CMBS Wrangles Multi-Source Data for Analytics with Voracity
"Voracity is the Most Flexible Data Integration Tool on the Market"
Reviewer Profile
IT Consultant
IRI Voracity
2018
Objective
Improve the organization's decision-making and data science capacity through faster data preparation and enhanced data pipeline management.
Criteria
- Works with multiple data sources
- Database vendor agnostic
- Can be automated
- Can integrate with open source technologies
- Short learning curve (for experienced data professionals)
- Highly price-performant
Hardware
- Unix-based backend
- Windows or Mac frontend
- Cloud-reporting access
Problem
Analysis Speed
Cumbersome and time-consuming methods for data analysis
Solutions
Voracity (CoSort)
Merge, filter, sort, and calculate aggregate data for visualization and analytics.
BIRT
Standardize and automate reporting deliverables in Vorcity
Python
Develop and deploy dashboards
Benefits
- Scalable data mining and BI reporting tools
- Better data analytics and visualization tools
Results
Reduce report generation time and manpower by 50%
Problem
Megavendor Costs
High cost (time & money) of traditional BI vendor solutions
Solutions
PostgreSQL
Open source backend database platform
Voracity
Cross-platform data integration
BIRT
Free reporting tools
Python Libraries
Open source libraries for analysis and visualization
Benefits
- Greater flexibility to integrate a variety of data sources and frontend tools
- Eliminate or greatly reduce vendor platform lock-in
Results
Implement an enterprise BI/DW solution that is at least half the cost of comparable Microsoft or Oracle Cloud solutions
Problem
Data Collection
Manual collection of sales and inventory data from each store
Solutions
PostgreSQL
Store sales and inventory information in a data warehouse
Voracity (NextForm)
Load CSV files into the warehouse
Benefits
- Faster data delivery
- Increase data quality and integrity
- Enhance enterprise BI/DS capabilities
Results
Reduce routine data consolidation times by 50%
Problem
Skills Gap
Shortage of expertise to leverage latest Data Science and Big Data technologies
Solutions
Voracity (Workbench)
Manage data preparation and integration tasks
Build and manage data pipelines to integrate with various data sources, including flat files and databases (relation and non-relational)
Paves the way for organization to better adapt to Big Data technologies
Benefits
- Bridge the gap between leveraging traditional BI solutions and new Big Data technologies
- Eliminate need for custom programming
- Control labor costs
Results
Only needed 1 senior data professional
Retrained 1-3 internal employees for junior data professional roles
Problem
PII Security
Protect sensitive customer and business information
Solutions
Voracity (FieldShield)
Encrypt, redacts, etc. sensitive data (PII)
Manage data access based on user roles
Benefits
- Facilitate compliance with various data security regulations
Results
Data protection mechanisms comply with 90%-95% of data security regulations
Overall User Rating: 
Overall Feedback
Overall Comment
Benefits
Greater flexibility to integrate variety of data sources and front-end tools.
Rapid data pipeline development.
Standardize workflow and pipeline deployments *Eliminate or greatly reduce vendor platform lock-in.
Bridge the gap between leveraging traditional BI solutions and new Big Data technologies.
Eliminate the need for custom programming.
Control labor costs.
Facilitate various data security regulations.
Affordable total cost of ownership (TOC) provides the greatest value compared to other vendors (money) and custom open source solutions (time & expertise).
Challenges
Smaller user community vs. comparable Microsoft or Oracle solutions.
Lessons Learned
If You Could Start Over, What Would Your Organization Do Differently?
Spend more time and effort on developing and refining our data science strategy.
Include more experienced senior level data professionals into the assessment, design, and implementation process
Execute more constant communication and on-going education with stakeholders on how new data driven solutions will reduce their pain points, prior to rollout.
What One Piece of Advice Would You Give Other Prospective Customers?
Keys to Success
Management, key decisions-makers, and influencers must be 100% committed in promoting a data-driven culture.
Obtaining and cultivating high data quality and integrity must be the highest priority.
Hire senior level data science expertise and provide crucial management and operational support for BI/DS operations
Develop, follow, and refine an enterprise data strategy (in collaboration between management, data science, IT, and compliance professionals).
Constant communication and on-going education with stakeholders on how new data-driven solutions will reduce their pain points.
Enforce accountability throughout the organization to leverage new data solutions.
What One Thing do You Wish the Vendor did Differently?
Provide a little more clarity on the marketing of the IRI product names (Voracity, CoSort, Workbench). Is Voracity the aggregate of all these products or a separate standalone product? This will assist in user training and client adoption.
What do You Like Most about the Product or Service?
Flexibility to work with a large variety of data sources.
Product features that enable organizations to safely develop their data science capabilities and investments.
Would You Recommend this Product or Service to Others?
Yes.
Please Explain Your Willingness or Hesitation to Recommend this Product or Service.
The product can provide a solid entry point for organizations looking to build an enterprise data management platform. It is also a solid choice for organizations that need to evolve their existing data management eco-system without locking themselves with one vendor or having to build complex customized solutions from the ground up. In other words, Voracity could also be used to augment or replace a legacy ETL tool.
How Satisfied is Your Organization with the Product Meeting Your Needs?
Evaluation & Contracting
Ability to Understand Your Company's Needs
Timely & Complete Response to Product Questions
Product Capabilities
Bulk/Batch Data Movement
Data Federation / Virtualization
Data Replication & Synchronization
Integration & Deployment
How Long Did Your Deployment Take?
3 - 6 Months (<6)
Ease of Integration Using Standard APIs & Tools
Quality & Availability of End-User Training
Ease of Deployment
Service & Support
Timeliness of Vendor's Response
Quality of Technical Support
Additional Context
What was the Nature of Your Involvement?
- Application Lead
- Development / Integration
- Functional Assessment
- Rollout and Install
- Technical Assessment
- Vendor Management
Why did you Purchase a Data Integration Toolset?
- Cost management
- Create internal / operational efficiencies
- Drive revenue growth
- Enhance decision making
- Improve business process agility
- Improve business process outcomes
- Improve compliance & risk management
- Improve customer relations/service
What were the Key Factors that Drove Your Decision?
- Breadth of services
- Overall cost
- Product functionality and performance
- Strong consulting partnership
- Strong services expertise
Implementation Schematic
