Getting Access to Cal Answers

Cal Answers Terms of Use and Privacy Standards

Global Dashboards

How to Check Current Access

How to Approve Access

How to Request Access by Subject Area

Cal Answers Terms of Use and Privacy Standards

By accessing Cal Answers, I certify that I agree to abide by the Cal Answers Terms of Use:

Access to Cal Answers

Acceptable Use

  • When working with data from Cal Answers (whether online, files saved to your computer, or printed information), you are required to view and use only information needed to perform assigned and authorized university duties.

  • Never access any institutional information for your own personal gain or profit or the personal gain or profit of others. 

Storing Data

  • If you must export restricted data from Cal Answers, store it securely, in a manner consistent with campus standards.

Personally Identifiable Data

  • Summary data pertaining to small groups may allow for identification of individuals within that group. For example, compensation data within a DeptID for a specific job code where there is only one employee. A group size of five individuals is considered the minimum for preventing unintentional disclosure, but in some cases, a larger group may be required. The National Center of Educational Statistics has a brief on the subject.

  • You may not publish data that may allow for identification of individuals.

Sharing Data from Cal Answers

  • You may disclose Cal Answers data or distribute such data to others only in compliance with UC Berkeley regulations. You may not share personally identifiable data with anyone not already authorized to view it (including your supervisor, manager, co-workers, etc.). When in doubt, contact the Cal Answers team at calanswers-help@berkeley.edu.

  • When sharing data with others is appropriate and permissible, transfer data securely, using approved campus systems.

Student Data

Additional considerations apply to the use of Student Data. Please view Cal Answers Student Data Terms of Use and Privacy Standards for details.

Global Dashboards

These dashboards are automatically available to most faculty and staff members, so you do not need to request access. All entities are included in your access. If you have not automatically received access, you may submit a Global Dashboards access request as noted below.

See Access by Subject Area below for a listing of dashboards by subject area, including those with default global access as well as others that require a special request for access.

What is included in Global Dashboards?

Subject Area

Dashboards

Academic Planning

Campus Enrollment At a Glance
Departmental Curriculum Profile

Campus Workforce (HR) Planning

At a Glance
HR Census
Staff Retirement Metrics

Workforce Summary

Staff Compensation Summary

Procure to Pay

At a Glance
Executive Leadership
Internal Control
Operations
Payment
Spend
Utilities

Student Applicants

Undergraduate Applicants
Graduate Applicants

Student Curriculum

At a Glance
Course Grade Distribution
Curriculum Long Term Planning
Departmental Teaching Workload
Students & Courses
Teaching Activity
Weekly Enrollment Management

Student Demographics & Outcomes

At a Glance
Census
Degrees Earned
Graduation, Retention & Time to Degree
Multiple Majors

Student Financial Aid

Student Financial Aid

Student Financials

Student Fees & Payments

Security Reports

Customer Access Privileges

Usage Tracking

Cal Answers Usage Tracking

How do I request access to Global Dashboards?

1. Log in to CalAccess. (Log in to VPN first if you are off-campus.)

2. Click the "Initiate New Request" button.

3. Choose the "CalAnswers Global Dashboards" application, then click "Continue".

4. Choose the "Global Dashboards" role, then click "Submit".

Note: Cal Answers is an administrative information system, and access is only granted for assigned and authorized university duties. Access requests must be approved by both your supervisor and a data steward.

If you do not have a supervisor listed in UCPath, but still submit this access request, it will not be able to be processed.

How to Check Current Access

Most faculty and staff members are automatically granted access to Global Dashboards. Some subject areas require special access.

Before you request access, run the Customer Access Privileges dashboard to look up what access you currently have.

Instructions

Run the Customer Access Reports tab to see what what dashboards and areas of data you can see.  You can use one or all the dashboard prompts.
  • You can find the Calnet User ID (UID) using the Berkeley Directory. You can search a handful of UIDs by separating each with a semicolon and no space after, e.g. "12345;6789". If you want to look up the roles for your whole department, you can copy and paste a list of UIDs by clicking the Calnet UID prompt dropdown triangle --> More/Search --> pencil icon at the top right --> copy and paste --> OK --> OK --> Apply to run the report..
  • It is best to populate the Display Name using the "More/Search" function at the bottom of the prompt dropdown, since names have different formats.
  • You can look up a list of users who have access to a certain dashboard or data role using the Access Role prompt.

