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TEAM Computers, a leading IT Infrastructure Solution provider in India, was looking to leverage its vast pool of data to support its ambitious growth plans. The company wanted to proactively manage its day-to-day business operations to maximize revenue. The challenge was to find a solution that could provide a unified view of data pulled from multiple sources, improve performance, and offer better control over productivity.

ThedaCare, the largest healthcare provider and employer in Northeast Wisconsin, was facing challenges with its existing reporting systems. The systems were becoming cumbersome and not user-friendly. Ad hoc requests required end users to have IT develop the report. The process could take days to answer business and clinical questions—a situation worsening with increasing data volume. With 43 customer sites, 5400 employees and a commitment to improve healthcare value for its employer plan purchasers and 225,000 patients annually, ThedaCare needed to upgrade its reporting tools—but not at the high capital investment in server hardware and software licenses that its existing dependence on SAP Crystal Reports would require.

ThiemeMeulenhoff, one of the three largest educational publishers in the Netherlands, was facing several challenges. The company needed to allow management access to the latest information to gauge performance and allow staff to select and interpret data without the requirement for IT. They also needed to upgrade their reporting to comply with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and transition from a paper-based to a digital information flow. The company was also implementing a timesheet system that still needed a report module. They had the option of choosing between a traditional system, which produced reams of paper lists on a daily, weekly and monthly basis – heavily supported by their IT department – or a more modern Business Intelligence (BI) solution.

Tommy Hilfiger's head office databases are periodically updated with data that’s necessary for the work of all group companies and partners. The Russian representative office receives these updates in the form of Excel files from the head office. Head office uses the Oracle and SAP software, and the Russian partners use several different configurations of 1С:Enteprise business management software and other vendor systems. Another challenge was the timely receipt of sales reports from the Russian partners. The supervision system requires partners to provide weekly sales reports to the Moscow office and each of the 12 partner companies keeps daily accounting of sales in spreadsheets or in various accounting systems. At the end of each week, the data is emailed to Moscow, where it is manually consolidated into a report. As the data gathering and consolidation process was lengthy, the Moscow office would often experience delays in receiving information. Moreover, all reports consisted of ‘raw’ figures, which had to be processed and analyzed for a long time before any decision could be made.

Toshiba Europe, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, was seeking to improve its service quality, measure the performance of its outsourcing partners, and optimize its spare parts procedures. The company's customer service is supported in eight European countries by external customer contact centres that handle around 60,000 calls a month. The company wanted an analysis solution that could check whether the agreed service levels were being met by monitoring various key performance indicators (KPIs). In the repairs department, the aim was to analyse turn-round times on individual orders, so as to manage more efficiently the repairs and necessary logistics processes. The company was looking for an analysis solution that could be installed simply and quickly and then flexibly operated by the European specialist operations department itself. The system should avoid taking a toll on internal IT resources or incurring cost-intensive days spent on site by external consultants, as well as being capable of collating and analysing data without needing a special data warehouse.

Tulikivi Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of heat-retaining fireplaces, adopted a new, product group-based strategy. In line with the new strategy, the company wanted to analyse business information more efficiently. Previously, meetings dragged on while waiting for information, and in many cases the information received was not the information that was agreed on. Further challenges included slow reporting and software, which resulted in waiting for analyses. In the old days, it was a challenge to compile reports manually quickly enough. The software was too slow and they had to wait for analyses. Meetings dragged on and the reports that were produced did not always meet the actual need. Distribution of reports was another problem.

TVH experienced rapid growth due to several successful takeovers, leading to a significant increase in data volume. Their existing reporting system, which relied heavily on Excel, was unable to handle the increased data load, resulting in slow processing times and a lack of clear overview. The company was using multiple data sources, including AS400, Oracle, and Progress, which further complicated the situation. The old system lacked flexibility and was unable to make necessary links, leading to insufficient collection of sales, customer, and item-related information. There was an urgent need for a new reporting system.

