Case Study: Cornell University achieves 10x the analysis in half the time using half the staff with Tableau Software

Cornell University Ten Times the Analysis in Half the Time, with Half the Staff

Cornell University needed a faster, more accessible way to track key performance indicators and analyze large, varied data sets—from admissions and student demographics to expenditures and faculty statistics—without expanding staff. Starting with one Tableau Server and 20 Desktop licenses in 2007, the university scaled usage campus-wide to support hundreds of nontechnical and technical users who needed timely, visual insights.

By deploying Tableau (now two servers and 150 desktops), integrating with single sign-on, and enabling self-service dashboards, Cornell staff can drill into applicant pools, map demographics, and analyze expenditures quickly and intuitively. The rollout required minimal training, boosted cross-campus collaboration and governance, and delivered dramatic efficiency gains: “ten times the analysis in half the time, with half the staff.”

Cornell University

Cindy Sedlacek

Director of Data Administration