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We map your data sources, assess connectivity options, and design the right warehouse architecture — before any commitment.

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Data Warehouse & ETL

🗄️ Data Architecture

Your Data Is Everywhere.
Your Decisions Need It
In One Place.

We design and build ETL pipelines and data warehouses that bring your ERP, CRM, finance, and operational data into a single, reliable source of truth — including environments where direct database access isn't possible, as we demonstrated for Atlantic LNG.

ETL PIPELINE MONITOR · LIVE
● 6 pipelines active
PIPELINES
6
Running
LAST RUN
4h
All successful
RECORDS
2.4M
In warehouse
PIPELINE STATUS — LAST RUN
ERP → Warehouse · 48,204 rows · 4h ago
✓ OK
CRM → Warehouse · 1,847 records · 4h ago
✓ OK
Finance staging → Warehouse · Excel import · 4h ago
✓ OK
PowerApps ops data → Warehouse · 312 forms · 4h ago
✓ OK
DATA QUALITY CHECKS — PASSED
Referential integrity — all FK lookups resolved
Null check — 0 unexpected nulls in key columns
Row count delta within expected range
WAREHOUSE READY FOR ALL BI TOOLSPower BI · Tableau · Qlik · Zoho Analytics — all reading from the same validated single source of truth. One number everywhere.
Atlantic
LNG — complete ETL architecture without direct database access, using staging and PowerApps
Single
Source of truth — one validated number for every metric across ERP, CRM, finance, and operations
ETL
Pipelines designed for your environment — direct query, scheduled staging, or API-based ingestion
All
BI tools fed from the same warehouse — Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, Zoho Analytics all reading one source
— The Problem

Six Data Architecture Problems that a Warehouse Solves

Conflicting numbers, stale data, connectivity constraints — these are the structural problems that dashboards alone can't fix.

🔢

Different systems showing different numbers for the same metric

Finance says revenue is $4.2M. CRM says $4.4M. Operations says output corresponds to $3.9M. Each system is right by its own rules — but there's no single agreed number. A data warehouse with a canonical data model creates one validated version of every metric, applied consistently across all sources.

🕐

BI tools querying live production databases directly

Power BI running Direct Query on the ERP database. Complex dashboard queries consuming production server resources. Performance degradation during peak operational hours. Reporting queries competing with transactional queries on the same database. A warehouse moves analytical workload off production systems entirely.

🔒

Direct database access not available or not approved

The IT or security policy doesn't permit BI tools to connect directly to production databases. Or the database is on a platform that the BI tool doesn't support natively. The Atlantic LNG engagement was exactly this situation — and we built a complete data platform using staging and PowerApps without ever connecting to production.

🔗

Data trapped in silos with no cross-system analysis possible

ERP data and CRM data can't be joined. Financial data and operational data live in separate systems with no common key. Cross-functional questions — "which customers have both overdue invoices and open support tickets?" — simply can't be answered because the data was never in the same place.

📋

Historical data not preserved — only current state visible

The ERP shows current stock levels. The CRM shows current deal stages. But what did stock look like 6 months ago? How has the pipeline evolved over the quarter? Without a warehouse preserving historical snapshots, trend analysis is impossible or requires manual reconstruction from old reports.

⚙️

Ad hoc data exports and manual ETL consuming engineering time

Someone exports data from the ERP every Monday. Someone else downloads a CSV from the CRM every Friday. Both files dropped in a shared folder and manually combined in Excel by an analyst. This is informal ETL — fragile, unmonitored, and consuming significant time from people who should be doing other things.


✦ Free · No Commitment

Data Spread Across Too Many Systems with no Single Source of Truth?

Free consultation — we map your data environment, assess connectivity options, and design the right architecture.
— The ETL Architecture

Extract. Transform. Load. In that order, for a reason.

Each stage has a specific job. When any stage is skipped or done poorly, the downstream data can't be trusted.

