Introduction
Most institutions are live on Clema in 2 to 4 weeks. The full setup guide lays out the four phases in detail; this post is the checklist version, with the people who own each step, the artifacts that come out of it, and what good looks like at the end of each week.
Week 1: Connect Data Sources
Provision read-only credentials
Your IT or data team provisions read-only credentials for the sources Clema will query first. We recommend starting with the warehouse (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, SQL Server) because it usually surfaces the most questions the fastest.
- Owner: IT or data warehouse admin
- Artifact: read-only credentials shared securely with Clema
- Done when: Clema can query your warehouse and return a row count
Connect the SIS and LMS
Banner, Colleague, PeopleSoft, or Workday for the SIS. Canvas, Blackboard, or D2L for the LMS. These are usually the second wave because security review can take longer.
- Owner: IT or SIS admin
- Artifact: SIS and LMS connectors live in Clema
- Done when: Clema can pull a headcount and a course list
Upload ad-hoc files (optional)
CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets uploads work for the questions that live only in a spreadsheet. This unblocks the trial immediately while warehouse connectors are in review.
- Owner: IR admin
- Artifact: file uploaded and queryable in Clema
- Done when: a sheet-only question returns a sourced answer
Week 2: Configure SSO and Roles
Set up SSO
SAML 2.0 or OAuth 2.0 SSO with your identity provider. Clema supports the standard enterprise IdPs. Most IT teams have this done in a day once the metadata is exchanged.
- Owner: IT or identity admin
- Artifact: SSO live; users log in via the institution IdP
- Done when: a test user logs in without a Clema-native password
Configure role-based access
Define who sees what. The IR admin usually gets full access; deans and chairs get a stakeholder role; the cabinet gets a leadership role. Definitions of access can match your existing BI role structure.
- Owner: IR admin
- Artifact: roles configured in the admin panel
- Done when: a stakeholder role can see only its allowed figures
Sign the BAA
Business Associate Agreement governing FERPA-ready data processing. Clema signs with your institution; your general counsel or privacy officer usually reviews.
- Owner: General counsel or privacy officer
- Artifact: signed BAA on file
- Done when: BAA countersigned and stored
Week 3: Pilot With the IR Team
The IR team runs real questions on real data for one to two weeks. The goal is to tune definitions, connectors, and terminology so Clema speaks your institution's language. Use the first five questions guide as a starter set, then move to the questions your team fields most often.
During the pilot, watch for definition drift. If "enrolled student" returns headcount in one query and FTE in another, fix the definition in the data dictionary so the answer is stable. Decide which questions go to Clema and which stay with dashboards; the dividing line is usually one-off questions versus recurring reports.
Week 4: Roll Out to Stakeholders
Invite deans, chairs, and the cabinet to ask questions in plain English. Embed Clema widgets in Power BI, Tableau, or your IR portal where useful. Set up the data request queue if you are running intake through Clema. Confirm the support path with the IR admin; most issues resolve same-day via [email protected].
At the end of week 4, the working measure of success is: a stakeholder can ask a data question in plain English and get a sourced answer without filing a ticket. That is the moment Clema is live.
Start your four-week onboarding
Book a demo and we will scope your setup timeline, integrations, and SSO path.
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