The situation:

Our client, a manufacturer of products composed of thousands of components, required software that would facilitate fast analysis and update of prices of suppliers. A number of Excel spreadsheets had been in use but the data was generated by a SAP system that did not support scenario planning. Calculating exchange rate scenarios was cumbersome and time-consuming. It was difficult for our client to determine how, for example, a ten percent change in order volume would affect collaborating suppliers.

Our services:

tivona partners designed a database into which all relevant information generated by the various SAP systems and MS Excel will be fed. With the help of multi-dimensional data cubes (OLAP cubes) it is now possible to present and analyze the data quickly. The software MS Excel (including Pivot tables) remained the company’s front-end tool. In addition, tivona partners introduced auxiliary software that permits the modification of data in a familiar environment (Write-Back). This would not have been possible had the client continued working exclusively with Excel pivot tables. The sophisticated database and the OLAP cube update themselves automatically.

Benefits for the client:

Creating a single database all inconsistencies were eliminated. Searches and adjustments are no longer time-consuming and information relevant for price negotiations can be retrieved fast. At the same time, employees continue to use familiar software (Excel), which means they must not be trained in new software or learn how to program a database. From now on, forecasts and business scenarios are only a few mouse clicks away and they can be modified at any time. Similarly, it is now possible to anticipate exchange rate scenarios within seconds.