Case study · Internal teams

Stride: data mapping tools and a governance knowledge base

I map how data moves between Stride's systems, build tools that let data teams search and trace those mappings, and built a knowledge base that gathers Atlan training and onboarding in one place.

My role: Technical Writer
Dates: September 2025 to present
Users: Data modelers, architects, data stewards, Atlan users, and Data Governance teams
Tools: React
AWS Amplify
Python
dbt
Atlan

Data mapping
Information architecture
Knowledge base design
Runbooks
React
Internal documentation

Context

Data that lives in many systems

Stride keeps data in PowerSchool, Salesforce, SailPoint, and other connected systems. When the same record appears in several systems, the people who model, govern, and use that data need a dependable account of how a field in one system relates to a field in another.

My users do different jobs with that information. Data modelers and architects trace data between systems. Data stewards and Atlan users govern and catalog the data, and range from beginners to advanced users. Data Governance teams evaluate which Atlan capabilities to use now and which to consider next.

Data mapping

Mapping fields between systems

I map fields and data between PowerSchool, Salesforce, SailPoint, and other connected systems. The mappings are the source material the search and tracing tools are built on.

I regularly use Python to analyze data in dbt-related work.

Data Mapping Explorer search results for enrollment status: seven PowerSchool fields mapped to Salesforce and SailPoint fields, with the rule and review status for each, and a detail panel showing the value map and change history for the selected mapping. — Search returns every mapping for a term, with its rule and review status. The detail panel shows how each source value translates, shown here with sample fields.

Tools

Search and tracing tools for data modelers

A field mapping helps only when people can find the field in front of them. I built React tools that let data modelers and architects search the mappings and trace data from one system to the next.

I implemented single sign-on (SSO) and deployed the tools on AWS Amplify.

A trace answers a question data modelers ask before any change: if this field changes, what else changes with it? The trace view follows one field through each system and states the rule applied at every step.

Trace view for a PowerSchool enrollment status field, following it through two dbt models to Salesforce and SailPoint, with the rule at each step and a table of every value from source to target. — One field followed from the student information system to every system that uses it, with the rule at each step and every value end to end.

Knowledge base

A knowledge base for data stewards and Atlan users

Atlan is a data catalog and governance platform. I built a custom React knowledge base, deployed on AWS Amplify, for Stride's data stewards and Atlan users.

The knowledge base gathers training and onboarding materials and organizes them by level, from beginner through advanced use, so a new user and an experienced steward can each start in the right place.

Each lesson follows the same pattern. The opening says what the user can do after the lesson, a callout lists the access they need, and every step that changes something ends with what the user should see. Warnings sit next to the step they apply to.

Knowledge base page titled Learn Atlan at your level, with Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced learning paths, a four-step checklist for new team members, and a list of recently updated pages. — Learning paths by level, with a checklist for new team members and recent updates on the same page.

Intermediate lesson titled Certify an asset, with a Before you start callout, four numbered steps that each end with a result, a warning that certification isn't permanent, and an on-page table of contents. — An intermediate lesson: prerequisites first, then numbered steps that each end with the result the user should see.

Governance

Runbook templates and interactive reports

For Data Governance teams, I created runbook templates and interactive reports that help them evaluate current and potential Atlan capabilities.

A template gives every runbook the same structure, which helps the people who write runbooks and the people who review them. The template carries its own writing guidance and a review checklist, so a new author knows what a finished runbook looks like before they start.

The capability reports put each Atlan capability in one place with its status, how well it fits, who it helps, and the next step, so a governance team can decide what to adopt next.

Runbook template with seven numbered sections, a steps table with columns for action, owner, and expected result, a writing guidance panel, and a ready-for-review checklist. — The runbook template, with placeholder text in every section, writing guidance beside it, and a checklist before review.

Atlan capability review report with summary tiles for capabilities in use, piloting, and evaluating, and a table listing eight capabilities with status, fit, who each helps, and the next step. — A capability review report, shown with sample data.

Deliverables

What I delivered and who uses each piece

Each deliverable serves a different group of users. The table below pairs them.

Stride deliverables and their users
Deliverable	Built with	Users
Field and data mappings between PowerSchool, Salesforce, SailPoint, and other systems	Python, dbt-related analysis	Data modelers and architects
Search and tracing tools for the mappings	React, SSO, AWS Amplify	Data modelers and architects
Knowledge base with training and onboarding materials	React, AWS Amplify	Data stewards and Atlan users, beginner to advanced
Runbook templates and interactive reports	Templates and reports	Data Governance teams

The screens on this page use sample data. The tools, knowledge base, and runbooks themselves are internal to Stride.