A global leader in gift cards and stored value services, operating in over 50 countries, processes more than 1.3 billion transactions annually for its clients. Known for pioneering customer engagement strategies and delivering an average 350% increase in gift card sales for new clients in the first year, this company has expanded its product offerings across industries like travel, apparel, dining, and e-commerce. To support this growth, they developed advanced analytics and reporting services, crucial for enhancing customer acquisition, retention, and long-term business growth.
However, as the company scaled, its legacy reporting platform, Business Objects (BO), became less efficient in addressing the unique and evolving needs of its diverse client base. With increasing data complexity, inflexible reporting capabilities, and rising licensing costs, the leadership team decided to migrate to Jaspersoft, an open-source reporting platform known for its flexibility and customizability.
Key benefits expected from the migration included:
To ensure a seamless transition, the company partnered with DataTerrain, a leader in BI platform migrations. With a proven track record and an automation-driven methodology, DataTerrain was well-positioned to handle the complex migration process.
DataTerrain’s unique approach is rooted in its zero-defects philosophy, which focuses on minimizing business disruption while ensuring accurate migration. The phased approach included the following key steps:
1. AS-IS Assessment and Planning
DataTerrain began with a comprehensive assessment of the company’s existing BO reporting environment. This was achieved using proprietary tools to gather essential details such as:
This detailed assessment enabled DataTerrain to create a component-wise plan for migration. Stakeholder interactions ensured that any required adjustments were prioritized, and timelines were agreed upon.
2. Automated Migration and Validation
DataTerrain’s automated migration utility was configured based on the AS-IS analysis. Key tasks in this phase included:
Validation was performed automatically, ensuring that data outputs from Jaspersoft matched those from BO. For example, Jaspersoft’s Excel properties were used to compare migrated Excel reports, ensuring no discrepancies such as cell merging.
3. User Validation and Rollout
Stakeholder involvement throughout the process meant that the user validation phase proceeded smoothly. Users tested and validated migrated reports based on the project plan before the final rollout.
Customer feedback highlighted several key aspects that made a significant difference:
1. Skilled SME Pool
DataTerrain’s team of experts in both BO and Jaspersoft platforms provided efficient solutions for unique requirements, such as multi-tabbed Excel outputs and dynamic queries using runtime parameters. The ability to quickly identify and address challenges was pivotal to the project’s success.
2. Best Practices Implementation
SMEs implemented best practices throughout the migration process, including query tuning and maximizing the use of standard Jaspersoft features. These optimizations improved user productivity and reduced the technical debt associated with legacy reports.
3. Global Delivery Model
DataTerrain’s global delivery model ensured around-the-clock progress using a follow-the-sun approach, accelerating the project timeline and ensuring on-time delivery.
By migrating from Business Objects to Jaspersoft, the global gift card provider has reduced costs, improved reporting flexibility, and provided a superior experience for its end customers. DataTerrain’s expertise in automated migration ensured minimal disruption to business operations while delivering a seamless transition to the new platform.
With Jaspersoft’s robust reporting capabilities, the company can now support its diverse client base more efficiently, providing enhanced analytics and data insights for long-term growth.
References