Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Insight?

  Insight is the official UNC reporting tool in Ursa that faculty and staff can use to view an extensive menu of existing reports and create tailored reports using user-selected parameters. The reports can be used to make data-driven decisions about everything from academic planning and advising to budget analysis and financial forecasting. Reports are created from the Operation Data Store, which is an extension of the Banner environment. Some reports are created from data extracted nightly from Banner.  Other reports that are time-critical in nature access “live” or real-time data.

• Where can I find Insight?

  Type insight.unco.edu into an Internet Explorer browser window.

• What reports does Insight provide?

  Insight accesses some student information, course information, financial aid data, accounts receivable information, athletics information, budget data and more to provide numerous existing reports as well as reports utilizing user-created parameters. Reports will be accessed in the “University Tab”. Access to other tabs can be obtained with a security form authorization.

• Can I access all of the reports in Insight?

  All employees will have access to many reports. Because of confidentiality requirements, other reports will require access permission, which can be obtained by submitting the Insight Security Form signed by your supervisor and the Data Steward responsible for that data. Once signatures have been obtained, the form can be submitted to the Technical Support Center.

• How can reports be output?

  Information can be easily printed or output in several different formats including Excel, PDF, and HTML.

• Can I still request a custom report from TSC?

  A request for a custom report can be made via a phone or online support request to the Technical Support Center. 

• Can Insight be customized for specific work areas?

  Some administrative units may have a tab within Insight designated for their business processes. This portal would most likely contain confidential reports, diagnostic reports, and the ability to create custom reports. Security forms control access to these special tabs.

• What are the security issues related to data in Insight reports?

  Because Insight allows access to a variety of confidential, private and sensitive information, you should follow established UNC policies on protecting that information. For a summary of steps you should follow to protect confidential, private, and sensitive information, consult our Data Handling Best Practices. As is always the case when using Ursa, don’t forget to log out whenever you end a session.

• How can I tell if a report is real-time or not?

  If the report uses real-time data, it will be noted in the footer of the report that it is real-time.  If only certain fields are real-time, it will be noted in the footer.  If no information is present about real-time, then the report is from the previous night's extracted data.

• If I use a Macintosh computer, how can I run a report as deferred status since I can’t right-click like PC users do?

  On a Mac computer, hold down the "CNTRL" key, then click on the report name. This will do the same as a right click-function and allow you to see the options like "Run Deferred" or "Add To Favorites."