Why do I work with Business Intelligence?

I love working with BI because it is all encompassing both in terms of business and technology. This poses a great challenge which, when solved correctly, provides even greater value to my clients.

My main goal is to make sure that the BI tools I contribute to enable clients to save time/money, help them become more efficient in performing daily tasks and give them new insights into their business.

Here are some projects that I have worked on:

Approved ITSM

Together with Approved AB we created a solution which is tailored for reporting and analyzing IT Operations data in accordance to standards of ITIL Framework.

In this project, I acted as business analyst/solution architect.

The deliverables of this project were:

  • Deciphered structures of the original data source;
  • Design of the new data model which supports responsive reporting needs;
  • ETL procedures for loading the data;
  • Design of automated flows to Data Mining models for daily training;
  • Design and delivery of report package.

Techniques and technologies used:

  • Agile prototyping;
  • MS BI Suite (SQL, SSAS, SSIS, SSRS).

The complete solution not only allows to make sure service delivery is in accordance to agreed SLA levels but also is used by clients as a base for continuous improvements and proactive IT Service Management.

You can read more about ITSA project here.

Pricing

In this project, I contributed in creating an analytical platform which helped a leading wound care product manufacturer regain control of their world-wide pricing policies and put price erosion under control.

The tricky part of dealing with price management lies within the complexity behind the numbers and numerous methodologies to calculate the effect that price changes have on the bottom line result.

In my role as business analyst/project manager I helped the business come to an agreement and choose the methodology that was most suited for their needs.

Techniques and technologies used:

  • Agile prototyping;
  • MS BI Suite (SQL, SSAS, SSIS);
  • Cognos 8 as reporting engine.

Finance

Acting as solution architect I implemented a complete makeover of an old excel-based solution for financial reporting which helped my client gain efficiency and accuracy within closing procedures.

Subsequently I redesigned the existing financial report package from a file share solution to an online reporting system based on Cognos 10 reports. By moving away from static excel files we managed to:

  • Secure the solution so that only relevant data is available to each user;
  • Reduce report redundancy by minimizing the number of reports;
  • Fully automate data flows which helped to:
    • Reduce working time spent on report preparation;
    • Shorten the monthly closing procedures;
    • Increase accuracy.
  • Increase readability of reports by applying good design principles.

Techniques used:

  • Cognos 10 Report Studio
  • MS SQL Server, SSAS
  • Perceptual Edge report design guidelines

Factory Optimisation

I designed and developed a factory optimization BI solution.

The analytical algorithms were implemented in MS Analysis Services cube which was used to review factory workloads and optimize staffing.

The result was decreased employee idle time and increased efficiency in work schedules.

Techniques and technologies used:

  • MS BI Suite (SQL, SSAS, SSIS);
  • MS Excel as reporting frontend.

Sales

Solution consisted of a custom data layer made up of SQL database and Cognos FM model.

Custom report packages were designed and developed by country group. The solution is intended to give better understanding of sales throughout international organization and helps follow up sales performance.

My role was to design, develop and roll out the solution by market.

Techniques and technologies used:

  • MS BI (SQL, SSIS);
  • Cognos Framework Manager, Cognos Series 8/10 Report Studio.

Customer profitability

Technical design and development of a sales solution which is used to gauge customer profitability and increase world-wide sales performance.

I designed a new data model for the sales solution which was hosted on a Cognos Transformer cube. C7 series cube was subsequently used as a data source for all the Cognos reports.

Education

Most recent courses that I have attended:

2014 – ITIL V2.0
2013 – SQL Server 2012
2012 – Report Design and Data Presentation Techniques
2011 – Advanced Analysis Services
2008 – Cognos Advanced Reporting