Schools Vital to MBA Pathfinder Data Warehouse

GMAC® will launch its new MBA Pathfinder® data warehouse, a repository of objective school data, in October. Schools have been and continue to be instrumental in helping to develop specifications for the database and its reporting functions, and they will play a vital role in supplying the information that will make the data warehouse the go-to source of school information for prospective students, the media, and other business schools.

School representatives are asked to enter data in the new data warehouse as soon as possible after the October launch, in order to maximize the value of the new service once reporting features are introduced in 2005.

Schools also will be instrumental in ensuring the accuracy and comparability of the information in the new data warehouse. As with the current database underlying MBA Pathfinder, data submitted to the data warehouse will be reported according to the standards and definitions set forth in the MBA Reporting Criteria document. The dean of each school that submits in-depth information must agree to follow the MBA Reporting Criteria to ensure consistency and comparability of the data from one program to another.

It is important to note that although GMAC® is sponsoring development and maintenance of the data warehouse and MBA Pathfinder® and paying for independent data audits (at a cost of approximately U.S. $500,000 annually), schools retain full ownership of and accountability for their data. Schools will also specify how and when their data are displayed publicly and reported to the media.

What It Is and What It Will Do

The data warehouse, being developed in response to and with the help of many leading business schools, will—

• streamline the process of reporting school data to ranking organizations
• provide a common framework of data definitions so that all school representatives will have a shared understanding of how data should be collected and reported
• use random audits to ensure data accuracy

It will be—

Efficient

• Schools will go to one place online to submit data.

Secure

• Information will be submitted by schools in a secure environment so that only the school submitting the information will be able to access the data.

Reliable

• The data will be audited by an independent agency (KPMG) to assure that they are compliant with the MBA Reporting Criteria.

At its initial launch in October, the data warehouse will serve as a repository for school information, and schools will be asked to enter data. When roll-out is complete in 2005, the database will provide sophisticated reporting tools that business schools and members of the media can use to retrieve objective audited data. Schools will have the opportunity to provide significant input in the design of all reporting features.

The data warehouse will be the source of the information displayed in a new-and-improved MBA Pathfinder® school search engine on mba.com. Business school professionals are advising GMAC® on all issues related to the display and reporting of data, and discussions are ongoing. The new MBA Pathfinder® will be developed in 2005.

Proposal to MBA CSC Under Consideration

Shortly after GMAC® established the MBA Reporting Criteria, it adopted the MBA Career Services Council (MBA CSC) data reporting criteria, which govern the reporting of employment-related data. In doing so, GMAC® was anticipating a time at which it would collect and audit employment data from business schools. That day is at hand.

GMAC® has begun collecting employment data and will collect more data in this category when the new database launches. A proposal for MBA CSC’s participation in this process has been offered by GMAC® and is currently under consideration by MBA CSC.

GMAC® and MBA Pathfinder® are registered trademarks of the Graduate Management Admission Council®. All rights reserved.