Introduction to CROA

Click here for a full PDF version with screenshots.

Overview

Colleague Reporting and Operating Analytics, otherwise known as CROA, is the enterprise reporting platform at North Idaho College.  CROA meets the ad hoc, operational, and strategic reporting needs of the institution.

CROA reports against the Colleague Operational Data Store (ODS) which is made up of point in time data refreshed nightly from Colleague.  In addition, census snapshot data and data from other sources, for example, the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC), are housed in the ODS and available for reporting.

Getting Started

1. To access CROA, login to your MyNIC account at https://my.nic.edu/ . *VPN connection required to access CROA from outside the NIC network.
2. Once logged in, search for CROA in the search bar, hit Enter, then click on Colleague Reporting and Operating Analytics (CROA).
3. From the SAP BusinessObjects BI launch pad, enter your NIC username and password.  Ensure that Windows AD authentication is selected.

Navigation

The BI launch pad opens up with interactive portal home screen.

1. Settings: Provide access to personal settings, editing the home page, help, about the application, and logging out
2. Navigation Links: Provide quick access to Favorites, Recent Documents, Recently Run, and Applications
3. Tiles: Navigation to Personal and Public Folders, BI Inbox, Instances, and Recycle Bin
4. Search: Search for documents within the BI Launch Pad Interactive portal, refresh the portal page, and access Web Assistance
5. Applications: Access Web Intelligence and other SAP BusinessObjects apps

 

Report Folder Structure

The North Idaho College public folder in CROA is made up of primary functional report folders and subfolders.  Summary level and role-based reports are housed in the primary functional folders and are available to all CROA users.  Reports within these folders contain aggregate data and do not contain personally identifiable information (PII) or are restricted by user roles.

Primary Functional Report Folders

Subfolders within each primary functional folder may contain reports with PII and are restricted to only those users needing access.  CROA permissions are folder based, not report based.

Viewing Report Folders and Subfolders

1. From the home screen, click Folders.
   • You may need to expand the folders, such as Public Folders > North Idaho College by clicking the > icon
2. Click on the report folder name.  Reports will be displayed in the list panel to the right.

Viewing a Report

Reports are displayed in the list panel and contain the report title, type, description and last update.  Hovering over the report name will also display this information.

1. Right-click on desired report name from the list panel.
2. Select View from the list of options.

Prompts

Many reports will prompt for selection criteria.  Prompts with an warning icon are required.

Input Controls

Many reports contain input controls which allow for the further filtering of the data.

Multiple Report Tabs in Single Report

A single report can contain multiple report tabs.  Click on each report tab to view report.  Input controls apply to all reports.

Page Navigation

Page navigation and layout options in a pop up at the bottom of the page/report.

Favorites

Select the Folders tile, navigate to a desired folder, right-click on the desired report name from the list panel, and click Mark As Favorite.

To access your favorites, click the Home button.

Click the Favorites tab on the home screen.

Exporting a Report

Reports can be exported to PDF, Excel or CSV format.

2. Select the Export icon from the tool bar

1. From the Export window,
   1. Select File Type (Excel, PDF, HTML, TXT, or CSV)
   2. Depending on the file type, select Reports or Data
   3. Choose Select All to export all report tabs or check only desired report tab(s)
   4. Click OK

 

Resources

The Resources folder contains helpful information for CROA users.  Check this folder regularly for added content and updates.

Report Catalog

The NIC Report Catalog contains a list of available reports in the North Idaho College public folder with report tabs sorted by folder name, by report name, and a list of reports created or modified in the last 30 days.  The report catalog resides in the Resources report folder.

Requesting a Report

All requests for data and information can be made by emailing reporting@nic.edu .  The NIC Office of Planning and Effectiveness will log your request in a centralized ticketing system.

Requesting Access to CROA

To request access to CROA for someone or yourself, contact the IT Help Desk at (208) 769-3280, send an email to helpdesk@nic.edu or submit a ticket directly at www.nic.edu/it. Specify what folders you are seeking access to.  Respective data custodians may be contacted to approve the access request.