University of Alabama Chooses DataFlux to Teach Basics of Data Quality; Class Augments Data Mining Program Pioneered By SAS

Business Wire, March 14, 2005

CARY, N.C. -- Increasingly, companies are finding that data quality - or the lack thereof - has a significant impact on the bottom line. Poor data quality can lead to uninformed decisions, lost productivity and wasted resources. Now, students at the University of Alabama are learning the basics of data quality and data mining processes and methodologies through hands-on courses featuring technology from DataFlux and SAS.

The data quality class is the most recent addition to an innovative data mining certificate program designed in collaboration with SAS, DataFlux's parent company and the market leader in business intelligence and data warehousing. The data mining program resides within the Institute of Business Intelligence at the university's Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration (C&BA). The institute is an applied research center in which graduate students collaborate with faculty to solve real-world business problems by applying data mining techniques and SAS(R) business intelligence and analytic solutions to corporate data.

Students in the technology lab use DataFlux(R) dfPower(R) Studio, a data management solution designed to allow business and IT users to analyze, improve and control the quality of corporate data. dfPower Studio combines advanced data profiling capabilities with proven data quality, integration and enrichment tools, providing an integrated, end-to-end data management solution.

"There is a strong need within the business world to train the next generation of business leaders in the principles of data quality," said Dr. Michael Hardin, professor of statistics in the department of information systems, statistics and management science. "Companies need to use data to understand their current business landscape and, ultimately, gain a competitive advantage. Data quality technology can ensure that the data driving business intelligence is a reliable resource. Adding DataFlux technology to our curriculum was a natural progression."

Students in the data quality course learn to use DataFlux technology to analyze existing data sources and build business rules to standardize, verify and consolidate data. dfPower Studio is the industry's first technology that provides a single-platform environment that encompasses data profiling, data quality, data enrichment and data monitoring.

"Since its inception, DataFlux has created software for the business user, which helps add some critical 'business sense' to the data quality dilemma," said Tony Fisher, president and general manager of DataFlux. "We look forward to working with the University of Alabama's data mining curriculum, and we are proud that our technology can enhance the educational experience of future business leaders."

Other courses in the credit-carrying certificate program teach graduate students about predictive modeling and other data mining concepts, while giving them hands-on experience in applying SAS Enterprise Miner(TM) to solve business problems. Teaching his students to use SAS Enterprise Miner is teaching them the industry standard for data mining, says Hardin, who leads the certificate program.

"Businesses are increasingly looking for students who graduate with data mining skills and can use those skills once they enter the work force," Hardin said. "By partnering with SAS, we can provide our students with education and SAS training that will prepare them to meet the growing demand in the market."

For SAS, the ongoing partnership with the university represents its continued dedication to work with educational institutions to provide their students with valuable SAS skills that can be applied during their professional careers in private industry, education and government.

"SAS is honored to team with the University of Alabama to support its vision of teaching students to use SAS to solve business problems," said Mark Milliron, executive director of SAS Education Practice. "The university has become a leading innovator in providing data mining education, and this partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to educate the students of today with highly valuable analytical skills that they can apply throughout their lives."

The data mining certificate program is one component of the Institute of Business Intelligence, which serves as a key focal point for business intelligence research within the university and for university and industry partnerships involving applied research in data mining and knowledge discovery.

Insights gleaned by students participating in the data mining certificate program are also being applied to benefit the administrative side of the university, specifically in the area of student retention. Using SAS Enterprise Miner to sift through enrollment records and standard freshman surveys, the university identified and validated key variables that affect retention, including ACT scores, high school GPAs, college majors and parents' education levels. The university uses this information to design programs to help at-risk students stay in school and succeed academically.