Customer stories


Urbandale Community School District

Iowa school district expands the capabilities of its student information system through integration with FileMaker Pro 7

Encompassing 7 schools in Urbandale, Iowa, from primary levels to high school, the Urbandale Community School District prides itself on the quality of education provided to more than 3500 students. Advanced FileMaker Pro 7 database tools provide practical, powerful access to necessary student information for administrators and staff.


Business Challenge

In a busy school district, “permanent record” isn’t just a figure of speech – each and every student has an individual file tracking important personal data throughout his or her school career. But accessing and processing this data can often be a complex task, even when advanced technology is used to organize the information. The Urbandale Community School District offers a prime illustration.

“With 3500 students in the district, a centralized database for collecting student information is imperative,” comments Information Systems Manager Brent Hayward. “Until recently we had over a dozen individual FileMaker Pro databases being used by individuals to track student information, as well as a centralized student information system using IMSeries from Learning Technology Systems.”

Providing efficient access to this information for those entitled to it was a complicated process – and ultimately, an unsatisfactory one. “The issue we were having with IMSeries was that end users couldn’t create queries or reports directly within the web interface for that product,” Brent continues. “Because so many people in the district have so many diverse needs for data use, a more flexible solution was required.”


Successful Solution

The advent of FileMaker Pro 7 opened the door to more efficient, easier data access. “In looking at data stores to connect with the centralized student information system we considered MySQL and 4D as well as FileMaker Pro 7,” Brent comments. “Ultimately we chose FileMaker Pro because of the ease of implementation, low training overhead, LDAP authentication, and the familiarity with the product within the district.”

Moving to FileMaker Pro 7 from the previous FileMaker Pro 6 and FileMaker Pro Server 5.5 proceeded smoothly. “The migration process itself was seamless,” Brent remarks. “ All I had to do was open the databases, let FileMaker Pro 7 convert it and I was set. From that point, I just added any new features to the database that were provided in FileMaker Pro 7.”

As now configured, FileMaker Pro 7 Server connects to the IMSeries system using a direct text dump. There are 19 databases in use, containing from 200 to 3000 records each, depending on the specific purpose of the database. A total of 10 workgroups take advantage of the system, with 6 to 10 users participating in each of the groups. Using the FileMaker Pro 7 interface, student record data is made available on a read-only basis to end users in response to queries and in the generation of reports.


Customer Benefits

The new features of FileMaker Pro 7 are essential to the success of the system, particularly when it comes to security. “LDAP integration allows us to granularly set authentication and access privileges for users from our standard authentication services,” Brent notes.

FileMaker Pro 7’s enhanced relational capabilities also make a daily difference. “The data extracted from the student information system is placed in a table that’s relationally linked to a table that’s accessible to end users,” explains Brent. “This allows users to build layouts, generate reports, and make queries the way they’re used to doing in FileMaker Pro – but it limits them to read-only access to the extracted data itself. And it more closely follows how a standard relational database design works – you have the familiar table/field/relations view as well as expanded field choices. There are also more options for data verification at the field level than before.”

All in all, the new FileMaker Pro 7-enhanced system means greater productivity in less time than previous systems – and users are already noticing the difference. “Over the first month of implementation productivity looks to be better than we initially anticipated,” Brent reports. “Users received the product with enthusiasm, and are using it on a daily basis. With FileMaker Pro 7, everyone can easily access and use the student record data they need for the work they’re doing.”


“The migration process itself was seamless. All I had to do was open the databases, let FileMaker Pro 7 convert it and I was set. From that point, I just added any new features to the database that were provided in FileMaker Pro 7.”

Brent Hayward, Information Systems Manager, Urbandale Community School District



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Brent Hayward
Information Systems Manager
Urbandale Community School District
515-457-5857
hayward@urbandale.k12.ia.us
http://www.urbandaleschools.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • Community school district encompassing grades K through 12
  • Based in Urbandale, IA
  • Approximately 3500 students
Industry
  • Information Technology
  • K-12 Education
Solutions
  • Student information system based on IMSeries from Learning Technology Systems, integrated with query and report-generating platform built in FileMaker Pro 7
Benefits
  • Rapid extraction of information from IMSeries system data warehouse
  • Data is made available to end users via FileMaker Pro 7 interface
  • FileMaker Pro 7 facilitates processing of queries and preparation of reports