Extract

Source Systems

  • ERP / SQL databases
  • CRM (Zoho, Salesforce)
  • Finance systems
  • Excel / CSV exports
  • REST APIs
  • PowerApps forms
  • Cloud platforms
Transform

Clean & Standardise

  • Deduplication
  • Null handling
  • Type conversion
  • Business rule application
  • Canonical metric definition
  • Relationship mapping
  • Data quality validation
Load

Warehouse Layer

  • Dimensional model
  • Fact tables
  • Historical preservation
  • Incremental loading
  • Audit trail
  • Row-level security
  • Performance optimisation
Serve

BI & Analytics

  • Power BI dashboards
  • Tableau workbooks
  • Qlik applications
  • Zoho Analytics
  • Predictive models
  • Scheduled reports
  • Self-service layer
— What We Build

Six Components of Every Data Warehouse Engagement

From source system mapping to BI-ready warehouse — every layer designed and documented.

🗺️

Data Source Mapping & Connectivity Assessment

Before any build, we map every data source — database platforms, API availability, export capabilities, access permissions, data owner contacts. We assess which sources can be connected directly, which need a staging approach, and which need a data capture layer built (as with Atlantic LNG's PowerApps approach). Every connectivity constraint identified upfront — no surprises mid-project.

⚙️

ETL Pipeline Design & Build

Extract pipelines connecting to source systems — direct database connections, API integrations, scheduled file imports, or staging layer reads. Transform logic cleaning, standardising, and applying business rules to raw data. Load processes writing validated data to the warehouse on defined schedules with full audit trails. Pipeline monitoring with alerts on failure or unexpected data volume deviations.

🏗️

Warehouse Schema Design

Dimensional model designed for analytical query performance — fact tables for transactional events, dimension tables for descriptive attributes, slowly changing dimension handling for historical accuracy. Schema agreed with your data team before build begins. Documentation produced as a deliverable — not optional.

📐

Canonical Metric Definitions

Before the warehouse is built, we work with finance, sales, and operations leadership to define every key metric in writing — revenue recognition timing, deal close definition, margin calculation method. These definitions are encoded in the transform layer and applied consistently across every table. One number everywhere — by design, not by accident.

🔒

Data Quality Framework & Governance

Automated data quality checks run on every pipeline load — referential integrity, null validation, row count delta checks, business rule validation. Quality failures halt the pipeline and alert the data team rather than loading bad data silently. Data lineage documented so every metric can be traced back to its source. Row-level security applied so each audience sees only appropriate data.

🔄

Alternative Ingestion — When Direct Access Isn't Available

Not every environment allows direct database connectivity. Where it isn't available — due to security policy, technical constraints, or system limitations — we design alternative ingestion architectures. Structured Excel staging from controlled exports. Microsoft PowerApps forms for operational data capture. SharePoint or Dataverse as structured intermediary layers. The Atlantic LNG project ran entirely on this approach.


— Use Cases

Real Data Warehouse Projects — from oil & gas to multi-system businesses

The Atlantic LNG approach is our most referenced — a complete data platform built without a single production database connection.

01

Atlantic LNG — Complete Data Platform Without Direct Database Access

+

Atlantic LNG had operational and financial data in multiple systems across different technical environments. Direct connectivity to production databases was either constrained by security policy or technically unavailable for the BI platform. The conventional ETL approach — connect Power BI directly to the databases — was not an option. We designed and built a two-stream ingestion architecture: structured Excel exports from each system into a controlled staging area, and Microsoft PowerApps for data that needed to be actively captured and didn't have an existing digital source. Both streams fed a Power BI data model that served the executive dashboard and departmental views.

💰Complete BI platform delivered · Production systems entirely unaffected · Zero direct database connections · Architecture replicable for any constrained-access environment
// The two-stream ingestion architecture
Stream 1 — Excel staging: each system's data owner exports a defined CSV/Excel structure to a controlled SharePoint folder on a defined schedule. Power BI reads from the staging folder — not from the production system. Data quality checks validate the export format on arrival. Stale or malformed files trigger an alert before they affect dashboards. Stream 2 — PowerApps capture: for operational data with no existing digital source, we built PowerApps forms. Staff enter data through the PowerApp (mobile and desktop). Submissions write to SharePoint Lists / Dataverse. Power BI reads from Dataverse. Both streams converge in the Power BI data model with a unified dimensional schema. Historical data preserved through append-only staging loads.
Microsoft Power BIPowerAppsSharePoint / DataverseExcel Staging
02

Restaurant Chain — Multi-Source ETL Connecting POS, Finance & Operations into One Warehouse

+

The restaurant chain (NDA) had data in POS systems across multiple locations, a finance system, a supply chain management platform, and operational spreadsheets tracked at the kitchen level. Each system used different identifiers for locations, products, and time periods — making cross-system analysis impossible without a transformation layer. We built a unified data warehouse with a common location and product dimension across all sources, enabling the executive, sales, production, and churn dashboards to be built from a single consistent data model.

