Project Description

Managing Your Growth Spurt with BI

The Challenge

A global energy trading firm was looking for a new solution to their ever increasing data issues. Trading volumes were increasing, commodities were increasing, trade counts, asset types, offices, traders, currencies – everything increasing so fast that data was becoming unmanageable. In an industry with a critical need to synthesize and homogenize disparate and complex data from all over the world, the organization knew the time had come to change platforms.

The challenge was finding that platform. The company was a firm believer in the value of Business Intelligence, and the need to create a consolidated and amalgamated view of their entire organization in metrics that remained consistent. But, they were concerned their current BI option was no longer up to the task. Conventional Business Intelligence tools run out of steam at 15 – 100 million report files, and at that size, traditional service level agreements become insufficient to handle issues. As the data warehouse reaches its limit, response time increases, creating exactly the opposite of what you need in a thriving, global reaching, fast-paced organization.

The company had worked with Chateaux on data warehouse projects in the past and knew Chateaux was aware of the limits of conventional BI tools. Chateaux also knew that moving the vast amount of highly complex data would require the least invasive method of manipulation. Online analytical processing (OLAP), offered a superior performing report structure with drag and drop and drill through capabilities. It would allow high-speed analysis of the multi-dimensional data from across the globe that the trading firm needed to collect, process, evaluate and deliver in less time that they were currently doing it. Extremely intricate and volumetric permutations of hierarchies of data – down to trading dollars and hours could then be accessed by end users like never before.

Chateaux worked with the company on creating their OLAP transition strategy. A Chateaux Center of Excellence member worked with the organization’s IT department on creating the fundamentals of critical pre-defined queries to create the most functional and valuable data views across the organization. Chateaux’s technical expertise guided the company’s personnel in learning how to best use the tool. In six weeks, the trading firm was educated on everything from back-up to recovery.

Chateaux also helped protect existing data while transforming and adding to the overall structure to reduce the risk of losing critical information as the conversion progressed. The least amount of data disturbance ensured a smooth transition.

With a second Chateaux senior consultant currently on site, the trading firm continues its massive growth spurt, now appropriately housed within a data structure that can handle it. Positive effects were seen within a couple of weeks, and the response from end users has been overwhelming. The critical nature of the trading firm’s information demands delivered data be fast, accurate, fluid, even instantaneous. Chateaux helped the company achieve that upgrade from barely contained warehouse to robust infrastructure poised for an even higher level of performance.