The University of Wageningen takes care of only one faculty with 80 departments and about 4000 students. The university has been growing rapidly in recent years with an increase of 25 percent in first year students each year. Because of this growth and because of various social developments, the University Board recognizes the need for a good data system to support and to take part in the process of management; this means the system has to correspond with the intrinsic characteristics of the management system. The article describes briefly the process of management. The various aspects of the process, e.g., teaching and research task, personnel, etc. are strongly related; a qualitative description of some of these relationships is provided. The data system is derived from the properties of the management process and is designed on behalf of operational management with some thought given to strategic managment. (JMF)