Case Study: Western Kentucky University achieves timely access to data and faster decision-making with SAS Business Analytics

Western Kentucky University launches SAS® Business Analytics

Western Kentucky University’s Institutional Research office needed a modern business‑analytics platform to collect, integrate, analyze and report data about students, faculty, programs and courses so university leaders could get timely, actionable information instead of waiting days or weeks for customized reports. The challenge included consolidating disparate data sources, delivering flexible report formatting for different stakeholders, and providing on‑demand access to support enrollment, retention and program‑level decisions.

WKU implemented SAS Business Analytics with SAS Enterprise Data Integration Server and SAS Enterprise BI Server to provide web‑based interactive reports and integrated data views. The change delivered immediate access to current data, large productivity and time savings for IR staff, faster ad‑hoc analysis for deans (e.g., tracking fifth‑week assessments and enrollment patterns), and new insights that supported course scheduling, retention outreach and data‑driven recruiting strategies.

Western Kentucky University

Tuesdi Helbig

Director, Institutional Research