DataTerrain Automation
DataTerrain’s flagship automation tool, the DataTerrain Automation engine, is a software solution developed over ten years by the company’s world-class engineering team and experienced by more than 270 customers in US and Canada since its launch in 2010. The tool helps organizations transition business intelligence (BI) reports from legacy systems to new systems.
Performs an Apples to Apples Transition
DataTerrain Automation extracts report details from a current reporting source and converts, builds, and publishes new reports to the desired target Business Intelligence (BI) reporting system. Our engineering team validates the latest reports and provides them to customers in a ready-to-use format.
DataTerrain Automation converts reports from many reporting sources (e.g., WEBI to OBIEE / OAC , Crystal reports to OBIEE / OAC, BRIO to OBIEE / OAC, Discoverer to OBIEE / OAC, Actuate to OBIEE / OAC, Crystal reports to Jasper / Quicksight, Cognos to OBIEE / OAC / Jasper / Quicksight ) and several more BI reporting destination systems. These transitions are primarily automated and typically occur at lightning speed, bringing enormous cost savings for customers otherwise facing grueling manual transition efforts.
DataTerrain Automation uses proprietary intelligence to perform the extraction, transition, and output generation phases lightning-fast. Depending on the individual report’s circumstances, DataTerrain Automation converts 80-100% of any report and fixes performance problems on the fly. DataTerrain Automation generates intelligent log files that precisely define the transition elements in the reports and metadata files for future analysis; our customers save time and cost because automation consistently beats manual transition efforts. We have demonstrated this time and again to hundreds of customers worldwide.
DataTerrain Automation experts test reports after an automated transition is complete. The multilayered testing scripts help us ensure that the layouts, dataset results, and output formats function correctly before delivering the reports to our customers. Our team built and perfected DataTerrain Automation as they converted BI reports for hundreds of industry-leading customers.
BI Reports Transition Process
DataTerrain Transition Service
Our 5-step process is simple and secure:
- Customers identify business reports they would like to convert to the newer technology of their choice.
- Customer uploads the report files (WITHOUT DATA) to DataTerrain secure server.
- DataTerrain team uses a unique DataTerrain Automation tool to convert the reports to target in minutes.
- DataTerrain applies performance fixes based on the need.
- DataTerrain team validates the reports for layouts and sample data or real data (based on the customer’s request) and produces fully usable reports in the target technology.
We adhere to industry-standard change management methods and employ project management tools to deliver on-time, cost-effective solutions. Our technical project managers ensure that all of our projects reach completion on schedule, within budget, and with 100% client satisfaction.
Metadata Files Transition
Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) contain a metadata repository database (RPD) that describes the BI Server and its multi-layer components.
• The Physical Layer is responsible for connecting to the actual tables and columns of a database/data source, with join definitions including primary/foreign keys and complex joins.
• The Business Model Layer holds the business-friendly logic that communicates with the underlying infrastructure.
• The presentation layer of a business analytics platform is visible to authorized users and offers drag-and-drop options for building business analytics.
The SAP Business Objects product has a metadata/semantic layer called the Universe file. This Universe file allows users to interact with data columns without having to know the complexities of their database or the data structure. The Universe file consists of objects (dimensions and measures), classes, and relationship definitions (joins) between classes. The Desktop Intelligence reporting and Web Intelligence reporting tools will use this Universe file to build reports and analytics. It allows users to create new reports by dragging columns, filters, conditions, etc., from the Universe file onto a business report.
Framework Manager is a metadata modeling tool that can be used to create a common business model for IBM Cognos BI. Framework Manager consists of three layers: database, logical, and presentation. The physical (or database) layer contains a database query subject for every table in the physical data model. The logical layer contains query subjects that draw data from the database query subjects and presents it in a friendly format. The presentation layer renders content for authorized users in a business-friendly format that is most meaningful.
DataTerrain automation tools can extract metadata information from all three layers of SAP and IBM BI or Oracle products and transport that information to any metadata layer of analytics products.
Flexible Price Model
DataTerrain has devised a system for assessing the complexity of reports. We have four complexity levels: Simple, Medium, Complex and Ultra-complex. The complexity level of every report varies. For example, a report with several formulas and many tabs requires more testing and validation than a simpler report. In our years of experience in transition automation, we have not seen any project with Ultra-complex reports making up more than 1 to 2% of the project’s total size. Most reports fall within the Simple and Medium complexity levels, with sporadic exceptions in the real world. Each complexity level has pricing attached, and we provide substantial volume discounts on our list price.
Why reports Transition?
- Moving from legacy to new technology.
- Preserving years of efforts spent on report designs.
- Continuing business-critical reports.
- Consolidating into a single, corporate-wide analytics architecture.
- Total cost of ownership of reporting infrastructure.
- New data warehouse or business needs.
DataTerrain BI Transition Project Management
DataTerrain’s transition-as-a-service program includes the use of our DataTerrain Automation tool. The project contains the following elements:
Project Startup
DataTerrain works with you to create a roadmap and transition plan. During this process, we inventory all current reports that you have identified as part of the transition plan, take advantage of this opportunity to remove obsolete reports and re-architect or standardize reports to make them more usable, improve their performance, or introduce functional changes to make existing reports available to a broader audience. We also address the security aspect of reporting and metadata.
- Assignment of a project manager
- Client Orientation – Introduction to communication protocols, change management tools, setting expectations, etc.
- Learning and adapting to client-specific needs
- Initial classification of reports as Small, Medium, or Complex
- Refine estimates of project costs and timeline goals
- Detailed project plan
Project Management
DataTerrain project managers work closely with clients to coordinate all aspects of an ongoing project and ensure client satisfaction. The DataTerrain team uses DataTerrain Automation to transition reports, providing converted, tested, and immediately usable reports for clients.
Flexibility
- DataTerrain is ready to handle any size BI project, whether you need one report or several hundred. We can meet your transition needs as they arise.
- We make sure customers are satisfied with the performance of the reports.
- DataTerrain provides clients with resources throughout the complete transition cycle so that clients will be able to operate independently.