To Merge or Not to Merge? Pros and Cons of Merging Multiple Databases in Slate

At RHB, we have seen an increase in institutions interested in consolidating multiple admissions databases into one central Slate hub. It’s a trend that we expect to continue in the near future. According to Higher Ed Dive, 100 institutions have closed, merged, consolidated or announced plans to do so since 2016. 

Often, each school or campus involved in mergers such as these runs their own admissions process and utilizes their own admissions teams, resulting in overlapping efforts. For example, multiple teams might be communicating conflicting messaging with the same person. Reporting also becomes complicated. How do you count the total number of inquiries to an institution if there are several admissions systems and a person can inquire in more than one of those systems?

Merging databases into one can offer unique opportunities, but it comes with risks that must be addressed early in the process. We recommend first determining whether merging is the best solution for your institutional challenges. If you decide to merge databases, we encourage you to think strategically about the governance and personnel structure needed to ensure success. As our case study from Vermont State University illustrates, thoughtful planning is a must.

Merging Can Improve the Student–and Administrator–Experience

There are many reasons why an institution might wish to merge multiple Slate databases into one. Doing so can improve your student experience by:

    • Consolidating numerous applications into one experience. This enables students to choose the program/campus/term that fits them best, and helps those who might start applications in multiple systems before deciding which one to apply to or enroll in.
    • Simplifying the user experience. With one application, students who change their mind about a program/campus/term don’t have to start a new application, they can just change their existing one. Or, if a new application is needed, the former application and person data resides within the record.
    • Managing campus visits and events on a united portal page. Students shouldn’t have to view multiple pages to see how they can visit campus and engage with the staff they’re interested in. With an integrated database, you can show all events on the same landing page and allow students to filter through all options in one place.

Consolidating databases can also have some added benefits administratively, as your data is saved in one spot, making analysis easier and more robust.

    • A person’s record no longer exists in multiple databases. You’re able to observe the life cycle of the applicant across departments/schools.
    • Admissions staff throughout the institution can recruit and engage with inquiries from multiple programs within the same database.
    • As a result, reporting can be consolidated, giving leadership singular reports on outreach ROI, application statistics and incoming student numbers.

The Challenges of Merging 

All of this sounds attractive, but there are some reasons why a consolidated database solution might not be the best option for your institution. First, it can feel like a huge undertaking to merge multiple processes and databases into one. Staff member job descriptions and responsibilities might change. Such a merger may even require the creation of new roles and organizational structures to ensure success. Change can be disruptive if not handled carefully; we recommend a broad stakeholder approach where admissions offices understand the reasons for change and buy into the process. Make sure all offices understand the “why” and are in agreement that a united system can benefit their work.

The benefits listed above are also not benefits if your institution’s incoming students do not overlap (to gain the data efficiency) or if your institutional leadership isn’t responsible for all offices involved. If your campus culture is so separate, and if your student populations don’t overlap, the advantages of merging may be minimal.

Preparing to Merge

It may feel overwhelming to move multiple offices into one admissions system, whether those offices have previously been in Slate or not. Change management isn’t easy, and helping all offices understand why their work processes are changing is key. Sitting with each office to understand their work culture can provide an opportunity to highlight how their work could be streamlined. Point out where manual processes might be integrated into automations in the new Slate database.

Database governance and personnel structure will also need to be carefully thought through and in place early in the project. There might not need to be a database manager in each campus section anymore, but there will need to be a central team who manages the database and creates work processes. This team’s central responsibility should be Slate database management and governance. The office will need to manage user access and permissioning and will likely be responsible for building new database infrastructure like automations, prompts and fields. They will advise sub-teams on best practices and lead new development initiatives like new portals. They will coordinate and lead cycle prep. They also might provide training and onboarding for new colleagues.

The central team will also need to clearly understand your institution’s structure and be able to build Slate’s permissions structure to empower users to get the most out of the system while keeping data well organized and protecting students’ privacy when needed. It’s important to think through a permission structure early in the process when creating a database that will integrate many colleagues from different parts of campus. Doing so also means that organizational decisions need to be made early in the process, ideally before building much of the database to avoid duplicative work.

Think carefully about integrating multiple teams into one admissions database. Does it even make sense for your school? It is not guaranteed that the initiative will save money; it might simply reallocate funds in a different way. Think about why that might make sense, and if it does, make sure everyone is supported by a central team who can lead and drive the system effectively.

RHB is the leader in helping institutions strategically navigate merging multiple databases in Slate. Contact us to see how we can guide you and your colleagues through this process. 

 

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