How to Approve Access

Approvers include:

  • Official supervisor of the person who requested access (all reports requiring additional access)
  • Divisional Financial Leader (Finance, PI Portfolio, Payroll reports)
  • Designated HR approver (HR reports)
  • Office of the Registrar (Student Data reports)
  • Office of Undergraduate Admissions (Student Data reports about undergraduate admissions)

Please follow these instructions to approve or deny access requests for Cal Answers reports.

How to Request Access by Subject Area

HR Reporting

Financials

Payroll

PI Portfolio

Student Data

HR Reporting

Please note requesting access to UCPath is separate from requesting access to HR reporting in Cal Answers, even though the reports source the data from UCPath.
Subject Area Dashboards Access Access Granted Approval
Campus Workforce (HR) Planning

At a Glance
HR Census
Staff Retirement Metrics

 Global All orgs N/A
Workforce Detail including Ad Hoc All Workforce Detail + Employee Crosswalk Request Access Restricted by Organization

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. HR data approver

3. UCPath Operations team
Affirmative Action including Ad Hoc

All

 Email the AA & EEO team at staffeeo@berkeley.edu for a consultation All orgs

N/A
HR Census Ad Hoc

Just ad hoc

The HR Census dashboard is already available to all Cal Answers users.

 Email the AA & EEO team at staffeeo@berkeley.edu for a consultation All orgs

N/A

Financials

Subject Area Dashboards Access Access Granted Approval
Finance including Ad Hoc
(includes Gift & Endowment)		 All except Telecom Phone Usage Request Access All orgs

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Divisional Finance Leader

Finance - Gift & Endowment
(does not include any other dashboards in the Finance subject area)

Foundation Reporting

Gift/Endowment Reporting

 Request Access All orgs

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Divisional Finance Leader
Finance - Telecom Phone Usage Telecom Phone Usage Request Access Restricted by Organization

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Divisional Finance Leader
PermBudg including Ad Hoc All Request Access Restricted by Organization

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Divisional Finance Leader

Payroll

Subject Area Dashboards Access Access Granted Approval
Payroll including ad hoc All Request Access All orgs

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Divisional Finance Leader

PI Portfolio

Principal Investigator (PI) Access to your own portfolio is automatically granted to PIs, faculty, and researchers with funding that is allocated and tracked with Chartfield2s linked to your Employee ID. With this access, you can:

  • View your entire portfolio. This includes funds that you share with other PI(s).
  • View HR data by Employee ID for employees allocated to your CF2(s)
  • Ability to write projections on your own portfolio

Request access if you are helping a PI or many PIs manage their portfolio. You need to be employed by UC Berkeley to use PI Portfolio, not an affiliate or visiting PI. See Access PI Portfolio to learn what comes with your access.

Student Data

To use Cal Answers Student Data, you must read and agree to abide by the Cal Answers Student Data Terms of Use.

Subject Area Dashboards Access Access Granted Approval

Academic Planning, Student Applicants, Student Curriculum, Student Demographics & Outcomes, Student Financials, Student Financial Aid

 All except Restricted dashboards in the Student Demographics & Outcomes subject area Global All orgs N/A
Student Restricted

Restricted Graduation & Retention
Restricted Individual Profiles
Restricted Time to Degree

 Request Access Restricted by Organization

Complete FERPA training before requesting access.

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Office of the Registrar
Student Data Ad Hoc Ad hoc data from the dashboards in the Student Applicants and Student Demographics & Outcomes subject areas Request Access Restricted by Organization

Complete FERPA training before requesting access.

1. Supervisor as recorded in UCPath

2. Office of the Registrar or Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Student Data Ad Hoc

Ad hoc data from the dashboards in the Student Financial Aid, Student Financials, and Student Curriculum subject areas.

 Email calanswers-help@berkeley.edu for a consultation. Restricted by Organization

Special considerations for access to Student Data Ad Hoc

  • If you have access to student data ad hoc, you can see summary data globally across campus but individual data by student and instructor within an org can be seen only if you are approved access to the org. It is possible to see individual data for some orgs and summary data only for others in the same analysis.
  • While you can request data for "all students including confidential records", access to confidential records is rarely granted and only when a compelling need to do so is clearly articulated. Confidential records are those for a small subset of students and alumni who--generally for personal security purposes--have exercised their right under FERPA to restrict access to their entire record to only those with a clear need to know. The Office of the Registrar, for example, cannot even verify attendance and degrees for this population without the express written consent of the student or alum.