Comprised of six divisions, with 52 locations spanning six states, Kendall Group serves the electrical, automation, pipe, valve and fitting products, steam, lighting, and industrial control and instrumentation industries.
In 2016, Kendall Group came to CQL looking for a solution to consolidate, store, and report on their data from a single warehouse. We provided business intelligence solutions that would effectively organize and centralize their data, allowing Kendall executives and managers to customize their reporting dashboards based on their division within the company. With CQL’s deep understanding and expertise in data warehousing and data management, Kendall was able to better understand their data and execute strategic business decisions derived from accurate and consolidated analytics.
Kendall was operating on an outdated legacy system that proved difficult in display functionality, flexibility, and ability to generate custom reports. Kendall needed a centralized data system that allowed them to access, extract, and group their analytics based on various degrees of security.
CQL formed a model that could be flexible enough to group data for specific divisions within Kendall, search and display dashboard tools, and standardize analytic functions. A SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) system was used to aggregate their data and allow Kendall to build detailed, custom reports.
The SSAS system enables Kendall to track the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), account manager data, and cost savings. In turn, this allows them to better forecast changes in the market, and to better adapt to current and upcoming industry trends.
We crafted a custom data solution that ensured secure and seamless integration with existing systems while reducing manual effort.
Using the Kimball Data Model and a model of the Kendall ERP system, we created, constructed, and organized their data into a dimensional data warehouse which streamlined data processing and enabled custom reporting dashboards with security clearance rules.
We extracted existing data into a new relational database that made locating and accessing specific values easier. Additionally, we utilized SSAS and developed calculations to enable complex security rules for both ad hoc and prebuilt queries.
The SSAS uses near-real-time data that reports against many deliverables, thus allowing in-depth reporting at very high speeds. SSAS tools also allow Kendall to create secure, rules-based reporting dashboards that run seamlessly on both desktop and mobile (iOS and Android).
By implementing a business intelligence warehouse and analytics engine that supports multiple functions used by different departments in a shared database, Kendall customized their Business Tools according to the users’ security clearance. Depending on the user, the Business Tool displays a dashboard with P&L Permissions, custom buylines, price lines, commission groups, and more. Kendall now has a tool that provides visibility into their current environment with room to grow and expand as their needs change.
