UW Madison uses Tableau for communicating institutional data. A subset of data visualizations in Tableau are reviewed by institutional data stewards and considered “approved” institutional data products. UW-Madison report creators must follow these guiding principles in order to publish an approved institutional data product. Approved institutional data products will display in the “UW Madison Institutional Data” folder. 

The guiding  principles for developing institutional data products include:

• Trusted data: Users have access to a known and consistent source of institutional data 

• Transparency: Analysis, processes, and resulting data are defined, clearly documented, and replicable 

• Security. Access follows all data protection and security standards

• Integrity. Developers verify their data for accuracy, reliability, and completeness. We do this to provide an accurate representation of our institution and build trust with our users.

• Accessibility. All development meets legal and institutional accessibility standards to provide equal access for all users.

• Usability. Developers incorporate required style elements in their reports to create a consistent user experience and facilitate understanding of both the data and the functionality of the report.

The principles will be reviewed periodically by the “UW Madison Tableau Standards Review Sub-committee”. Contact us to address any needs and/or to recommend modifications.

Developers seeking approval for their institutional data product must meet the following standards (details may be found in the linked documents): 

1. Comply with all applicable internal and external policies, regulations and guidelines.

2. Follow UW Madison digital accessibility guidelines and best practices. 

3. Keep clear and up-to-date documentation that is accessible to users and includes the following required components: content description, definitions, purpose, sources, owners, security, refresh schedule, and data classification.

4. Conform to rules on branding and visual identity for a consistent, clean, and visually appealing look.

5. Submit their data product for review by the appropriate data steward to receive data classification and follow all associated access restrictions.

6. Report data quality issues and respond to any feedback in a timely way. 

7. Avoid recreating or duplicating existing data products. Instead, review already published products and recommend enhancements to fit a new need. 

8. Communicate the institutional data product’s life cycle including creation date, review cycle, and anticipated conditions for destruction. 

These guiding principles may also apply as best practice to any platform, whether the report is published on our servers or on public platforms. See also the Institutional Data Policy for UW Madison.

A separate document outlines the ways we satisfy these principles.