Space Data System & Access
M-Pathways Financial and Physical Resources
Departments are required to track and record their space inventory in the M-Pathways Space Management system, part of the M-Pathways Financial and Physical Resources system, at least once per year for federal and state space reporting purposes or more often as needed and determined by each unit. The M-Pathways Space Management system is the authoritative source for all U-M space data. Users can access pre-defined reports, described below, from the “Reporting Tools” section of M-Pathways Financial and Physical Resources.
System access: Requests for access to the M-Pathways Space Management System must be submitted to ITS through the Online Access Request System (OARS). Please contact your ITS unit liaison (UL) to determine your system access needs. For assistance in determining your UL, please visit the ITS Unit Liaison List.
U-M Data Warehouse
The U-M data warehouse maintains a weekly back-up of the Space Management system data as well as a historical record of this information. Users can access pre-defined reports or build custom queries of the stored data through Business Objects.
System access: Requests for access to the U-M Data Warehouse and Business Objects must be submitted to ITS through the Online Access Request System (OARS). Please contact your ITS unit liaison (UL) to determine your system access needs. For assistance in determining your UL, please visit the ITS Unit Liaison List.
Available Space Reports or Reporting Options
Pre-defined space reports in M-Pathways or Data Warehouse
Pre-defined reports (logn required) are accessed either through Business Objects or the Reporting Tools section of M-Pathways, both described above.
To determine the system or report through which you would run the reports:
- Visit the ITS Pre-defined Reports list
- Select “Physical Resources” in the Data Area
- Determine the reporting environment needed. Each report has a report summary that offers a short description of the report and indicates what system or program from which to run it, which is listed as its reporting “Environment”:
- Reports with a “FinODS” environment are accessed through M-Pathways
- Reports with a “Data Warehouse” environment are accessed through Business Objects
Examples of available pre-defined reports include:
- Classroom utilization reports
- Space Inventory Report
- Space Occupied by a Department for a Fiscal Year
- Net Square Feet by Building for Dept or Dept Group
(Source: ITS)
Custom Queries and Reports in the Data Warehouse
Departments may elect to run custom queries of historic and current space data to meet a specific business need directly against the U-M data warehouse. These custom queries and reports are built in Business Objects and pulls data from the U-M data warehouse. Getting access to Business Objects and the data warehouse is described above.
(Source: ITS)
Official U-M Facility and Space Data Reports
The Office of Space Analysis is the steward of space data at the University and provides several official U-M facility and space data reports based on the annual space survey data.
The reports include building and structure listings; net assignable square footage by room type, function, building, department; trends in space data; changes in gross square footage by building; leased properties; and more. To request these reports, contact the Office of Space Analysis.
High-Level Campus and Building Information
The Office of Budget and Planning compiles the Michigan Almanac, a high-level report containing a wide array of University information, including campus size in acres, the number of buildings on campus, and total building square footage over multiple years. The space data is compiled using data from the U-M data warehouse.
(Source: Office of Budget and Planning)
For More Information
For M-Pathways or Data Warehouse questions:
U-M ITS Helpdesk at [email protected] or by calling 734-764-4357 (4-HELP).
For questions on the U-M Space Survey and information on how to complete it:
The Office of Space Analysis is the official custodian of University space and location data, such as square footage, room type, occupancy, and so on. All questions about the inventory of space data should be directed to the Office of Space Analysis at [email protected].
For more information on Space Planning & Utilization within the Provost’s Office:
Contact [email protected].
Last reviewed: May 2022