SIRIS Data

User Categories

There are three ways to access the data in SIRIS, depending on the user’s permissions and expertise:

1. Aggregate Users 

can view a wide range of departmental data on the Annual Academic Summaries dashboard. Reports provide a 10-year snapshot of Academic Departments using metrics organized by Students, Faculty & Instructors, and Classes.

We’ve set up the following workflow to provision staff with aggregate user authority.

1. Complete the Aggregate User Authority Request Form.
   Form responses are reviewed daily. (Faculty have already been granted authority, so this form is only needed for staff requesting authority)
2. Read the appropriate use guidelines and then complete the user agreement:
       AAS-0001 - AAS Annual Academic Summaries User Agreement
       
   Note that both staff AND faculty must complete this user agreement in STARS. Access to the dashboard will take effect the day after the completion of both the request form and the user agreement.
3. Browse the reports using the link below.
   Note that you may be prompted to re-enter your Stanford log-in credentials on a page that looks like a generic Oracle sign-in page: this page is in fact part of the Stanford authorization process.

View the Annual Academic Summaries Dashboard

For further information, users can review the Annual Academic Summaries Reference Guide.

Please reach out to siris-support@lists.stanford.edu if you have any questions.
 

2. Dashboard Users

can interact with a wide range of customizable reports. These provide information on Stanford’s academic structure and degrees, aggregate and trend data on degrees conferred, student enrollment histories at both the individual level and the program/plan/subplan levels, course and class information including details about individual instructors, faculty appointment information, and comprehensive academic advising data. Reports and dashboards have been designed to be useful for many basic reporting needs, such as counts of students over time (potentially broken down by gender/URM, depending on the access limits set for the user) or popular majors at Stanford. Users do not need a high level of expertise in OBIEE in order to use the dashboards effectively.

To request Dashboard User access, please contact the designated authority grantor for your specific area of the university.

Dashboard Users must also complete two SIRIS prerequisites:

     AS-2000 - Appropriate Use and Protection of Student Data
     AS-2001 - SIRIS Terms of Use Agreement
     (Search the STARS catalog in Axess for “AS-2000” and “AS-2001” if the links above do not work)

View Widely Used SIRIS Reports

3. Ad hoc Users 

can construct custom queries combining the various dimensions of data that are available in SIRIS. Ad hoc users have the capability to answer very specific and involved questions, with results ranging from a high-level summary down to the records of individual students. It is thus extremely important that these users understand the rules around appropriate use of student data and how easily misinformation can result from poorly-designed (but apparently valid) queries. In order to use the ad hoc functionality to design valid queries, users need to be well-versed in the terminology of student data and the academic structure of the university. 

Experienced Dashboard Users who are interested in exploring becoming Ad hoc Users should contact the SIRIS team directly.

Appropriate Use

Access to SIRIS reporting is available for employees of Stanford University who have a clear and compelling need to use student information in the service of a well-defined programmatic or institutional goal and are committed to following these guidelines:

Appropriate Use of Student Data

Copy of User Agreements (STARS AAS-0001 & AS-2001)

Users should understand that access to the data includes the responsibility to protect the data from misuse and does not imply permission to share the data with anyone else. Users must be in a position to understand the programmatic or institutional need for the information they provide to others, to decline or restructure requests as appropriate, and to clearly communicate limitations on any further data sharing.

Faculty or others requesting access to student data for research purposes should contact the Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support, as these requests require special approval (including IRB approval) to ensure compliance with federal law.