German ERP-Software Company

Integrate Rexx HR with central Data Warehouse

Challenge

  • All HR data siloed in Rexx HR software.
  • No visibility or reporting on HR data for 1200 employees.
  • Without a structured data basis for reporting, management has to rely on highly manual, high-effort and low-frequency reports to make decisions.
  • No KPIs for HR. A lot is simply not known.

Solution

  • Automated data request, data validation, data preparation and loading of structured data into the central data warehouse (DWH) with Cloudomation.
  • 6 days of effort to set up the integration.

Result

  • HR data for 1200 employees available in structured format in the central DWH.
  • Regular automated reports are run on the new consolidated data basis.
  • Management has full visibility of HR data and has a solid data basis for decisions.
  • Data is checked thoroughtly during each load. Errors or missing data are spotted immediately.
  • Notifications are sent automatically if data issues are detected. Issues can be fixed very quickly, preventing data loss and problems downstream.
  • Data can be combined and analysed jointly with other data sources in the central DWH, e.g. financial data.
  • No more time consuming highly manual and highly error prone reports are written based on manual research done in the Rexx HR system.

What was Automated?

Automated Data Peocessing with Rexx Interfaces

Cloudomation was installed on-premise in the data center and retrieves data via multiple JSON interfaces of the Rexx personnel software. Due to interface limitations, the data query is performed in multiple parts. Faulty accesses and incomplete data are reported via email. The data processing includes typing, column separation, and renaming before being loaded into the central database. Another process further processes the data. The result is monitored by Cloudomation. Errors at any stage trigger email notifications.

All the Details About the Automation
  1. A Cloudomation on-premise instance was set up within company’s data center.
  2. Data is requested from several JSON APIs from the Rexx HR software.
    1. Different data categories are accessed via different API endpoints.
    2. Due to limitations of REXX HR APIs, only a specific amount of data can be accessed via one API. Therefore, data sets are split up and accessed in parts from different APIs.
  3. E-mail notifications are sent in case of persistent failure to access any API.
  4. For each of the data categories, all the individual data parts are validated:
    1. Check if the same number of records exists for each part.
    2. Check if data is complete.
  5. E-mail notifications are sent if data checks fail.
  6. Data is prepared for further processing:
    1. String fields contain amounts and currency information as string are split up into numeric fields for amount, and a separate currency column.
    2. Data types are set.
    3. Data sets are merged.
    4. Column names are changed to fit requirements of the DWH.
  7. E-mail  notifications are sent if data pre-processing fails.
  8. Data is loaded into DWH.
  9. Stored procedure for reporting is triggered in the DWH.
  10. Result of stored procedure is monitored. E-mail notifications are sent if the stored procedure returns an error.

How did we Develop the Automation?

A Cloudomation automation expert and a Cloudomation project manager coordinated with internal and external stakeholders to conduct detailed requirements engineering. In close consultation with company’s business stakeholders, Cloudomation project management coordinated with client’s internal functions to gather all necessary information and accesses. The automated process was developed in close collaboration with external developers responsible for the DWH and the reporting process. 

What are the Next Steps?

  • Add additional HR data categories to the data processing pipeline.
  • Add more detailed monitoring of post-processing in DWH to ensure success of the entire process, including the steps happening outside of Cloudomation.
  • Automate data delivery of processed HR data from DWH to project management software, ticketing software and ERP software.
  • Cloudomation will support the client in achieving gold-standard data management across departments and data siloes by functioning as central automation, orchestration and monitoring layer for data integration.

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