Topics Map > Slate (Grad Admissions)
Tracking Data Tab in Slate
Navigating to the Tracking Data Tab
- Go to https://gradapply.wisc.edu/manage/
- Use your UW-Madison NetID and password credentials to log in to Slate
- On the Slate homepage, select the Tracking Data tab (shown in the picture below)
Pivot Table
About the Pivot Table
The first section of the Tracking Data tab is the customizable pivot table, which will allow you to quickly summarize and reorganize admissions data from Slate into useful data tables. You can manipulate the variables and use filters to build data tables that can be copied or easily captured in a screenshot for your next report.
The pivot table will reset to the default table settings every time the page is refreshed, as shown in the screenshot below.
Tour of the Pivot Table
Open the accordion panels below for detailed explanations about each section of the pivot table and their function.
Summary of the Sections of the Pivot Table
Data Table: This is the count of submitted applications based on the columns and rows. Manipulating the column and row variables will and adding filters will affect the counts in the data. (This section is highlighted in blue in the bottom right section of the screenshot above.)
Variables: These are categories that the data is sorted by. Moving these to different parts of the tracking data tab is how you can customize the data shown in the data table. Each variable has a drop down box that is accessed by the down arrow on the right side of the box. The drop down box will allow you to filter the specific data shown in regards to that category. (A couple of the variables are highlighted in orange in the screenshot above.)
Column Variables: Variables put in this section will determine the column categories in the data table. When multiple variables are in this section, the table will create a hierarchy of columns. The first variable on the left is the parent level, and any sequential variables will be the child level and nested under the parent. (This section is highlighted in purple in the screenshot above.)
Row Variables: Variables put in this section will determine the row categories in the data table. When multiple variables are in this section, the table will create a hierarchy of rows. The first variable on the top is the parent level, and any sequential variables will be the child level and nested under the parent.
Other Variables: Variables in this section do not affect the columns or rows but can be used to filter the data table. Order does not matter for this section.
Data Table
The Data Table presents the count of submitted applications based on the columns and rows. Filters can be applied to any of the variables, which will affect the counts in the data.
For example, by selecting the "Plan - Subplan" variable (as shown in the screenshot above), you will be able to select only the Graduate School programs you wish to include in the table. In the table above, it has been filtered to only populate results for three programs: African Studies MA, African Cultural Studies MA, and African Cultural Studies PHD program.
Variables
The pivot table variables are the categories that the data is sorted by.
Moving these to different parts of the tracking data tab is how you can customize the data shown in the data table, as shown with the "Latest Decision" variable in the screenshot above.
Each variable has a drop down box that is accessed by the down arrow on the right side of the box. The drop down box will allow you to filter the specific data shown in regards to that category. as shown with the "Term" variable in the screenshot above.
Column Variables
Variables placed in the Column Variables section will determine the column categories in the data table. When multiple variables are in this section, the table will create a hierarchy of columns. The first variable on the left in the Column Variables section is the parent level, and any sequential variables will be the child level and nested under the parent.
In the table shown in the screenshot above, the "Term" (1) is the parent variable, and "Latest Grouping" (2) is nested under Term, and "Latest Bin" (3) is nested under Latest Grouping.
Row Variables
Variables put in the Row Variables section will determine the row categories in the data table. When multiple variables are in this section, the table will create a hierarchy of rows. The first variable on the top is the parent level, and any sequential variables will be the child level and nested under the parent.
In the table in the screenshot above there is only one variable - "Plan - Subplan" - meaning that every row in the data table represents a specific graduate school program.
Other Variables
Variables put into the Other Variables section do not affect the columns or rows and order does not matter for this section. However, you can use these variables to filter the data table.
For example, by selecting the small down arrow in the "Domestic or International" variable (as shown in the screenshot above), you will be able to decide if the data table will include domestic applications, international applications, or both. In the example above, it is filtering to only show international applications.
Useful Info and Tips
- The table will reset to the default table every time the page is refreshed.
- The current version of this pivot table is not final and may change in the future.
- You will need to filter for your program every time. In the first iteration of this query, we built it to automatically show only your program as default, but the query would take too long and time-out.
- You cannot break anything on this tab so play around with it to see what you can discover.
Applying a Filter
Applying a filter to a variable will display only data that meet specific criteria.
In the example below, we'll go through how to show results for just three programs:
- Click the down arrow on the right side of the “Plan - Subplan” variable (default location is in the Row Variables box)
- Click the Select None button to deselect all programs.
