DataDirect

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Asked By Primary Representatives Regarding Administration Access

Q: What is a primary representative?

A: A primary representative is your school's contact regarding your AACSB International membership. This individual is typically the dean of the school.

Q: How many users can I add for my school?

A: You may add an unlimited number of users for your school. Each user will receive a separate login and will only be able to access the areas of DataDirect that you have authorized.

Q: Can I assign someone else as the primary representative for my school?

A: Yes. To assign someone else as your schools primary representative for AACSB, email: datadirect@aacsb.edu and we will make the change. Please note, this change will affect all others areas of your AACSB membership.

Q: Can I share my user name and password with another person on my staff?

A: No. We recommend that your user name and password be kept confidential. As the primary representative, your account has access privileges that are not available to other accounts. Any changes logged with your account will always be considered official changes.

Q: I participate in the Data Share. Can I assign that to another user at my school?

A: No. Data Share participation involves waiving confidentiality for certain data for your school. As some of the data is sensitive, only the school's primary representative for its AACSB membership is allowed to access the Data Share area of DataDirect.

Questions Asked By All Users

Q: There are some reports in the download section that I cannot access. How can I access them?

A: This means that your account is not currently assigned access to these reports. Access to these reports is assigned through your school's primary representative (or contact for your school's AACSB membership). Schools are eligible to view overview reports for surveys in which they participated and any reports included with their enhanced-level subscription.

Q: How do I complete a survey?

A: If you have an account in DataDirect that has been authorized to access that specific survey, then you will receive an email announcement when the survey opens and then reminder messages as we approach the survey deadline. If you do not have an account authorized to access this survey, your school's primary contact can approve this access for you at any time.

When you log into DataDirect (datadirect.aacsb.edu), follow these steps to complete the survey:

1. Once you are logged into the system, any open surveys for your account will be listed in the 'Upcoming Deadlines' quick link box on the welcome page or you can go to the 'Survey Menu' to see a full list of surveys assigned to your account and available for data entry.

2. Choose your survey and click 'Go' or click the quick link for the survey on the welcome page.

3. This will bring you to the main page for the survey itself. At the top of the screen is a 'Survey Status' area. The options listed here activate the survey and submit it when you are finished. To activate the survey for data entry, please choose the option for 'will complete' and place a check mark in the box. If you would prefer not to complete the survey in this year, you can mark it as 'will not complete' which will remove you from reminder emails for this survey and year.

4. Now that your survey is active, read through any policies, important information, or instructions at the beginning of the survey before starting.

5. Once you are ready to begin entering data, click on the survey section and you can begin entering data. Please read all instructions and directions for each question.

6. Enter data in each section that applies to your school. In some surveys, later sections are dependent on data entered in earlier sections of the survey. Please be aware that some sections will require you to complete them in the specific order listed in the instructions on the survey page.

7. You can start and stop many times during the survey data entry. Please remember to save any section you are working on, and you can come back to it later at any time until the close of the survey.

8. Once you have completed data entry, you can click on the 'completed and approved' option in the survey status area to submit the survey.

Q: There are tools in benchmarking that I cannot access or which show no available variables. How can I access them?

A: This means that your account is not currently assigned access to those benchmarking tools or survey variables. Access to reports is assigned through the primary representative for your school. Schools with basic-level access (complementary access available to all AACSB members) can use the following items under the benchmarking tab:

• Comparison Groups, Quick Reports-Effective Practices Reporting, and Quick Reports-Business School Profile Report

Schools that have an enhanced level of access through a subscription can use all benchmarking tools and quick reports.

Q: My primary representative asked me to fill out a specific survey, but I do not see it in my survey list. Where is it?

A: This means that your account is not currently assigned access to that survey. If you are not assigned access to a specific survey, it will not appear in your survey menu.