Requirements for Re-Platforming

This is an index for content relevant to the U of M IT team in proposing a solution for hosting our database.

Repeated failure points we should address before going too far

We have had many failed attempts at re-platforming. The technical change would be tedious but doable, the sticking points have always been around the following, so we should discuss these before planning too much further.

• governance of any implemented system
• data ownership
• support model
• our team's continued ability to change this as needed

Relatively Hard Facts

• 15-20 users on laptops, sometimes working from home, sometimes not connected to the network due to lack if wifi
• About 2-2.5GB of data altogether as stored in various MS Access DBs (size may vary on other platforms)
• Has several highly customized front-ends that facilitates efficient and low-error data entry
  • facilitates data entry from a daily dump received from ADT
• Data we need to store is in Auto Data Dictionary
  • it is currently stored in CCMDB Data Structure - this structure could be stored differently but would cause large changes
• We have (and continuously improve) Data Integrity Checks

Requirements

as also discussed in UM MedIT Re-platforming Meetings, with decisions made tracked there and the "current master" located here.

Here is that draft, including for each item, a preliminary notation of its priority, on a scale of 1=lowest priority to 5=highest priority. After the draft is completed, we will need to complete the MedIT Project Intake Process form, and then Kiran and her team will consider the best options for our needs.

• Regarding data collection and uploading:
  • Maintaining facilitated input of admissions from the daily Shared Health data export (5)
  • Maintaining, without change (or with minimal change) the current data input by data collectors on the laptops (4)
  • Allowing data collectors to add and update the data they are working on -- up until they mark a record as "complete" (5). Currently we do this by "sending" -- although this could possible occur via some intermediary program
  • Allowing data collectors to collect chart data for patients in sites that may have poor or non-existent wifi (3) -- this relates to sending (uploading) data to the database

difficult to say, right now we have wifi access everywhere, used to be sketchy at the death desk but we no longer are able to review charts there, SBGH does not have wifi in the basement where med records is located would we be able to use the database offline? like we currently do Lisa Kaita 20:59, 23 March 2025 (CDT)

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• Regarding data processing after uploading:
  • Allowing our database personnel to transfer data into and out of the database, such as an export to file or import from file, ad hoc (5)
  • To the maximum extent possible, maintaining an interface with the data that looks like, and has functionalities of, our current MS ACCESS interface (4)
    • Has the ability to browse, search, sort, filter, create new variable and export the data from the new platform itself (4) --JMojica 13:35, 27 March 2025 (CDT)

I think this can go, it's addressed above.

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• • Maintaining the current Data Processing functionality for the data processor, who often works remotely (5)
  • Allowing the Statistician to interface with the data via SAS or additional tools (5) -- although this could possible occur via some intermediary program

I don't think you write from SAS, right? Ttenbergen 14:33, 17 March 2025 (CDT) I export the ACCESS table using SAS and then perform all the analysis by programing in SAS. --JMojica 13:35, 27 March 2025 (CDT) I made this a (3) because the ability to export above would provide a work-around of copying data to local; open to discuss. Ttenbergen 14:33, 17 March 2025 (CDT)

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• • Allow modification individual data items in individual records (5)
  • Allow modification of multiple (and possible ALL) records in a "batch" via queries and/or automation (5)
  • Continued ability for us to perform Data Integrity Checks, for both complete and incomplete records (5) -- currently done via ACCESS and SAS

• Miscellaneous items:
  • Maintaining the back end data format/structure as much as possible (3)
  • Ability, in future, to expand the capabilities of the databases by linking the data to other data obtained automatically -- e.g. Canadian Blood Services data about blood transfusions (4)

I think we would have this covered technically with the CCMDB team's ability to edit data, queries, automation and front end, so this one needs to cover the governance portion of our ability (permission?) to do this. How do we need to paraphrase it? Ttenbergen 14:33, 17 March 2025 (CDT)

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• • Ability for our team to built the ETL to manage these updates, rather than rely on other teams (4)
  • Technical ability, in future, to link our database with the Shared Health Datamart (or name-of-the-day) (?)

What would be the priority for this? Technical because governance and permissions are a separate issue we would need to address; not SH's, but our service providers for any solution. Let's talk about this; this is where SH data will live, and if we can't interact with it in the future the utility of our data will be greatly reduced. Ttenbergen 14:33, 17 March 2025 (CDT)

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• Ability for the following two things is necessarily interconnected, but listed separately to allow for some flexibility
  • Ability for the CCMDB team to update that functionality to data collection and data processing by adding to or updating front end, queries and automation, without gatekeeping

let's talk about this... is that a 5? It is to me. Are all our existing queries will have a counterpart in the new platform? e.g. APACHE score and individual element score, Charlson Score, created variables, etc. --JMojica 13:35, 27 March 2025 (CDT)

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

• • Ability for the CCMDB team to modify the data structure (5)

let's talk about this... is that a 5? It is to me.

• SMW

• Cargo

• Categories

Current Implementation

• system of intermittently linked MS Access databases with a fair bit of automation
• facilitated interfaces with Shared Health systems (we request and receive data in files that we import as either temporary or permanent data)
• number of fields not necessarily relevant because of Entity–attribute–value model of the L Tmp V2 table