- Click the box next to the program(s) you want to display. You can use the search function to find specific programs.
- Once you've selected the programs you wish to display in the data table, click Apply.
- You've successfully applied a program filter!
Notes:
- The pivot table default is to show all terms in Slate and every submitted application in the workflow. If an applicant has been admitted/denied/withdrawn, they will show up as “No Longer in the Workflow”
- You can filter on any variable in the pivot table, such as specific term, bin, domestic/international, etc. When a filter is applied, the text of that variable is italicized (as shown for the "Plan - Subplan" variable in the screenshot above).
Changing Row or Column
By changing your selected row and column variables, you can create tables to display a wealth of information specific to your needs.
In the example below, we'll demonstrate how changing the row and column variables can create a table that displays the count of latest decisions -- that is, the number of applications that have been admitted, withdrawn, and denied:
- Starting from the default pivot table, drag the “Latest Grouping” and “Latest Bin” variables to the Other Variables box. In the screenshot below, it shows clicking and dragging only the "Latest Grouping" variable.
By leaving “Term” in the column variable box, the data table now displays a column for each term in Slate. The data table, as shown below, now displays the number of submitted applications by program and term.
- Now drag the “Latest Decision” variable to the column variable box and drop it to the right of the “Term” variable.
The “Term” variable become parent level and the “Latest Decision” variable is the child level. This means that the full set of variables in latest decision are shown under each term.
- To see all the decisions regardless of terms, move the “Term” variable to the other variable box (where you moved “Latest Grouping” and “Latest Bin”).
- To show only one term in the data table, you can filter the “Term” variable while in the other variable box. Click on the down arrow in the “Term” variable, then select which term(s) you want displayed in the data table.
The columns in the data table show only latest decisions. The data table is showing data for term 1262. The font for the “Term” variable is italicized, showing that a filter is in effect.
Example Pivot Tables You Can Create
Table Showing Domestic and International Applications for Specific Term
Column Variables:
- "Term" (parent)
- "Domestic or International"
Row Variables:
- "Plan - Subplan"
Filters:
- The "Term" variable is filtered to only display term column 1262
- The "Plan - Subplan" variable is filtered to only display row results for two programs: Cellular and Molecular Biology PHD and Cellular and Molecular Pathology PHD - IBHSC
Table Showing Status of Applications Currently Being Reviewed by Graduate School Admissions office
Column Variables:
- "Term" (parent)
- "Latest Grouping"
- "Latest Bin"
Row Variables:
- "Plan - Subplan"
Filters:
- The "Term" variable is filtered to only display term column 1262
- The "Latest Grouping" variable is filtered to only the Graduate School Admissions review column
- The "Plan - Subplan" variable is filtered to only display row results for three Computer Sciences programs
Table Showing How Many Applications are in Program Review, How Many Applications are in Graduate School Review, and How Many Applications are Processed
Column Variables:
- "Term" (parent)
- "Latest Grouping"
Row Variables:
- "Plan - Subplan"
Filters:
- The "Term" variable is filtered to only display term column 1262
- The "Plan - Subplan" variable is filtered to only display row results for Creative Writing MFA and English PHD programs
Term Count Tables
Below the customizable pivot tables are tables showing a summary of your application progress for each term and program. Specifically these tables provide the following information in the following columns:
- Unsubmitted Apps: Count of applications that selected this program in this term but did not submit the application
- Submitted Apps: Count of applications that were submitted for this program and this term
- Total Recommended Apps: Count of total applications in this program in this term that were recommended for admission (G60) by the program
- In Grad Review: Count of applications in this program in this term currently in the Graduate School Admissions Office review workflow (i.e., currently being reviewed by Graduate Admissions)
- Accepted: Count of admitted applications that have accepted their admission offer in the Admitted Applicant Decision Reply Form
- Admitted No Reply: Count of admitted applications that have not yet filled out the Admitted Applicant Decision Reply Form
- Declined/Withdrawn: Count of applications that have been admitted and declined their offer of admission from the program, or applications that have been recommended and withdrew their application before being fully admitted (G59). This number will also include any applicant who was originally admitted to this term and then was later approved for a term change to a new term.
These tables can be a helpful resource for the following reasons:
- Quick snapshot of current application progress
- Term-by-Term and Program-by-Program comparison made quite simply
- They are already set up to display the programs to which you are assigned in Slate - so no work necessary!