Industrial supplier engages Baker Tilly to streamline data setup  

Client background

This client is a prominent industrial equipment supplier with operations in the US and Canada. Specializing in the manufacturing and distribution of large service equipment, they serve a diverse set of industries, including marine, oil and gas, transportation and construction and lift markets. 

The business challenge

Over the past several years, the client expanded through multiple acquisitions, which resulted in a disparate mix of data sources with varying levels of granularity. This unorganized data landscape made it difficult for the client to gain clear insights, especially when it came to their sales data. Their existing data environment was cumbersome and inefficient, complicating the ability to analyze and report on key performance metrics across the business. 

Recognizing the need for improved efficiency, the client sought to upgrade and simplify their on-premises data environment, specifically focusing on sales data, in order to achieve better data integration and reporting consistency. The ultimate goal was to establish a centralized data warehouse that could streamline data management, enhance reporting capabilities and support future business growth. 

Strategy and solution

Baker Tilly designed an ideal data warehouse that integrated all the company’s data into one uniform structure and place. We restructured their data using the Kimball method so that the company could easily scale as their data grew. With the data in a much more usable place, we used Power BI to completely rebuild and enhance existing reporting with new KPIs and measures to help them better understand what the data is telling them. With the new and improved data warehouse, they are now set up to scale effectively and can continue to further enhance their reporting needs. 

Baker Tilly was able to implement this solution by doing the following: 

• Extract data that came from existing systems and store that data in different fact and dimension tables to allow for easy exploration 
• Recreate measures and calculations from existing KPI reporting using the new data warehouse structure that was in place 
• Enhance existing reporting with new visuals and trending charts allowing the client to better understand what the data is telling them 
• Knowledge share and ensure end users know how to use the new data structure to its full potential