EUNIS97, Grenoble (France) 9-11 September 1997
Ref: 031001
i3vreg. - education.
An approach for an integrated university information system
1 i3vreg. and its features
i3vreg. stands as an abbreviation for ,,Integrierte
Institutionelle Informations Verarbeitung". It is an
architecture for designing and implementing highly efficient administrative
information systems. Its basis was developed at the University of Karlsruhe in
the years 1989 to 1993 and became a commercially available product when
i3vreg.-technology was transferred to the GINIT GmbH in 1994.
2 i3vreg.'s architecture
i3vreg.'s architecture features three layers: the database-layer, the
coresystem-layer and the application-layer. It is available for all relevant
hardware- and OS-platforms, e.g. all the Windows derivates, MacOS 7.x, OS/2 in
WinMode and several UNIX-derivates. On all platforms, the user interface is
exactly the same, so training, initial period and user support are minimized
and the integration of new applications or changes in hardware equipment are
nearly transparent to the customer.
2.1 Database-layer
In the i3vreg.-database-layer all informations are stored within an integrated,
totally interlinked data-model. The data stored in this extremely complex model
is of very high quality. One of the main reasons for this quality is that all
the data is stored absolutely redundancy free. This means, that each entry is
stored only at one dedicated location within the database. All business
processes are able to use it in their own contexts. Contextsecuring constraints
ensure that data is stored and combined consistently, depending on the needs of
the different applications. Of course security is provided on database-level
and interacts tightly with the following layers.
2.2 Coresystem-layer
The coresystem-layer includes all the functions which are common to all
i3vreg.-applications. Some of the most important functions are the following:
2.2.1 Automatic database-connectivity
Automatic database-connectivity means that all database-specific functions are
hidden not only from the user but also from the administrator. All database
activities, beginning with the insertion of new users, granting of privileges,
construction of queries etc. are formulated transparently within the graphical
i3vreg.-user-interface. As a result it is not neccessary for any i3vreg.-user
to work with database manipulation languages like SQL at any time.
2.2.2 Highly flexible retrieval-routines
For all its applications i3vreg. provides a set of well suited
retrieval-mechanisms focusing on different aspects. Those are "query by
example", attribute-independant full-text retrieval, date of change dependant
retrieval, logically-extended retrieval using arbitrary complex expressions and
the i3vreg.-hypertext-retrieval which yields all entries similar to a selected
aspect of an object.
2.2.3 Contextsensitive interlinking of all the data stored within i3vreg.
Based on the fully integrated and highly normalized i3vreg.-database, the user
can browse through all the data stored within i3vreg. very easily because links
are provided and maintained automatically, interconnecting data on a high level
of quality throughout the whole system. This feature is especially helpful when
retrieving information with unsharp requirements out of large databases.
2.2.4 Software-distribution
As a main point when running a large software-system for a broad variety of
users it is absolutely necessary that software-distribution is realized in a
manner which does not bind much of the anyway restricted manpower dedicated to
system administration.
For these purposes i3vreg. provides the software-distribution-technology
i3vreg.-UpdateOnDemand, which ensures that all the applications respectively
their different modules are updated transparently to the user when he makes use
of them.
In spite of this highly complex task, the system administrator only has to give
consent on different granularity levels to the "publishing" of new releases and
i3vreg.-UpdateOnDemand will realize all further steps fully automatically for
him, regardless of the number of connected clients or platforms involved.
2.2.5 Platform-independency
One of the most critical factors for the success of a university information
system is that it has to support all the platforms which are used by the staff.
This is because of the fact that many of the users involved in the different
processes order their one and only machine mainly for their daily research and
teaching but not for administrative purposes.
Besides the different Windows-derivates, the UNIX platform for scientific
faculties and the Macintosh platform, which is mainly used for areas like
architecture, design and graphics, have to be supported. As everyone must have
the chance to be involved in business processes concerning him, a successful
long term approach can only be platform-independent.
2.2.6 Database- and internet-publishing
Another important aspect are the publishing capabilities of i3vreg.. Because of
the diminishing public fundings, more and more universities are forced to
implement improved activities for marketing and public relations. This results
in the need for all kinds of more or less complex reports. On the one hand,
these are high-quality print-reports which present the activities of the
university as a whole, specialized reports based on different themes which show
the overall competence of the university in a specific field and on the other
hand the need for a clearly structured and easy to use representation of the
university's activities in the WWW.
