Core User Directory

Project Status

The first stage of the Core User Directory Project defined the requirements and specifications for a core user directory and set up the CUD Pilot project. This first stage was completed in July 2009 and was co-ordinated by the Office of the Director of IT, further information is available below.

The second stage of the project will provide the Core User Directory service. This stage is being implemented by OUCS and will extend the suite of Identity and Access Management services offered by the department. Further information on the service is available within the OUCS web pages: OUCS - Implementing the CUD Service

The First Stage - Requirements and Pilot phase

The first stage of the Core User Directory project was completed in July 2009 and saw the Project Working Party:
  • define the requirements and specifications for a core user directory,
  • set up the Core User Directory Pilot project (the outcomes of the Pilot project are summarised in a final report),
  • submit a Business Case [PDF KB] to the PRAC ICT Sub-committee regarding the creation and operation of the actual CUD service.
The PRAC ICT Sub-committee considered the business case at its November 2009 meeting. The Sub-committee were supportive of a follow on project to implement the CUD service. (See OUCS - Implementing the CUD Service).

What is a Core User Directory?

A core user directory is a University-wide store of information for people who are connected with the collegiate University. It will hold the attributes (details such as name, date of birth etc.) which uniquely specify individuals, and will be used to underpin key enterprise services (student data, human resources, email, University card,..) and other directories.

Why does Oxford University need a Core User Directory?

The University of Oxford has various types of relationships with a large number of people, both within and outside the University. Information about these people is held in numerous databases (for example student information systems, University Card, registration and directory services, human resources, and library systems). It is extremely difficult to ensure that the various University databases are current, consistent and accurate. If a person's circumstances change (for example a student does some teaching, or a person leaves the University) then each individual database requires updating. Currently this is a risk-laden process. For example, over time, the same person may be registered with different details across these independent databases. Or a significant amount of time is wasted when information has to be extracted from one database and hand-entered into another.

Core User Directory Project

One of the main recommendations of the ICT Strategic Plan, recently accepted in principle by PRAC and Council, states with respect to Identity Management: "Establish a University-wide Identity Management system which provides authentication and authorisation, and enables interoperability with national and international infrastructure."

In October 2007, Council GPC gave its support for a project to plan, design and build an enterprise-wide Core User Directory (CUD). The Core User Directory Project (CUD Project) addresses one aspect of Identity Management, the creation of a single, central directory for users, which specifies the attributes of all people that have relationships with the collegiate University. The project also lays the foundation for a future programme of activities to deliver an overall Identity and Access Management solution for the University of Oxford.

What will the Core User Directory Project Achieve?

The Core User Directory project aims to bring coherence to the way the University manages information relating to people. A Core User Directory (CUD) will be developed to hold sufficient details of individuals in order to uniquely identify them, and which can be used to assign a unique identifier for each record held. Databases across the University will use the CUD as a single point of reference. The role of the CUD is not to replace any of the existing databases but to enable more effective management of the data as it flows between different databases.

In order for the CUD project to be successful it is necessary to understand and document the business processes that determine the way existing databases are updated. Relevant databases will provide dynamic data feeds for the CUD, to ensure that the CUD always holds accurate data. Processes will be agreed to enable the CUD to provide other databases with current data when information held about people changes.

The CUD will help to reduce errors and obsolete data within databases and help to eliminate the amount of time wasted due to manual data entry processes.

Project Working Party

A Project Working Party was formed to drive the Core User Directory Project. The Project Working Party considered the requirements and specifications for a core user directory and made recommendations for its creation and operation to the PRAC ICT Sub-committee.

The Project Working Party focused on the following central issues which are involved in building a core user directory:

  • The creation of a unique identifier;
  • How data are imported and the underlying business processes;
  • How data are exported and the underlying business processes;

Meetings of the Project Working Party

Further details on the Project Working Party are available, please see: Terms of Reference and Membership.

Reporting