Build on a strong foundation
The data warehouse is the foundation on which effective business intelligence is built as it collects data from multiple sources within the company and collates it in a central location, creating a single version of the truth. It provides business managers with the ability to store and easily access accurate and timely information to drive the business forward.
When creating a data warehouse the configuration should be driven by the business and information needs of the organisation in order to be the most effective. Our deployment methodology ensures that the individual business needs of the customer are embedded in the ultimate product.
The model provides an open architecture that is both scalable and flexible to adapt to the changing needs of your organisation. Access to the information is through a variety of methods including the use of business analytics, visualisation, monitoring, and reporting.
Benefits include:
- uses a common data model
- integrates data from multiple sources
- cleansing of data when imported
- fast retrieval of data
- facilitates reporting and monitoring.
Data marts typically will be created for claims, a particular class of business, sales etc. These data marts will feed from the central data warehouse or database.
Project examples
Large insurance intermediary
We designed and built an underwriting data warehouse solution to provide corporate KPIs and analytical views over a variety of underwriting source systems. This solution supported the extract, transform and load of approximately 8 branch sources into a common centrally stored corporate data warehouse.
This solution was built on the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 platform using components such as SQL 2005 database engine (using 2005 enhancements), SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) as the ETL Tool, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) to provide multi-dimensional analysis, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) to provide key performance indicator reports and ProClarity Analytical Platform suite of products. Microsoft SharePoint Services was used to bring all these components together in a seamless environment where users can analyse KPIs via analytical cubes/reports.
Using the same Microsoft technologies we also designed and built a broking data warehouse solution to provide corporate KPIs and analytical views over the varying broking source systems. This involved loading data from approximately 40 branch sources into the corporate data warehouse.
As a result, reporting improved from 3 months to 3 days, executives now have the ability to analyse data, there is one view of the business across the whole group, there is one monthly report at a touch of a button and there is flexibility for continued growth.
Underwriting and broking insurance group
This was a joint project between Moore Stephens and CGI (supplier of the client's underwriting / broking systems). CGI was responsible for the data extracts from source systems. Moore Stephens was responsible for the design and build of the motor insurance data warehouse solution that combined both the underwriting and broking divisions. This solution was built on the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 platform using components such as SQL Server Analysis Services to build OLAP cubes and ProClarity aAnalytical suite of products to provide functionally rich dashboard/analytical views of the data.
Leading insurance services provider
Upgrade of existing data warehouse and BI solutions from SQL Server 2000 to 2005. Assisted in the database conversion, the auditing of figures at all stages of the conversion, the upgrade of cubes, ETL and jobs within Analysis Services and the updating of front-end views.
Speciality insurer and reinsurer
We developed the enterprise wide data warehouse and analytics solution, using SQL Server 2000, Analysis Services 2000 and the ProClarity 6.1 suite, for this major insurer, which began business in 2001 using the IRIS underwriting system and the warehouse was introduced in April 2004, with the data being fed from IRIS 1 and IRIS 2. Initial phase tracked premium and claims data for underwriters, but phase 2 remodelled this data to provide analytics for finance users too. This was further enhanced to be the source of their accounting data by taking a feed from the warehouse into SUN accounts. The whole warehouse is updated nightly.
Lloyd's Syndicate
This project involved designing and building an underwriting data warehouse based on the Intech system in order to support analysis of premiums, claims and loss ratios (using USM / SCM data feeds from the source application). The aim of the project was to move away from running reports against the live transactional system and instead against a multi-dimensional data store. ProClarity Desktop Professional was used as the main analytical tool as well as Crystal Enterprise Server. This was an on-site consulting role for Moore Stephens and our consultants spent many months at the client's including as lead technical architect.