2019-01-28 Reporting SIG notes

• Sara Colglazier from Mount Holyoke College/Five Colleges
• Stefan Stadherr from MPIL Heidelberg

The need for API interface documentation to be kept up-to-date (see UXPROD-1414) due to its impact on building the FOLIO Library Reporting Database (data warehouse environment).

Subgroup is working on report prototypes, which require API documentation (prepared by FOLIO developers)
See Circulation Item Detail Report Prototype as example
However you choose to do reporting (either directly in FOLIO querying live operational data or data warehouse approach where data are pulled into a new database and integrated), there's a big dependency either way; dependent on FOLIO data models
FOLIO data models are documented, but not systematically enough to program against them
Need to be able to track changes to the data model and reflect those in the reporting database, want to try to limit the damage to existing reports
Sharon will talk to PC about this issue to escalate the priority of documentation and build awareness among the developers
When Reporting SIG members are working with our groups/universities/implementation teams, please do help increase the awareness of this issue, that this is a major dependency and documentation needs to be prioritized
Want to be able to move more quickly putting reports together, but we can't do anything without documentation of data model|
Nassib can help with any details

Maintaining a Library Reporting Database data warehouse environment in the future will require support, resources, and a commitment from FOLIO participants

• we need to create/update/maintain our data models, data loading, and queries
• we need to manage changes in schemas as the rest of FOLIO is developed
• what will roles and responsibilities look like in the future? Do developers, data analysts, or some combination maintain what we build?

Reporting SIG members should be thinking about commitment we're making
This work is exciting, building a new reporting environment for libraries, but it will require maintenance moving forward
Can't just build the data model once; needs to stay updated to stay in sync with apps
Need to identify roles and responsibilities as analysts in this community, start planning for the future
The maintenance in terms of keeping the database updated and dealing with schema changes from FOLIO, that will have to be ongoing development like maintaining any other part of FOLIO; it will mean a continuing conversation with subject matter experts to make sure developers fully understand the implications of changes and what they mean to librarians
Sharon would like to hear if Reporting SIG members are comfortable making that kind of commitment to maintenance going forward; send her any feedback/thoughts

As we develop the first data models in the Library Reporting Database (data warehouse environment), we need to take another look at the Reporting Tools we need to test and support.

• what is needed for users at your institution?
• open source versus for-fee applications
• "high-end" and "low-end" reporting applications
• first look at reporting apps in the Reporting Prototype subgroup
• pros and cons of each reporting application

Subgroup is testing many different applications, but we'd like to hear if we're headed in the right direction
Also looking at cost; is your institution looking at for-fee applications for reporting, or is open source solution necessary?
Currently setting applications up to connect to reporting database environment to see if they'll work
Each application has its pros and cons, will meet different needs
For Cornell, would like to support Tableau (high end) and maybe something else for more casual use (maybe BIRT, moving away from Access)
Would like to try an open source tool, but BIRT may be too awkward
System should work with virtually all reporting tools
Other tools mentioned: R, pgadmin, python, Apache SuperSet, Crystal Reports, Access
Getting things out in .txt or .csv and use Excel or Google Sheets is very important, use that to share with colleagues and blend data from different sources

Concerns about frequency of code changes with FOLIO; app changes may happen more frequently and may break everything, that's very scary
There is distributed work happening constantly, but the updates won't just constantly trickle down; updates to the data warehouse will be more like updating your OS - changes need to be thoroughly documented, FOLIO already operating with managed releases, so it will be tested and released in specific versions
Main issue is that reporting database has to be included in the conversation of what is changing so we can update our data model

Extracting and subsetting data in .csv and using in another tool, that will definitely be supported

Review of Reporting SIG Goals for 2019, feedback, updates

Have already started on repository of queries - Github
Nothing added by members

Topics for Future Meetings

Reporting SIG Meeting on Monday, February 4th: Filip will join us to discuss his vision for in app reporting

Review and update Topics for Future Reporting SIG Meetings 

Any questions for Filip on reports we've identified as potential in-app reports?
Filip has ideas about building an interface to pull data out of different apps; please send any questions in advance of the meeting