In our journey to deliver enhanced reporting capabilities and key performance indicators (KPIs), we faced the challenge of integrating data from disparate systems to form a cohesive data warehouse. Our client, a company within the manufacturing sector, required an efficient solution to generate custom dashboards and metrics to align better with their existing reporting mechanisms and to gain a comprehensive view of their operational metrics.
The primary obstacle was the integration of data from Cin7, a specialized inventory management system, with other data sources. This was necessary to ensure continuity of data operations, even if Cin7 became deprecated in the future. To address this, we proposed a phased approach beginning with data integration in Phase 1, followed by enhanced reporting and analytics in Phase 2.
Solution Implementation Using Microsoft Technology
Our team leveraged Microsoft's Azure Data Factory for the data integration tasks. Azure Data Factory is a powerful cloud-based data integration service that allows us to create, schedule, and orchestrate data workflows efficiently. Additionally, we utilized Azure SQL Database to store the integrated data securely. This facilitated the creation of a centralized data repository that can be queried and viewed using traditional data models.
We set up various integration jobs within Azure Data Factory to extract raw data from Cin7's endpoints, which included contacts, branches, product categories, sales orders, and more. Following this, we built indexed views to streamline the reporting process, focusing on key areas such as current needs, sales history, order statistics, and turnover history.
Finally, we employed Power BI to develop interactive and insightful dashboards. Power BI is a business analytics service by Microsoft that provides interactive visualizations and business intelligence capabilities with an interface simple enough for end-users to create their reports and dashboards.
Outcome and Benefit
Through this approach, we ensured data consistency, improved accessibility, and actionable insights for finance and IT leaders. This holistic solution streamlined our client's reporting processes, enabling them to make data-driven decisions effectively. The use of Azure SQL for data warehousing and Power BI for reporting provided a scalable, secure, and user-friendly environment that adapts to the evolving needs of our client.