Case Study
Carnegie Mellon University GRAAD Data Modernization
Carnegie Mellon needed a single, reliable view of graduate application and admissions data across seven colleges and sixteen systems. M&S Consulting delivered a Snowflake and dbt pipeline that standardized applicant data for reporting and planning.
2 min read
7
Colleges aligned
16
Systems standardized
Snowflake
Data platform
On Time
June 2024 go-live
Client
Carnegie Mellon University
Engagement
Graduate Admissions Data Platform
Technologies
Snowflake, dbt, Tableau, ETL
01THE CHALLENGE
Graduate applicant data was decentralized across colleges, systems, and formats.
Carnegie Mellon University needed a reliable way to analyze graduate application and admissions data across seven colleges. Sixteen separate systems collected applicant information, but each asked different demographic and career questions and stored responses in different formats.
Leadership wanted a consistent view of applicant information in one location and one format. Without that shared model, planning, outreach, recruiting, marketing, and budgeting were limited by fragmented data.
02THE SOLUTION
A reusable dbt and Snowflake pipeline created a single source of truth for applicant data.
M&S Consulting partnered with the provost's office and college stakeholders to define a common data set, standardize definitions, and map the many source formats into a curated reporting model.
The team implemented an ETL pipeline powered by dbt and Snowflake, creating a dataset that could feed Tableau dashboards without recurring manual cleanup.
Common definitions
Applicant fields were standardized across colleges so reports reflected the same business meaning.
Reusable pipeline
dbt and Snowflake provided a maintainable model for transforming and governing admissions data.
Dashboard-ready data
The curated dataset enabled Tableau reporting without manual cleanup before each analysis cycle.
03THE RESULTS
A comprehensive view of applicant trends for university planning.
The GRAAD system went live in June 2024. Carnegie Mellon leadership now has a comprehensive view of applicant trends, helping the university make data-driven decisions about planning, outreach, recruiting, marketing, and budgeting.
The project was nominated for CMU's Andy Award in the Teamwork and Collaboration category, reflecting the cross-campus coordination required to make the effort successful.
16
Systems unified
Graduate application and admissions data from sixteen systems was standardized into a shared model.
7
Colleges represented
Seven colleges gained a shared view while preserving the context needed for their admissions work.
Tableau
Analytics enabled
Curated data is ready for dashboards without repeated manual cleanup.
Award
Teamwork recognition
The project was nominated for CMU's Andy Award in the Teamwork and Collaboration category.
More proof from similar engagements
Sports & Non-ProfitRacing Against Time: How M&S Consulting and IBM Helped Team USA Capture Silver
Real-time sensor analytics helped Team USA's cyclists and speed skaters make in-session adjustments. The women's pursuit team went from sixth in the world to setting a world record trial and winning Olympic silver at Rio 2016.
Silver
Olympic medal, Rio 2016
Financial TechnologySolving Salesforce Silos for AvidXchange
AvidXchange was running multiple Salesforce instances with inconsistent customer data and reporting. M&S Consulting consolidated the core environments, integrated the remaining instance, and created a clearer path from sales through billing.
3 → 1
Salesforce landscape streamlined
Work with us
Let’s talk about Snowflake.
Whether you’re assessing where to start, stuck in a stalled program, or ready to move, we've been here before. A conversation costs nothing.
- Response within 1 business day
- 20+ years delivering complex programs
- 250 consultants across the country