UWV, a governmental organization in the Netherlands, was facing the challenge of replacing all paper and static reporting with dynamic models for reporting and analysis, directly tuned to the information requirements of the users. The volume of paper reports within the HRM department was growing continuously, with each report being created manually with data from the personnel information management system. The departmental management team wanted to replace these reports, which were already dated the day they were distributed, with automated, 24/7, dynamic reports presented in an easy to use dashboard environment with slice and dice and drill down functionality.

Van Oirschot, a supplier of heating and installation materials for professional installers in Flanders, was facing the challenge of implementing a reporting and analysis tool that ensures consistent information provision and provides easier insight into Microsoft Navision data. The company operates five branches and a central distribution centre in Flanders. It creates added value by handling additional aspects for its customers, such as transport, stocking, provision of credit, collection and splitting, packaging and repackaging, services, guarantees, returns, information provision and training. However, it was crucial for the company to remain competitive and innovative in the face of increasing competition, chain integration and cost pressure. Moreover, their customers were expecting greater flexibility, longer opening hours and automated ordering processes.

Vellinge Municipality was facing a challenge of analyzing information residing in disparate source systems. They needed stronger controls in order to reduce overall operating costs. The solution required was one that could be used by employees lacking formal finance training and background. The municipality had a policy of keeping the income tax rates low, which meant that everyone in the organization needed to review all costs associated with every departmental decision. This involved approximately 10 controllers and 60 managers with budget responsibility sitting in different locations. Before implementing QlikView, they had to compare printouts from different systems manually to compile the information. In many cases, they even had to manage without the necessary information.

VIP Parts, Tires & Service, the largest privately owned US automotive aftermarket retail chain, was facing several challenges. The company wanted to replace its one-dimensional merchandising hierarchy reporting with multilevel merchandising and business unit views. They were also struggling with integrating disparate data from multiple systems. The company was seeking to increase the visibility of operational KPIs throughout the organization. The company's sophisticated business footprint spans retail, wholesale, fleet, and commercial divisions, making it crucial to have a comprehensive and integrated view of all operations.

VSE Corporation, a diversified government contractor, was facing challenges in managing the business side of its large-scale projects. The company was struggling with real-time data gathering for current project analysis, which hindered its understanding of the financial status of ongoing projects. This delay in data gathering and analysis led to incorrect invoicing and backlog tracking, causing payment delays from customers. If a project stalled and did not complete on time and on budget, it could have significant consequences for VSE and other government contractors. The company also needed to effectively handle labor utilization and risk assessment to ensure employees were as chargeable as possible and there was financial support for unplanned projects. VSE's previous Business Intelligence capabilities were complex, inflexible, and failed to provide a standardized view of data.

Wanbury, a rapidly expanding pharmaceutical company in India, was facing challenges in accessing and analyzing its 'big data'. The company's business was growing and it needed to improve its business discovery capacity to cater to an increasingly mobile executive team and enable complex analysis of large data sets. The company was previously using a system of exporting data from various standalone applications into Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to generate largely static BI reports. This system had several drawbacks, including reduced accountability for, and visibility of, organizational and individual performance. This often delayed decision making by senior management and heads of departments. The reporting solution was also unable to provide analysis trending capabilities to executives who were on the move or away from the office.

WD-40, a global consumer products organization, was facing challenges in analyzing reported data and gaining insights into customer behavior. The company was relying on hard copy weekly reports to provide crucial business detail, which was putting increasing pressure on the IT department to produce more meaningful sales information in a user-friendly, real-time application. The traditional reports created by the company’s previous ERP system were both costly to produce and lacked important detail. A data analysis tool was needed to support WD-40’s growing business and to ease the pressure on IT resources. The company also needed applications that would support, speed up and simplify financial reporting to its parent in the US, a logistics application for better order-to-delivery efficiency and pan-European sales analysis for proactive management.

WECO Pyrotechnische Fabrik, a leading fireworks producer in Europe, faced challenges in managing its multi-stage in-house production system and purchasing merchandise from abroad. The company required accurate logistics planning to ensure all branch outlets received their stocks in time for New Year’s Eve sales. The same level of accuracy was needed for planning production and import schedules. For a long time, data analysis was done using Microsoft Dynamics NAV business management software coupled with individually programmed reports. However, this procedure proved to be time-consuming and error-prone. The data was first exported from the inventory management system into various different Excel worksheets and then collated. This process led to errors and could only assess and optimise processes in retrospect.