💰Cross-location analysis possible for the first time · Finance and POS revenue reconciled automatically · Production waste trackable against menu mix · One warehouse serving all five Power BI dashboard audiences
// The transformation challenge
Location IDs: POS system used location codes (L001, L002). Finance used names (High Street, Mall). Supply chain used postcodes. Transform layer: master location dimension table mapping all three representations. Time periods: POS used fiscal weeks, finance used calendar months, operations used shift-based reporting. Transform layer: all periods normalised to calendar day grain with fiscal week and month attributes. Product codes: POS had 380 active SKUs, supply chain had ingredient-level codes, finance had category codes. Transform layer: product dimension bridging all three with a hierarchy (category → product → variant). Result: any dashboard could join POS sales to supply chain costs to finance revenue using consistent keys.
Data WarehouseDimensional ModellingPOS IntegrationPower BI
03

Multi-System Business — ERP + CRM + Finance ETL Replacing Manual Monday Morning Export

+

A professional services business had three systems: an ERP for project management and resource allocation, a CRM (Zoho) for pipeline and client management, and QuickBooks for finance. Every Monday morning, someone manually exported data from all three, combined in Excel, and emailed a static report to leadership. The report was out of date by Tuesday. We built ETL pipelines connecting all three systems to a central data model in Power BI Service — refreshing on a 4-hour schedule, replacing the manual Monday process entirely.

💰Monday morning report process eliminated entirely · Leadership sees current data at any time — not Friday's export · 3+ hours per week returned to the analyst who was doing the manual work
// Three pipelines, one data model
ERP pipeline: direct SQL connection → extract project, resource, and timesheet tables → transform to standard grain → load to fact_projects and fact_timesheets. Zoho CRM pipeline: Zoho API → extract deals, contacts, and activities → transform stage history to SCD2 → load to fact_pipeline and dim_accounts. QuickBooks pipeline: QuickBooks API → extract invoices, payments, and expenses → transform to standard period grain → load to fact_financials. All three share dim_client (unified customer dimension) and dim_date. Power BI reads from this unified model. Refresh: 4-hour schedule. Data quality: row count and key validation on every run.
Power BI ServiceZoho APIQuickBooks APISQL ERP
— Source Systems

Systems we connect and extract from

Direct connections, API integrations, staged exports, or PowerApps capture — we've connected data from all of these.

🔷

Zoho Suite

CRM · Books · Desk · People
🟡

Microsoft 365

Excel · SharePoint · Dataverse
🗃️

SQL Databases

SQL Server · MySQL · PostgreSQL
💰

Finance Systems

QuickBooks · Sage · Xero
🛍️

E-Commerce

Shopify · WooCommerce
☁️

Salesforce

CRM · Sales Cloud · Service Cloud
📱

PowerApps Forms

Operational data capture layer
🔌

REST APIs

Custom integrations to any platform

— Business Impact

What a properly built data warehouse delivers

Results clients typically see

Single
Source of truth — one validated number for every metric, agreed in writing before the warehouse is built
0
Manual data export processes — every ETL pipeline runs on schedule, monitored, alerting on failure
Atlantic
LNG — complete data platform without direct DB access. A reference for any constrained-connectivity environment.
All
BI tools served — Power BI, Tableau, Qlik, Zoho Analytics all reading from the same validated warehouse

Data model design is a deliverable — not a by-product

The dimensional schema, table definitions, and metric calculations are documented and handed over. Your team knows exactly what's in the warehouse, where it came from, and how every number is calculated.

Pipeline monitoring is built in — not bolted on

Every pipeline run logged, row counts validated, data quality checks executed. Failures alert the data team before bad data reaches dashboards. You know the pipeline ran and the data is valid.

Direct access constraints are not a blocker

The Atlantic LNG approach — structured staging plus PowerApps — works for any environment where direct database connectivity isn't possible. Security policy, legacy systems, third-party platforms — we've worked around all of these.

Historical data preserved from day one

A warehouse isn't just a current-state view — it's a historical record. We design the load strategy to preserve snapshots so trend analysis, period-over-period comparisons, and time-series modelling are all possible from the day the warehouse goes live.