For all these purposes, the i3vreg.-coresystem provides publishers which are
automating those tasks for the whole university. The i3vreg.-database-publisher
delivers individual reports as input for the final editorial work of
print-products. Supplementing this the i3vreg.-internet-publisher presents all
or arbitrary selections of the highly interconnected data stored in i3vreg. in
an individualized layout within the WWW.
2.2.7 Self-service concepts
Because of different new emerging technologies like chipcards self-service
concepts become more an more relevant for university administration.
Chipcard-technology enable new concepts of business processes in universities
to be realized. Examples are the payment of all kinds of fees by electronic
cash (in libraries, cafeteria, enrollments, etc.), the definition of legally
binding actions using digital signatures (registration for tests and possible
cancellation of it, official journey accounting, signature for test results)
and many more.
In 1994 GINIT firstly prepared i3vreg. for the use of chipcard-technology and
in the years 1995 to 1997 GINIT was one of the active members of the
UniversCard-consortium, involving higher education, industry and politics,
which defined the requirements to a chipcard to be used as a standard in
universities.
Because of these long-term-activities i3vreg. is well suited for the use of
chipcards within its applications and combines the benefits of the chipcard-use
with the benefits of a fully integrated information system to the university.
2.2.8 Groupware- and workflow-integration
For different applications groupware- and workflow-aspects have to be
integrated.
Groupware is called this way because it is mainly designed for sharing
information among members of a group. In this logic i3vreg. structures its
users into groups which are working together on the same business processes and
data. Further every group has the possibility to contact non-groupmembers via
integrated e-mail, in which the collected information necessary for the
nonmember can be sent directly out of i3vreg..
In other cases, there is a need for workflow-computing as there are many
persons involved in a specific process. For those cases i3vreg. provides
dedicated workflows for such applications to support all involved users in an
appropriate manner.
2.2.9 Security and administration of user-rights
It is absolutely clear, that an integrated university information system has to
provide high security-standards. On the side of secure communication i3vreg.
provides the possibility to encrypt the nettraffic and to use digital
signatures for providing authentic data for legally binding actions. On the
side of access-security i3vreg. provides mechanisms for defining user-access in
a truly fine granularity. These access-mechanisms guarantee that unauthorized
access is impossible and every user can only search and update the part of data
for which he is authorized by the system administration.
2.2.10 Interfaces to others
The coresystem contains an additional layer in which interfaces to systems
produced by others or the university itself can be built in. This provides the
possibility to combine different products into one integrated solution for the
whole university.
2.3 Application-layer
The application-layer contains all the i3vreg.-applications of the product
line(s) chosen by the customer. All those applications are strictly designed in
a modular fashion, so that they can work together in nearly every
combination.
Based on this overall architecture several productlines for different branches
exist. The largest of these is the one presented here, i3vreg.-education, an
integrated solution for almost all the administrative business processes of an
university.
The following chapters illustrate the applications available within
i3vreg.-education today.
2.3.1 University model
This model allows to define and successfully integrate any organizational
structure of an university. According to this organizational model all
i3vreg.-applications are automatically structured and fit exactly to the
specific needs of the university. Based on the common organizational model
generic user-privileges are defined so that system administration becomes quite
easy and almost effortless.
2.3.2 Curriculum-planning and room-reservation
This i3vreg.-application provides a fully decentralized approach for
curriculum-planning and roomreservation. Because of its architecture a nearly
100% automation of this process can be achieved. Additionally this application
successfully prevents collisions of roomreservations and events for every
single student.
Furthermore this application offers a vast amount of possible printouts. Those
reach from printing of the curriculum catalogue, room-reservation-plans,
timetables for students and lecturers up to maintenance and configuration
information for the cleaning staff and the housekeeper to prepare every room
optimally for an event. In addition it is possible to control houseelectrics
accordingly.
