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State of Missouri

Transforming State Services: Missouri Partners with Avaap to Modernize Technology and Drive Innovation

The Challenge

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (DHEWD) manages the Workforce Longitudinal Data System (WLDS), a complex repository of postsecondary, workforce, and partner agency data. In 2023, DHEWD needed to modernize its understanding of the system’s structure by creating a comprehensive Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) and mapping data flows across hundreds of interconnected tables. 

This initiative aimed to improve transparency, support future enhancements to Missouri’s statewide scorecard platform (MoSCORES), and enable internal teams to maintain and modernize WLDS with confidence. 

Key Highlights

The Solution

Avaap partnered with DHEWD and ITSD staff to deliver a structured approach: 

  • Discovery and Planning: Conducted sessions across WLDS, MoSCORES, and partner agency databases to identify key tables, staging environments, and data relationships. 
  • ERD Development and Visualization: Built a detailed ERD in LucidChart covering 313 tables and 100+ foreign key relationships, visually grouping related entities and flagging orphaned tables for cleanup. 
  • Data Flow Mapping: Documented how data moves from staging environments into MoSCORES, including stored procedures and audit logs, and created a Data Flow Diagram for troubleshooting and optimization. 
  • Domain Architecture Strategy: Recommended archiving unused tables and restructuring relationships to streamline WLDS. 
  • Knowledge Transfer: Delivered editable documentation, searchable crosswalks, and user guides, along with training sessions to enable DHEWD and ITSD staff to maintain and update diagrams independently. 

The Result

  • Comprehensive System Documentation: Delivered a complete ERD and supporting materials that clarified WLDS structure and relationships, improving data governance and planning. 
  • Improved Transparency and Usability: Visual grouping and labeling made the ERD easier to navigate for technical teams and decision-makers. 
  • Actionable Insights for Optimization: Identified opportunities to archive or restructure tables, enhancing system performance and maintainability. 
  • Sustainable Knowledge Transfer: Equipped DHEWD with tools and training to manage and evolve WLDS without ongoing external support. 

The Partnership

This partnership gave DHEWD clarity and control over its complex data environment, laying the foundation for future enhancements to MoSCORES and broader workforce data initiatives. 

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