Initiative to Document New and Existing Data Integrations
Effective Summer 2019, UNF started using the Data Cookbook Specifications feature to document all new and existing data integrations for products and services that require the sharing of university data with an external third party. Using Data Cookbook Specifications to document integrations will provide a comprehensive picture of where data is being shared and allow for easy tracking of approvals as well as version history of the integrations when changes are made.
Components of a Data Integration Specification in Data Cookbook
All data integration specifications must include the following six elements. For detailed instructions on creating a data integration specification, please refer to the Slide Deck for Documenting Data Integrations in the Data Cookbook starting on slide 9.
1. Specification Name: UNF External Data Integration – < Insert Name of Product or Company to Which UNF Data Will be Shared >
(Example: UNF External Data Integration – Zoom)
2. Specification Type: Please select either ‘New Data Integration’ or ‘Existing Data Integration.' If you are not sure which to select, please see descriptions below.
3. Functional Area(s): Please select one or more of the five institutional data domains representing the data that will flow from UNF to the third party.
- Student
- Human Resources
- Financial Aid
- Finance
- University Development and Alumni Engagement
The functional area determines the Data Steward to which the integration will go to for approval in the workflow. (Example: If both student and faculty information will be shared, please select both areas)
4. Purpose: The Purpose is the Why?; Provide the reason for the product and the university goals that will be met by having this product.
5. Description: The Description is the What and the How?; Provide information about the product and how the integrated data will be used to achieve the purpose.
6. Data Fields to be Integrated: On the definitions tab, provide the specific data fields that will be integrated from UNF to the third party.
New Data Integrations
Use the ‘New Data Integration’ specification type if you are looking to acquire a technology solution that requires data to be shared with an external entity that is not currently being used at UNF. New Data Integrations have an additional provisional approval step in the workflow to allow Data Stewards, the Privacy Officer, and ITS Security to provide feedback early in the process. If this is a project where the product or company is not known, you may not know the data fields to be shared when you submit for provisional approval. Effective April 2022, ITS Security is no longer requiring that Microsoft 365 Plugins be documented as data integrations.
Existing Data Integrations
Use the ‘Existing Data Integration’ specification type if an approved Data Cookbook specification already exists and needs to be modified. To determine if a specification exists, you can search for the product name on the Browse Specification page in the Data Cookbook. If a Data Integration Specification exists, to create a new version, select ‘Request a Change’ just below the specification title. Please note, if the current specification type on the existing specification is ‘New Data Integration’ or ‘Converted TCRQ’, you will need to update the specification type to ‘Existing Data Integration’ to ensure that it goes through the correct workflow.
The ‘Existing Data Integration’ specification type will also be used if the integration is for an existing technology solution that has not yet been documented in the Data Cookbook. For detailed instructions on creating a data integration specification, please refer to the Slide Deck for Documenting Data Integrations in the Data Cookbook starting on slide 9.
Data Integrations Where the Only Integration is for Single Sign-On
To document data integrations where the only data flowing to a third party is for the purposes of establishing single sign-on, please follow the above directions and note in the description that UNF Single Sign On (SSO) is utilized. On the definitions tab, please include the following fields: UNF ID, Name, and UNF Email Address.
Resources:
Slide Deck for Documenting Data Integrations in the Data Cookbook
Documenting Data Integrations in the Data Cookbook Work Aid
Examples of Documented Integrations:
UNF External Data Integration - Handshake
UNF External Data Integration – Zoom
UNF External Data Integration – Ivy.ai
UNF External Data Integration – Data Cookbook (Single Sign-On Only Integration)
Contact:
For training on Documenting Data Integrations in the Data Cookbook or if you need access to create Data Integration Specifications in the Data Cookbook, please contact Abby or Jason:
Abby Willcox
Assistant Vice President of IR and Performance
Jason Jones
Data Architect, Enterprise Systems
(904)