Educators are increasingly faced with the challenges of how to capture, analyze and interpret data. The decision of what database technology to choose must be based on strategic methodology more so than on what any given technology can do. This requires a deep probing of institutional goals and culture to ensure the choice is well aligned. The author presents a brief historical perspective of mistakes made by corporate decision-makers that have pushed the development of database tools, including data warehouses, data-mining and data visualization tools and access interfaces, such as XML. The author proposes a systemic approach to decision-making using a data flow framework that emphasizes the importance of measurable goals, people, products and processes. With a thorough understanding of how these variables impact institutional goals, educators can turn data into intelligence that sets the stage for new goals, supports decision-making and serves as a catalyst for improvement.