Voimatel

For Voimatel, renewing the data platform is an investment in the future. The new platform was required to meet the organization's rapidly developing reporting and analytics needs.

"We are looking for capabilities in the new platform to do more advanced analytics, such as scenario work and predictive analytics, as well as more extensive reporting. We also wanted to reduce the number of people involved in reporting and harmonize our technology choices," says Nyyssönen.

Microsoft Fabric was chosen as the new platform, and Power BI became the primary reporting tool. These replaced the on-premise QlikView environment, which was nearing the end of its life cycle, and the previously built Azure-based data warehouse.

"We wanted to centralize reporting and analytics in one place and have access to a data platform that will serve us for a long time. We piloted Fabric with Digia and found it to be the right solution for us," says Nyyssönen.

The platform renewal was carried out in stages. The first phase focused on implementing the platform and ensuring its functionality, followed by the transfer of Voimatel's reporting to the new platform. Digia was responsible for the technical implementation of the Power BI reports and the platform.

Cooperation with Digia went well from the start, and as the project progressed, the standard operating methods were further refined. However, as Fabric is a relatively new technology, challenges were inevitable. Nyyssönen mentions that more time than expected had to be spent on optimizing data imports. However, Digia's team was able to resolve these issues.

"If necessary, Digia's team has coded the solutions by hand if there have been deficiencies in the platform's functionalities."

During the transition period, the old and new solutions will be used side by side, allowing the old system to support the validation and deployment of the new one. However, the goal is for Fabric to become the main reporting and analytics environment for Voimatel's production as soon as possible.

Although the greatest expectations are focused on future use cases, the new platform has already succeeded in reducing personal dependencies, harmonizing reporting, and enhancing the collection of standardized data. The harmonization of technologies has also improved cost awareness.

"The new data platform has supported the renewal of our management system. Data collection, reporting, and utilization have become more efficient and consistent," Nyyssönen says.

Voimatel has been working extensively with Digia for a long time. Through years of partnership, Digia has demonstrated its expertise and achieved a deep understanding of Voimatel's business and environment.

As for Fabric, when switching to continuous services, Digia will continue to be responsible for data pipelines and data processing, while Voimatel will develop analytics and reporting. However, close cooperation and trust between the parties will also enable a flexible division of labor in the future.

"Digia has demonstrated its expertise, reliability, and understanding of our business and the requirements related to critical infrastructure. They are a partner of the right size for us, with whom we cooperate. Another advantage is that you can work with them in Finnish," Nyyssönen says.

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