The importance of information systems management to institutional research efforts of colleges and universities is discussed. The goal of information system management is to make an institution's information system more consistent, efficient, and informative. Each of the different functions of the university, such as admissions and registration, has data requirements and needs to be part of one system rather than separate entities. The first task in converting from an application to a data base system is to identify existing subsystems and to establish priorities for analysis. A data element dictionary is a product of analyzing information forms and data elements of an institution. A file description and data definition page from the University of South Florida Data Dictionary/Directory are appended as illustration. The final step in analyzing existing systems is to inventory reports and to link data elements to reports. Since applications data files often contain large amounts of blank space for unmaintained data or for expansion, conversion to a data base or a conglomeration of files, programs, and resources, uniform standards must be applied across all data systems. Input controls, data maintenance, and data access functions are outlined. (SW)