Swinburne University of Technology is a leading dual-sector university in Australia, offering higher education alongside vocational education and training. The university has a strong reputation for integrating real-world experience into the education of its more than 30,000 students. Swinburne is also well known for its entrepreneurial mindset and agile decision-making.
As technology evolves, so too has Swinburne’s approach to data. In 2016, the university established a data warehouse using Amazon Redshift and invested in Tableau’s software for data visualisation. However, as the institution grew, new solutions were needed.
“Engagement with our data platforms was relatively low – only about five per cent of the university actively interacted with them,” explains Anthony Perera, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Swinburne.
Over time, some reporting dashboards became outdated or unreliable, leading users to export data into Microsoft Excel for further manipulation. Seeing an opportunity, Swinburne embarked on a journey to ensure widespread usage of its data ecosystem and harness AI for strategic insights.
A new era of data insights with Microsoft Power BI
In August 2024, Swinburne began migrating eight years’ worth of data reports and dashboards from Tableau’s platform to Microsoft Power BI. The transition covered crucial datasets, including student enrolments, financial reporting and workforce insights – collectively representing about 90 per cent of the data used by the university for reporting.
Several factors influenced the decision to adopt Power BI. One key driver was Swinburne’s existing investment in Microsoft technologies, particularly its recent migration of an extensive application portfolio to Microsoft Azure.
“Power BI offers strong value,” says Perera. “Its AI capabilities and roadmap with tools like Microsoft Copilot have the potential to significantly reduce development time for dashboards.”
Additionally, Power BI’s user-friendly design encourages broader adoption, empowering staff members at Swinburne to build their own dashboards and extract insights independently while ensuring official reports remain certified by the university.
Swinburne completed the migration to Power BI in under 60 days, a remarkably swift turnaround. According to Perera, this was made possible by Power BI’s ease of use, strong demand from stakeholders already familiar with the platform, and taking a strategic approach to prioritisation.
“While we had around 2,000 historical reports in Tableau, only about 20 per cent were actively used,” he explains. “By focusing on these critical reports, we significantly reduced the workload.
“Initially, our goal was a straightforward like-for-like migration without enhancements. However, as we progressed, Power BI’s intuitive visualisation capabilities allowed us to improve many reports along the way, further enhancing the transition’s value.”
Microsoft played a key role in supporting Swinburne throughout the transition to ensure a smooth migration. The close collaboration included helping to assess the university’s environment and providing advice on best practices for Power BI use.
“Microsoft was highly engaged, offering strategic guidance and technical support. It was a true partnership rather than just a vendor relationship,” Perera says.
Since adopting Power BI, the university has already observed tangible benefits and early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“Users are finding Power BI more intuitive and user-friendly, both for understanding data and developing reports,” he says. “While it’s still early days, the response has been very encouraging.”
Enhancing data management with Microsoft Fabric
Alongside the Power BI migration, Swinburne worked with Microsoft to transition data from Amazon Redshift to Microsoft Fabric, allowing a more integrated approach to data management. The migration was seamless, with Swinburne continuing to leverage Redshift while gradually incorporating Fabric into its reporting ecosystem.
This modernisation effort aligns with Swinburne’s broader data strategy, which includes building a next-generation data platform in Azure. The university is currently in the planning phase, which involves defining its future-state architecture.
“We are taking an iterative approach to refining our data strategy, ensuring the new platform meets our evolving needs and enhances operational efficiency,” says Perera.
AI-powered innovation to enhance education and operations
Beyond data modernisation, Swinburne is actively exploring AI-driven innovation with Microsoft partners Agile Insights and KPMG. Two AI use cases are currently in development, focused on analysing student feedback and IT service management.
The first initiative leverages generative AI to analyse student feedback from thousands of survey responses.
“Swinburne collects over 65,000 free-text survey records every two years,” says Perera. “We are using a large language model to extract key themes and sentiments, making it easier for educators to act on student feedback.”
These insights are visualised in Power BI dashboards, helping academic staff refine course delivery and improve the learning experience.
The second use case aims to streamline IT support. Swinburne is developing a Microsoft Teams–based chatbot that integrates with its enterprise service management system, allowing staff to log IT requests directly within Teams.
“This will make IT support more accessible and efficient,” says Perera.
Building a connected university
Swinburne’s long-term vision is to create a connected university that leverages data and AI to enhance student outcomes and operational effectiveness. A key aspect of this vision is building a centralised data ecosystem that provides a holistic view of each student’s journey.
“We have already deployed a machine learning model to better identify students at risk of disengagement,” says Perera. “By intervening early, we can provide targeted support to help them succeed.”
Beyond student success, Swinburne aims to further personalise education by harnessing AI to deliver tailored learning experiences. “Much like how Netflix and YouTube curate content for users, we aspire to personalise the student journey,” Perera says.
By continuously refining its data strategy and embracing AI-driven innovation, Swinburne is well-positioned to shape the future of education in Australia.
