FAQs for Ad Hoc users
Use the jump links below or scroll to view explanations to frequently asked questions. Would you like to suggest a topic be added to this page? Contact us at siris-support@stanford.edu.
I'm new to student data at Stanford. What do all these terms mean in SIRIS?
From which subject area can I find students' grades?
I'm new to student data at Stanford. What do all these terms mean in SIRIS?
Understanding the specific terminology used in SIRIS can initially seem daunting, but we've got you covered. Our Common Terms in SIRIS documentation is designed to help you quickly get acquainted with the terms. Whether you're just starting out or need a quick refresher, this resource is your go-to guide for all things SIRIS terminology. Additionally, check out our Data Governance Center for a comprehensive data dictionary of all fields from SIRIS.
I'm creating an analysis for a particular set of student IDs. How do I add multiple Emplids to a prompt or filter?
Filtering on your own set of EmplIDs is straightforward with our guide. We've compiled detailed documentation with step-by-step instructions and helpful screenshots to make the process as easy as possible.
From which subject area can I find students' grades?
Grades and GPAs are only found in the Student Class Enrollment subject area. This is also the only subject area that contains information on students' enrollment statuses (enroll, drop, waitlist, and withdraw) and students' plans at the time of enrollment for a particular quarter.
To learn more about the data held within each subject area, review our overview of data in SIRIS.
What's the difference between the subject areas, Instruction by Main Class and Instruction by Any Class?
When deciding between 'Instruction by Main Class' and 'Instruction by Any Class' for your analysis, it's all about the level of detail you need. 'Instruction by Main Class' is perfect for when you're interested in the overall headcount or unit counts for the main, graded sections of courses. This prevents double-counting of students if they have to be enrolled in both a Lecture and a Discussion section for the same course. It also simplifies cross-listed classes by combining them and ensures you don't double-count enrollments in courses with multiple sections.
In contrast, 'Instruction by Any Class' offers a granular look at each class section, whether graded or not. This detailed perspective treats cross-listed classes as distinct sections and includes insights into teaching assistant-led discussions and student enrollments.
Choose 'Instruction by Main Class' for a broad overview or 'Instruction by Any Class' for an in-depth, section-by-section analysis. Whichever you select, you'll have the precise data you need to inform your decisions.
For more information about this question, and to review other common questions about when to use a subject area, review our Untangling Ambiguity: When to Use Which Subject Area for Your Ad Hoc Query page.
What's the difference between 'Count of Students per Advisor' and 'Count of Advisors per Student' in the Student Advising subject area fact?
'Count of Students per Advisor' indicates the number of students assigned to each advisor, which is useful when analyzing advisor-specific data like appointments or departments. However, if an advisor has multiple roles with a student, the student may be counted more than once unless you limit by role. For an unduplicated student count across multiple advising roles, set the column to count distinct for student EMPLIDs.
'Count of Advisors per Student' reflects the number of advisors assigned to each student, offering a student-centric view. Since students often have multiple advisors for different programs or roles, this count can reveal the extent of advising diversity. Similar to the previous count, if the same advisor serves in multiple roles, they'll be counted multiple times without role-specific limits. For an unduplicated advisor count, set the column to count distinct for advisor EmplIDs.
Why can't I mix data elements from different fact folders?
The limitations of star schemas and our current implementation of the OBIEE tool make mixing data from different fact folders very difficult if not impossible. If you have a strong need, please contact the SIRIS team through our request form.
I want to see total enrollments for a course(s) by academic year. What "gotchas" can occur when building a query?
If you're looking to sum all enrollments for a given course over an academic year, you'll want to create a calculated filed that sums one of the Class Enrolled Headcount fields and groups by academic year and course ID. For example, you could create the following calcualted field:
SUM("Class Career Incl Withdrawn Units Taken and Headcount"."Class UG Enrolled Incl Wdrwn Headcount" BY "Year of Academic Term"."Full Acad Year Numeric Desc", "Course Characteristics"."Course ID")
It may seem logical to also group this sum by Unified Course Subject-Number Description, however, there are edge cases where grouping by Unified Course Subject-Number Description eliminates some courses/enrollments. Take for example, MED 182/282. In 2021-22 this course was listed both as crosslisted MED 182/282 AND as just MED 182. If the sum is grouped by Unified Course Subject-Number Desc, it will report the wrong total enrollment count.
I want to find all the students who graduated in a given term. What is the best way to query the data?
When pulling graduation data, it is important to know that the academic term in which a student graduates (i.e., finishes their coursework and applies to graduate) is often different than the academic term and date in which their degree is conferred. For example, a student who applies to graduate in spring and finishes their coursework will have a completion term of spring quarter, but their conferral date may be in early summer. Below are two different ways to query the data, depending on whether you want to pull students based on when they graduated vs. when their degree was conferred. Typically for reporting users wish to pull students in the quarter they graduated.
If you want to pull students who graduated in a given term use the Plan Enrollment Subject Area and the Fact – Event Student Plan Enrollment Folder, filter on Degree Student Headcount > 0, and Student Program Completion Term - Term Code equal the term code(s) you want.
If you want to pull students whose degree was conferred in a given term use the Plan Enrollment Subject Area and the Fact - Term Student Plan Enrollment Folder, filter on Term Last Program Status Long Desc = ‘Completed Program’ and your selected term code(s).