Artesa, spořitelní družstvo
Artesa is a savings cooperative that provides financial products in the areas of current accounts, savings accounts, loans and time deposits. With more than 3,500 members and branches in Prague and Ostrava, it specialises in convenient savings terms, with time deposits being its main strength. The company uses Oracle core banking system and Microsoft products including MS Office M365 for daily office work.
Customer request
Artesa decided to modernize its Business Intelligence (BI) environment, which is simultaneously implemented using Microsoft Excel. The goal was to integrate the data into a data warehouse and develop automated reporting on the Power BI platform, with the resulting solution to be partially maintained, modified and developed by internal analysts. In addition to the automation of the data preparation process, an important part of the solution is to provide data preparation for the external firm ARITON, which provides regulatory reporting for the CNB.
The project was divided into two phases:
Phase 1 – Analysis of the current environment – mapping of source systems and data sources and design of the BI solution.
Phase 2 – Implementation of data warehouse, reporting system and data governance.
This case study focuses only on Phase 1, which consisted of the analysis and design of the BI solution architecture, including the design of the implementation process.
Solution
In the first phase of the project, a detailed analysis of the current environment and the design of a solution for the BI platform in Artesa was carried out. This proposal focused on the following key areas:
BI solution architecture design
The analysis of the current infrastructure led to the design of a data warehouse on the Microsoft SQL Server platform. The goal was to centralize the data and optimize it for reporting and analytics. An architecture for efficient data integration was designed to connect all internal and external data sources and manage this data for reporting purposes. The design also included a data layer structure that enables efficient data management and analysis.
Installation and configuration of BI components
To implement the proposed solution, the necessary BI components were specified, including tools for data integration (ETL), analysis and reporting. During this phase, the Power BI platform was prepared, including the provision of all necessary security and administrative processes to manage user rights and data access.
Development of the data warehouse
Based on the analysis of the source data, a data warehouse structure was designed that included both a layer for replication of all source data for further analysis and a layer for reporting and visualizations. Rules for ETL processes were designed to enable incremental data processing and ensure high data quality.
Introduction of Data Governance
During the first phase of the project, the basic structure for Data Governance was designed. This included cataloguing the source data, establishing roles and responsibilities for data governance, creating a business glossary to better understand data terminologies, and establishing processes to ensure data quality. The proposed system allows for efficient management and documentation of data and reports for use in analytical processes.
Design process and implementation phases A detailed implementation plan was designed that included phased steps for deploying the data warehouse, implementing BI components, implementing Data Governance and configuring Power BI for reporting. The plan was designed with the view that each step would contribute to the development and effectiveness of the overall BI platform, with a strong emphasis on flexibility for users to easily develop their own reports.
Benefits
Thanks to the professional analysis of user requirements, mapping of data sources and design of the solution according to modern principles of data warehousing and data governance, Artesa obtained a detailed basis for the tender for the subsequent supplier.
These documents and the solution design allow potential suppliers to efficiently estimate the implementation workload and submit easily comparable bids, which enables the selection of the most suitable supplier and limits the risk of subsequent multiple works thanks to a clear scope definition.
Technologies used
To implement the proposed BI solution for Artesa, we recommended using Microsoft SQL Server as the main platform for the data warehouse, which will serve as a central source of data for reporting and analytics.
The data will be integrated in an automated manner using MSSQL Integration Services (SSIS), ensuring efficient data transfer between systems. The Power BI platform will be used for reporting and data visualization, enabling the creation of interactive reports.
In the area of Master Data Management (MDM), we have recommended the client to implement key data management tools, but the final choice of solution is their decision.
Similarly in the area of Data Governance, where we recommend the implementation of tools for data cataloguing, access control and data quality monitoring, but again we leave the choice of the specific solution to the client.
The overall solution will run on the existing on-premise infrastructure, which is compatible with the current Artesa technology environment.