Wegter, a non-food wholesaler, was facing several challenges. They needed a faster business analysis for their customers and a reduction in the time it took to generate reports on licensing and royalty agreements. Their customers were also demanding more detailed reports on available inventory, delivery schedules, and royalties. The company was using different packages to retrieve data, organize it, and present it, which was inefficient and time-consuming. They were also struggling to meet their customers' demand for a delivery reliability rate of more than 92 percent.

Weir Services, a part of The Weir Group, a global engineering services company, needed an ERP reporting tool capable of delivering quick, executive-level, dashboard views of division operations and finances to ensure optimal performance levels. The company had been sharing an ERP system with the Group’s Weir Pumps manufacturing business and recognized the need to implement its own ERP solution for its various facilities in the U.K, Middle East, and potentially other facilities around the world. The company wanted to leverage the invaluable data locked in its systems from Movex and SAP to its Environmental, Health and Safety system.

Yamaha Music Europe, a subsidiary of Yamaha Corporation of Japan, is responsible for selling Yamaha musical instruments and audio-visual equipment across Europe. The company faced the challenge of harmonizing sales logistics and other data from six European sales divisions. They needed to unify all information into a single BI tool to facilitate cross-selling and upselling across Europe. The company also wanted to offer managers tools for immediate ad hoc query and analysis of data. Prior to the consolidation, the six subsidiaries held business critical information in disparate databases. From a business perspective, Yamaha was keen to improve the potential for cross selling and upselling across the region to take advantage of the growing integration of European markets and the growth of sales via internet.

York Minster, a world-renowned cathedral, is a large organization with around 150 employees and 500 volunteer workers. The operational costs of the Minster are incredibly high, amounting to £9 per minute, 24 hours a day. As a registered charity, it depends on donations and visitors fees to survive. This means that the Minster has had to become increasingly aware of its income streams in order to improve margins and keep reinvesting in its many community and regeneration projects. The IT department is relatively small, with two employees including IT Manager David Wilkinson. Wilkinson also acts as Assistant to the Chief Accountant, and it is this dual role that brought him to QlikView. “When we started charging for entry into the Minster, we needed to be able to analyse visitor trends and tills data. We also wanted to identify where we were improving, especially how much income was coming through from GiftAid and the sale of guide books,” says Wilkinson.

The Réunion Southern Regional Hospital was facing challenges in accessing data from numerous sources and systems. They were using simple single-database query tools which were insufficient to allow users to efficiently access all data. The hospital needed a solution that could integrate data from various different sources and systems, and provide instant access to greater amounts of information in the form of visually rich interactive dashboards, and reports. They also needed a solution that could deliver greater independence and self-sufficiency for users.

Globus, a retail chain of supermarkets, was facing challenges in reducing time to value, consolidating data from multiple unstructured sources, and gaining better insight into ongoing campaigns and promotions to increase the efficiency and profitability of operations. The management information system used by Globus was provided by an external company and was based on static Excel reports published in a web environment. The online reporting system could only use a limited number of dimensions and as a result many decisive processes were based on not completely identical outputs, while some reports were not available at all and many were created by manually copying from various systems into Excel tables.

Health Market Science (HMS) is a leading manufacturer of healthcare provider data in the United States. The company's flagship product, the HMS Provider Master File, includes detailed reference information for over 4.5 million individual practitioners and 1.0 million healthcare organizations. However, the company faced challenges in continuously tracking, integrating, analyzing, cleansing, and packaging millions of records of data from thousands of sources. The company's business analysts depended on as many as three programmers to write SQL code for a new, complex analysis. This process was time-consuming and sometimes led to different answers to a query depending on who was writing the code. HMS needed a solution that would enable business analysts to analyze data without support from programmers and meet requirements without the cost, complexity, and time required by traditional OLAP cube solutions.

