and contact information are maintained in the protected DataHub for authorized W&M users.

Public Stewardship View:

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Data Subject	Example Data Groups	Stewardship Approach
Academic	Courses, programs, curriculum, academic structure, instructional activity	Stewarded by academic and functional experts who understand academic operations and reporting
Research	Proposals, awards, grants, sponsors, research administration	Stewarded by research administration and compliance experts
People	Employees, faculty, staff, affiliates, roles, appointments	Stewarded by functional experts in HR, academic administration, and related offices
Finance	Funds, cost centers, grants, gifts, expenses, procurement, assets	Stewarded by finance and business process experts
Student	Admissions, enrollment, registration, financial aid, degrees, student success	Stewarded by student lifecycle offices and related functional experts
Operations	Advancement, athletics, facilities, communications, IT, legal, risk, audit	Stewarded by operational offices responsible for those university activities
Regulatory, Policy & Reporting	Compliance reports, accreditation, rankings, state/federal reporting, institutional reporting	Stewarded through cross-functional coordination among reporting, functional, governance, and compliance experts

Not sure where to start? Contact us for help finding public data, understanding definitions, or identifying the right W&M resource.

Activity-Based Data Approach

Data Subjects

Data Subject

What it generally includes

Concept Master Framework

Level

Purpose

Data Objects, Data Facts, and KPIs

Data Stewards and Data Groups

Data Subject

Example Data Groups

Stewardship Approach

Additional Resources