The Challenge

This Global Engineering organization is undergoing a program of work that includes the deployment of three projects – ERP, CRM, and BI across the EMEA division. The main driver for the program was the deployment of a consolidated and up-to-date ERP platform using JD Edwards to replace a business-critical ERP solution.

 

The BI Project aimed to replace the legacy Cognos platform with a Modern Data Platform on Microsoft Azure, delivering a lower-cost, agile reporting tool that enabled a consolidated and accurate view of key business information, better supporting business decisions, and reducing the need for manual reporting. Adatis was charged with delivering the Modern Data Platform component of the program.

 

Some main drivers were:

 

  • Replacing complex legacy systems with increasing maintenance costs with a more cost-effective BI Platform.
  • Providing a consolidated and accurate reporting platform with ERP and CRM data that is trusted by the business.
  • Reducing manual manipulation and time spent on non-value activities.

The Solution

The data platform consisted of PaaS only Azure components (Data Lake for raw storage, Azure DW for curated storage, Data Factory for ingestion and orchestration, and Data Bricks for transformation, with Analysis Services and Power BI forming the presentation layer).

 

The first phase delivered the entire base platform, ingesting CRM data from a region into the lake with a thin slice through the entire architecture. In parallel, Power BI was used to prototype additional use cases, which were used to feed into the next phase requirements. This ensured that the highest value, highest priority scope items were always being worked on to deliver maximum value. The blueprint for the first region was then rolled out across multiple regions using Adatis’ Managed Service team to provide a low-cost, repeatable rollout process.

 

The second development phase was focused on bringing ERP data into the platform while the global rollout of CRM regions continued.

The Key Results

The platform provides an easy-to-use, flexible global reporting platform for all users who need information from the company’s two major platforms, ERP and CRM. It also provides a flexible and extensible solution that made global rollout and onboarding of additional sources relatively easy.

 

One of the key learnings was to maintain tight involvement of the client team and business, even in a model where Adatis was given responsibility to deliver one element of the program. Another key learning was that communication and coordination with other dependent streams is critical to ensure that all parties were working towards the common goals of the program, not just focused on their own deliverable in isolation.

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