New DEAMS data cleansing dashboard rolled out for
operational use

DFAS Business Journal (Tuesday, August 11, 2009)

by Corporate Communications

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 11, 2009 - A new data cleansing dashboard became operational last month giving Defense Enterprise and Accounting Management System users at DFAS Limestone a new tool to review data cleansing anomaly status and to retrieve detail reports to work individual anomalies.

"The dashboard enables users to view data quality information at the level they require macro versus micro," said Charles Miles, program manager for Capital
City Technologies, a contractor on the DEAMS project. "Users can drill down from summary metrics to view or import detailed reports that list each anomaly that requires work."

When the dashboard was demonstrated for DFAS Director Terri McKay, she said that it provides exactly the kind of analysis the agency needs to be doing, according to Drea Leed, Technical Lead for Qbase, the contractor providing the software suite that supports the dashboard.

What is Data Cleansing?

"The DSCT (Data Standardization and Cleansing Team) developed the dashboard to provide DFAS, the Air Force and the United States Transportation Command leadership Web-based information showing the analysis of legacy system data anomalies and the results of the efforts to clean up this data," Shawna Smith, DEAMS director said. "This dashboard provides timely delivery of information and the detailed analysis to enable leadership to make financial decisions."

In preparation for the DEAMS migration this fall, DFAS and the U.S.
Transportation Command tasked the DSCT with reviewing legacy accounting records to ensure data elements are valid and meet Air Force standardization guidelines.

The team looked at data from the General Accounting & Finance System and Integrated Accounts Payable System for Scott Air Force Base, Ill., the first military installation that will implement DEAMS.

The team is also reviewing non-accounting data to ensure obligation and payment records are properly maintained as well as reviewing aged obligations to identify records that may be purged prior to DEAMS conversion.

"The DSCT identifies data anomalies to DFAS operations and Scott Air Force Base resource managers to resolve potential data rejects during DEAMS Go-Live migration," said Beatrice Murillo, the DSCT government lead.

Dashboard demonstrated for leaders

The release of the dashboard followed months of demonstrations that took place from April through June of this year either live or via Internet meetings. These demos provided management at all levels of both the Air Force and DFAS summary metrics and detail reports on the projects progress.

In addition to the DFAS director, other leaders who saw the dashboard demonstrated included:

• Nancy Zmyslinski - deputy director for Strategic Business Management
• Jonathan Witter - director, DFAS Columbus
• Wayne Ingle - director, DFAS Limestone
• Tom Murphy - director, Enterprise and Component Solutions
• Shawna M. Smith, MBA, PMP - director, DEAMS and Expeditionary Combat Support System
• Randy Newcome - DEAMS Functional Management Office lead, U.S. Air Force
• Russel l. Mielke - DEAMS Function Management lead, U.S. Transportation Command
• Audrey Davis - deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Financial Operations
• Steve Bonta - director, DFAS Financial Management Center of Excellence
• Keith Bentley - director, Program Analysis & Financial Analysis, U.S.
  Transportation Command

"All personnel who were briefed lauded the dashboard as an exceptional tool and were impressed with its capability to allow managers and technicians involved in data processing and or maintenance at any level to view data cleansing progress and obtain information required to resolve anomalous data issues," Miles said.

According to Smith, the dashboard displays data anomalies for every base and every system being converted in preparation for legacy data conversion into the ERP systems. It also displays metric data in a multi-tiered format with drill-down capability for detailed information and provides management with instant access
to summarized anomaly data and correction status.

"The results of the data cleansing dashboard is improved efficiently and effectiveness of the data cleansing effort and will improve the conversion of Air Force legacy data into DEAMS and ECSS," Smith said.

"Rave reviews were received by USTRANSCOM, Air Force and DFAS leadership on the dashboard's usefulness and functionality. As a result of this analysis, over
90 percent of the identified anomalies in one legacy system for Scott Air Force Base were cleared by DFAS Limestone and the base."

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