2.3.3 Announcement, administration and surveilance of the course of studies
With this application it is possible to handle the announcement, the
administration and the surveilance of diploma theses, seminars, tests,
examinations etc. It gives full support for the complete workflow for all
persons involved in this business process. Those are the researchers, the
students, the examining board and all the involved secretaries and
administrators in the universities organization.
Of course the neccessary output in paper is provided as an integral part.
Supplementing this application a student's registration for tests, practical
studies and seminars can be realized using cryptoprocessor-chipcards.
In the near future an application for the administration of examination
regulations for the decentralized parts of an university will be available. It
will effectively support all the involved parties including, of course, the
student himself.
Naturally this application will support interfaces to existing systems so that
an integration of existing software solutions will be possible.
2.3.4 Libraries
i3vreg.-Library supports the management and day-to-day-work of university
libraries by endorsing the whole integrated business process. Starting out with
the order, purchase process, inventory and catalogueing of the monographies it
also organizes all steps in the field of lending, provides powerful
decentralized literature- and magazin inquiry topped with reservation
capabilites from every i3vreg.-Client.
Further on, i3vreg.-Library support decentralized libraries with abitrary many
sublibraries. It is possible to define user-groups with individual
lending-time-models, admonitory models, etc.
The integration with national-library-based catalogues assures that the local
library-staff can simply download the catalogue-entry into the local database
rather than retyping it.
2.3.5 Addressmanagement
As another relevant application i3vreg. provides its addressmanagement. With
this application it is possible to organize all the addresses which are needed
in the university in private and public address-books. It is possible to define
as many distribution lists as are needed. Every address can simultaneously be
part in any of those lists.
Furthermore the formatting of the addresses is absolutely flexible and
supported by individual auto-formatting capabilities.
2.3.6 Automation of the ordering, acquisition and inventory process
The i3vreg.-applications in this field provide an, in large parts, automatized
ordering and acquisition process. Depending on the process-model of the single
university it is possible to support decentralized, centralized or mixed
acquisition policies. In all cases the bookkeeping activities can be initiated
when the goods are delivered and mostly all the activities which have to be
done for the inventory management are done in an automatism.
An overview over all the selling-partners, the inventory, etc. is supported as
well as the automated printing of orders etc.
2.3.7 Administration of research projects and technology transfer
This i3vreg.-application provides full support on the administration of
research projects and their attractive representation in an uniform
WWW-presentation. All research projects can be arranged according to different
criterias like content, methods, involved researchers, etc. The administration
of papers and their integration into collective publications such as yearbooks
is assisted by wizard technology to guarantee for bibliographical correct
citations.
This package makes it much easier to get in contact with sponsors and to
support technology transfer from university into the industry which both become
extremly relevant for universities competing with each other more and more in
the future.
2.3.8 Accounting for computing centers
With i3vreg.-accounting it is possible for a computing center to define
arbitrary complex tariff models for its services. Based on these tariff models
the consumption can be individually accounted to each customer.
It is possible to define interfaces to different resource-use-log-files on
which the tariff model bases its calculations.
The invoices can be transferred automatically to the bookkeeping-software used
in the specific university so that the whole accounting process can be
automated further on.
A trouble-ticketing-system will be fully integrated into the accounting system
in the near future so that the helpdesk/hotline of a computing center can
deliver the best support to its customers.
3 Cooperations and further development
Several universities and institutes cooperate with us to incorporate new
components into i3vreg.-education. Some of those projects are mentioned
below.
* Cost- and Efficiency-Controlling for universities with the University of
Mannheim
* Realization of a complete system for administration of examination
regulations for the decentralized parts of an university with Prof. Stucky,
chairman of the German Society for Informatics GI, and his AIFB
* Integration of library-catalogues and CD-ROM-archives with the library of the
University of Karlsruhe
As i3vreg. is a complete solution to higher education customers, it is
consequently open for partners developping solutions for additional
higher-education-specific domains in form of further cooperations.
Last but not least all the new and emerging technologies are continuously
integrated into i3vreg.-technology if they bring advantages to the
i3vreg.-community. This ensures that all users are equipped with an always
state-of-the-art software-infrastructure.
GINIT GmbH,
Vincenz-Priessnitz-Str. 1,
76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
URL: http://www.ginit.de
Email: info@ginit.de
Copyright EUNIS 1997 Y.E.