Outdated xBase will be retired Nov. 4

The xBase has been a trusty source for information about campus IT services since 2001, but the campus now has something better. On Nov. 4, Information and Educational Technology will replace the xBase with the new, better-organized IT Knowledge Base.

Knowledge  Base

Both websites collect articles, how-to instructions, and troubleshooting guidelines to help faculty, students and staff use technology at UC Davis. The KB, however, is easier to use, more attractive, and contains information supplied by several campus departments, not only by IET.

Starting Nov. 4, if you go to the xBase you will be redirected to the KB. To find information on the KB, you can browse the categories or use its search field. IET transferred all relevant knowledge from the xBase to the new KB this year, updating information along the way.

The next improvement for the KB will add the ability to filter search responses by department--a customer could limit a search to results pertaining only to the School of Law, for example.

The KB went live in February 2014. It currently has upwards of 250 articles, plus room for many more. IET encourages campus departments that use ServiceNow (a service-management system) to keep adding articles to the KB; this quick reference guide has instructions.

In 2013, the xBase averaged more than 1,000 visits per day. IET expects the traffic to increase as UC Davis grows and the KB adds information.

At UC Davis, users of ServiceNow include IET; the School of Law; School of Education; Offices of the Chancellor and Provost; the Division of Humanities, Art s and Cultural Studies; College of Engineering; the Arts Administrative Group; and Student Affairs. They can "create knowledge" for the KB, but the information is for everyone.