The DHS Data Warehouse
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) Data Warehouse
brings together and integrates person and service data from a wide variety of
sources both internal and external to the county. It was created by
consolidating publicly-funded human services data (e.g., behavioral health,
child welfare, intellectual disability, homelessness and aging) and, over
time, expanded to include data from other sources. It now includes 21
categories of data.
The Data Warehouse was initially made
possible with support from the Human Service Integration Fund, a flexible
funding pool created by a coalition of local foundations for the purpose of supporting
integration and innovation within DHS. Today, the cost of maintaining the Data
Warehouse (including analysts and technical support) is $6.5 million per year.
The Data Warehouse was designed
primarily to improve services to people, but also to improve the ability of
workers to perform their jobs and to support management decision-making. It is
also intended to be available as a community resource, making data and
information publicly available whenever possible. As such, it has supported the
development of a variety of analytic and decision-making tools.
Publications,
data sets and visualizations based upon data analysis are available on the Allegheny County Analytics website from
which other tools may also be accessed. Some tools are publicly available (e.g.,
QuickCount), while others are available only to authorized users and/or DHS
staff (e.g., Client View, Outcomes Tool, Reports Portal).
A full report, Allegheny County Data Warehouse, published by the DHS Office of Analytics, Technology
and Planning in July 2018 and updated most recently in December 2020, discusses the history,
development and use of the Data Warehouse.
To Learn More About the DHS Data Warehouse
The DHS Data
Warehouse has been studied extensively, written about in a number of
publications and recognized for its innovation in information technology. Related podcasts, news articles and reports can be found below.
How
Data Powers Help for Families
PostIndustrial.Com, January 27,
2021
Software
for the Social Good: One County’s Model Warehouse
Government Technology, December 1,
2017
How Allegheny County’s Data
Warehouse is improving human services through integrated data
GovInnovator podcast, February 17,
2016
Data
Warehouses: Using New Technology to Improve Human Services Administration
Re-Issue of June 11 article below Government Technology, June 12,
2014
Allegheny
County, Pennsylvania: Department of Human Services’ Data Warehouse
Data-Smart City Solutions, Harvard
University, June 11, 2014
Gaining
Ground: A Guide to Facilitating Technology Innovation in Human Services
Data-Smart City Solutions, Harvard
University, May 28, 2014
Allegheny
County’s Data Warehouse: Leveraging Data to Enhance Human Service Programs and Policies
University of Pennsylvania, May
2014
Human
Services: Sustained and Coordinated Efforts Could Facilitate Data-Sharing While
Protecting Privacy
U.S. Government Accountability Office, February
2013