IDG Denmark, a business unit of IDG, world’s leading technology media, research, and event company, was facing challenges with data analysis. Their business processes were supported by a Siebel® CRM system and a MBS (Microsoft® Business Solutions) Navision ERP system, which churned out static paper reports. Analysis of data across systems was only possible by manual creation of spreadsheets – a tedious and risky process which provided outdated information. With millions of lines of data to analyze, Excel® exceeded the ability to provide IDG Denmark with the needed detail. The company had limited resources to do this – both on staff and financially. They needed a powerful, yet easy-to-use Business Intelligence tool for interactive data analysis, enabling IDG Denmark to effectively and proactively monitor, manage, and optimize the business.

Laureate Education Asia, a part of the Laureate International Universities network, was facing challenges in financial forecasting and reporting. The process of preparing monthly analysis and reporting at their regional office was time-consuming, taking up to seven hours to run a comparison of financial performance of their different institutions from Oracle Hyperion. They wanted to reduce this time and improve the quality of their reporting. They also wanted to enable their staff to archive their own data and extract forecasts on a self-service basis for quicker decision-making.

Purity Life Health Products LP, a leading distributor of natural health products in Canada, was facing challenges with its legacy system for business data analysis. The system was cumbersome and only a few employees had access to useful and timely data. This lack of data accessibility and transparency was hindering work efficiency and visibility into the business. The company needed a solution that would liberate its data and make it accessible to more people within the organization.

Direct Relief, a global humanitarian aid organization, faced a significant challenge in managing its supply chain. The unpredictable nature of world events and the receipt of products from donors made it difficult to plan and execute logistics efficiently. Furthermore, the organization had to deal with medical products with expiration dates stored in warehouses worldwide. The complexities of shipping times and customs protocols posed a risk of these products being wasted unless Direct Relief could move quickly and maintain full visibility of their supply chain. The data essential for this agility and visibility was trapped in their SAP system, making it inaccessible for effective decision-making.

Medair, a humanitarian organization, was facing a challenge in gathering and analyzing data from the field. They were using Open Data Toolkit (ODK) to collect health and nutrition metrics in the field, which would drive their programming and the work of other NGOs in the region. However, they needed specific analytic visualization to better understand the survey data and respond most effectively with their program work. The potential for impact was enormous, as the data would be used by hundreds of personnel working in the region daily to make better-informed decisions and save more lives.

IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics, and expertise, was facing challenges in providing effective SAP user support due to the tightly controlled and audited nature of its SAP production system. The system required multiple layers of authorization to access any data, which often resulted in delays before access to production was granted. Prior to implementing Qlik Gold Client, Markit was manually creating, matching, and reviewing a massive amount of information to mimic production data in QA, which was proving to be an inefficient process. The company was looking for a solution that could reduce the excessive use of Firefighter access while still addressing compliance issues.

BITMARCK, the largest full-service provider in the German IT market for statutory health insurance, needed to streamline data integration and enable self-service, real-time business intelligence for its customers. The public health insurance companies use information to measure customer retention and turnover, generate financial reports, manage cash flow, and estimate risk. To support customers’ business intelligence and analytics initiatives, the BITMARCK team routinely had to gather data from several different technical sources and move it into a central target. These data sources ranged from IBM DB2 to MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Informix. BITMARCK had been using IBM Q Replication, but this solution only supported replication between DB2 sources and targets. To replicate data to other sources, the BITMARCK team had to do lots of SQL scripting or use proprietary programs.

DomainPower, a leading real-time bidding exchange connecting online advertisers to rich native advertising inventory, was dealing with a high volume of transactional data from its online auctions. The company recognized the need for a data warehouse to analyze market trends related to its supply inventory and the value of advertising. They decided to explore Amazon Web Services, but the daily source data changes proved to be a challenge. Daily batch data updates between DomainPower’s on-premises Microsoft SQL Server system and an Amazon Redshift data warehouse would not meet the business needs. This represented an obstacle to using Amazon Redshift, since keeping the environments in sync might require significant development effort and ongoing maintenance.