WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, OH -- The Commanders' Resource Integration System (CRIS) stands as a cornerstone of support within the U.S. Air Force (USAF), providing a robust and efficient solution for financial management decision support.
Remaining true to its commitment to innovation, the latest iteration of CRIS (v5.05.007) is set to introduce an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) tool that offers significant capabilities to the user community.
This highly sought-after feature addresses the crucial interoperability gap of allowing CRIS to operate in conjunction with a wide range of commercial business analytics tools. The ODBC driver will empower users to leverage CRIS data seamlessly with their preferred data visualization tools, including Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, and Microsoft Excel.
With proper configuration, ODBC enables users to create automated direct-to-briefing visualizations, posturing the user community to save precious labor hours. ODBC also prepares CRIS for use with Artificial Intelligence (AI), opening avenues for other USAF organizations to train AI datasets with the extensive quantities of data stored in CRIS.
The ODBC driver has been approved for use on all Non-Classified Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) workstations and ensures secure, encrypted, and compressed user-level data transfers between CRIS and external business analytics tools. Fully integrated with both USAF Single Sign-On (SSO) and the existing Role Based Access Control (RBAC) configuration for CRIS, this addition maintains the current cybersecurity posture of the system.
This integration of commercial business analytics tools with CRIS, while maintaining stringent cybersecurity controls, marks a significant step forward for CRIS and the user community it supports.
The CRIS team takes pride in delivering this capability as the system approaches its 25th anniversary. Looking ahead, the CRIS team remains committed to providing reliable, accurate, and timely data to support decision-making processes across the USAF.
For those interested, the ODBC Driver Installation Guide, ODBC Driver User Guide, and the ODBC driver itself will be available for download on the CRIS resources page (crisia.cce.af.mil/resources) upon authentication.
CRIS continues to uphold its legacy of providing cutting-edge capabilities after 25 years of dedicated service!