— Engagement Models

Three ways to start

ISO 27001. NDA before any data is shared. We map your sources and assess connectivity before recommending any architecture.

✦ Zero commitment

Free Architecture Assessment

No cost · No obligation
60–90 minutes · Remote
  • Map all data sources and connectivity options
  • Identify constraints — security, platform, access
  • Recommend warehouse and ETL approach
  • Assess alternative ingestion if needed
  • Written architecture recommendation yours to keep
🔄 Ongoing

Data Engineering Retainer

Monthly · Continuous development
Min. 3 months · Scales with your data
  • Named data engineer on your platform
  • New sources and pipelines added monthly
  • Pipeline monitoring and incident response
  • Schema evolution as business requirements change
  • Priority support — same-day response
— How We Work

From data audit to production warehouse in four steps

Source mapping first. Schema agreed second. Pipelines built third. BI tools connected last.

🔍
01 —

Source Audit

Map every data source, assess connectivity, identify constraints, and define canonical metric definitions with your business team.

📐
02 —

Schema Design

Dimensional model designed and documented. Agreed with your data team before any build starts. No surprises in the warehouse structure.

⚙️
03 —

Pipeline Build & Test

ETL pipelines built, data quality checks configured, historical load executed, and all data validated against source systems before go-live.

📊
04 —

Connect & Validate

BI tools connected to the warehouse. Dashboard numbers validated against source system extracts. Monitoring and alerting live from day one.

— FAQ

Questions we always get about data warehouses

Do we need a data warehouse or can we just connect Power BI directly to our databases?

+
Direct query works well for simple environments with one or two data sources, good database performance, and low analytical query complexity. It becomes a problem when: (1) you have multiple sources that need to be joined — direct query can't join across different source systems cleanly; (2) your analytical queries are complex enough to affect production database performance; (3) you need to preserve historical data that the source system doesn't keep; (4) data quality and metric definitions need to be enforced consistently. If you have all your data in one well-structured database and your dashboards are relatively simple, direct query may be fine. If you have multiple sources or any of the above issues, a warehouse will serve you better. We'll give you an honest assessment in the free consultation.

What platforms do you use to build the warehouse?

+
Our platform recommendation depends on your environment, scale, and existing technology stack. For Microsoft-centric businesses: Azure Synapse Analytics or Azure SQL Database for the warehouse, Azure Data Factory for ETL pipelines. For smaller scale or simpler requirements: SQL Server or PostgreSQL warehouse with Python-based ETL scripts. For cloud-native businesses: Snowflake or BigQuery are options we assess against your requirements. For the Atlantic LNG no-direct-access scenario: SharePoint Lists and Dataverse as the intermediary storage layer, Power BI Dataflows as the transformation layer. We don't have a preferred platform — we recommend what fits your environment, your team's skills, and your budget.

How do you handle environments where direct database access isn't permitted?

+
The Atlantic LNG project was exactly this situation, and the solution is replicable. We design two types of alternative ingestion: (1) Structured export staging — each source system's data owner exports a defined file format (CSV or Excel) to a controlled location (SharePoint folder, Azure Blob, SFTP) on a defined schedule. The ETL pipeline reads from the staging location rather than the production database. Stale or malformed files trigger alerts before affecting the warehouse. (2) PowerApps data capture — for data that doesn't have an export capability, we build Microsoft PowerApps forms. Staff enter data through the PowerApp, which writes to SharePoint Lists or Dataverse. The ETL pipeline reads from Dataverse. Both approaches deliver current, structured data to the warehouse without any production database connectivity.

How long does a data warehouse build take?

+
A focused warehouse connecting 3–4 well-documented sources with good data quality typically takes 8–12 weeks from schema design to production. Complex environments with many sources, data quality issues, or constrained connectivity (like Atlantic LNG) take longer — the source mapping and ETL design phases alone can take several weeks when the environment is complex. We scope specifically after the source audit. We never quote a timeline before understanding your data environment — any estimate before that conversation is guesswork that will disappoint you later.

Ready to Bring your Data into one Place you can Trust?

Start with a free architecture assessment. We map your data sources, assess connectivity options, and design the right approach — before any commitment. ISO 27001 certified, 23 years of engineering.

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📊
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🔮
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📋
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📊
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