Network Zone Alma Analytics: Design Analytics - Resources

See Best Practices for Decision Pages and Tags for groups

Legend: not started IN PROGRESS STALLED decided

Recommendation

The operations team representative from each campus can approve an NZ Alma account request with the "Designs Analytics - Resources" role for appropriate campus staff. The OT representative will then work with SILS Operations Center to create the needed accounts.

Impact

Reasoning

With the November 2024 release, Ex Libris has given us the ability to assign analytics roles with more granularity. The "Designs Analytics - Resources" role no longer has access to user data. In addition, the Design Analytics roles do not have the ability to change any system data. As a result, the benefits of granting access now outweigh the risks.

Background

The Network Zone Alma Analytics application has access to the analytics data at both the Network Zone level and for each UC campus. Each campus also has an Institutional Zone Alma Analytics which contains campus data as well as incomplete data on electronic resources that CDL manages on their behalf.

When we first migrated, in July of 2021, there was no technical way to restrict anyone with a NZ Designs Analytics role from accessing the user information of other campuses. This, in combination with the limited number of available NZ accounts, meant that we limited accounts to people who were providing a systemwide benefit, not just if it would be useful for their individual campus.

Now that Ex Libris has provided more granular role options, we do not need to worry about accessing the user data of other campuses. In addition, UC recently negotiated additional user accounts with Ex Libris. These new circumstances provide individual campuses with more options to do on-demand reporting in areas where their IZ Analytics data is not complete such as CDL managed electronic resources and RLF holdings.

Benefits of NZ Alma Analytics Access

CDL will continue to create reports, such as UCOP Statistics and CDL Acquisitions reports, on behalf of the campuses. However, allowing campuses access to NZ Analytics provides more self-service options for smaller projects that require data not currently available within a campus' IZ Alma Analytics.

Physical Titles

• Allow campuses to compare their holdings with other campuses. This is particularly useful for reviewing what is available at the RLFs.

E-Inventory

• Additional fields for Network Zone electronic resources which are not currently available in the "Portfolio Details for Consortia Members" folder. 

• Ability to see a wholistic view of all electronic resources that UC campuses subscribe to.

Risks & Mitigations

Risk: Because NZ Analytics contains data from all campuses, opening up access could share acquisitions and cost information to all campus staff.

• Mitigation: Documentation from UC Legal confirms that acquisitions and cost data from any UC campus is non-confidential within the UC system. 

Risk: Because NZ Analytics contains data from all campuses, opening up access could share personally identifying information (PII), such as user data.

• Mitigation: The new limited Alma Analytics roles allow us to grant access to the Resource-related subjects and exclude subjects with PII such as Users and Fulfillment.

Risk: If new users inadvertently modified existing CDL reports, it could make them fail or retrieve incorrect information.

• Mitigation: Folders within Alma Analytics can be protected so only certain users have write access. Prior to opening access to campuses, SILS Ops Center will compile a list of folders that need to be protected and work with each CDL group to ensure only their users have the ability to modify the selected folders and reports.

• Mitigation: SILS Ops Center will provide documentation on how to copy existing reports into a user's own folder.

• Mitigation: Before being granted access, users will sign a "NZ Analytics Expectation" form in which they agree not to modify other users' reports.

Risk: It's unclear which users own which reports.

• Mitigation: SILS Ops Center will make a folder for each campus. Within these folders, each campus will determine their own organization structure.

• Future Mitigation: All existing CDL folders will move into a top-level CDL folder. However, this has the potential to break both dashboards and scheduled reports so this is a long-term project for CDL.

Risk: New NZ Analytics users may not be familiar with some of its unique characteristics and may misunderstand the data they retrieve.

• Mitigation: SILS Operations Center, working with other CDL departments as appropriate, can be available on request for basic troubleshooting.

• Mitigation: The UC SILS Community Slack #analytics channel can be used to share questions about report design in NZ Analytics.

• Mitigation: CDL will create documentation detailing some of the unique characteristics of NZ Analytics.

• Long-term Mitigation: We will research additional NZ Analytics training opportunities.

Process

Individual Account Creation Process (appending to the NZ Deputy process)

1. The campus OT rep will email SILS Operations Center to request an account. This request should include:

   1. The person's name

   2. The person's campus email address

   3. A request for the Designs Analytics - Resources role

2. SILS Ops Center will request that the person sign the existing NZ Data Privacy & Security Responsibilities form as well as the new NZ Analytics acknowledgement of expectations form

3. Once the forms have been signed, SILS Ops Center will create the account and notify the campus user

4. Accounts will automatically expire after one year and can be renewed as needed

User Recommendation

Before users get access to NZ Analytics we highly recommend that they already be proficient with using Alma Analytics with their own campus.

NZ Analytics Expectation Acknowledgement Language

Your production Network Zone Alma account gives you access to the NZ Analytics. NZ Analytics can view information for all the campuses. By using your account you acknowledge that you will only retrieve information needed for your University of California work (campus or systemwide).

In addition, everyone with NZ Analytics access has the ability to edit existing work located in Shared Folders. Do not modify or edit someone else's folder or work without first obtaining permission from them. Please report any modifications or errors as soon as you notice them to SILS Operations Center for investigation.

All work should be located in the campus or SILS specific folders located in Shared Folders/University of California System 01UCS_NETWORK/Reports. Contact your operation team rep or SILS chair for more information about organization within those folders.

Ex Libris Documentation

Designs Analytics Roles

Limited Designs Analytics Roles (PowerPoint slides)

Action Log