Case Study: A Not-for-Profit

Enhances insights and operational efficiency with a modern Azure-based data warehouse.

Executive Summary

A leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to making a meaningful impact faced challenges in managing and analysing information effectively due to an increasing volume of data.To address these challenges, the organisation partnered with Data-Driven AI to implement a Modern Data Warehouse on Microsoft Azure. This new platform integrates Salesforce data, automates reporting, and enhances data security and governance. The solution leverages Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, and Power BI to provide real-time insights, improve operational efficiency, and optimise cloud costs. As a result, the client has significantly improved performance on several internal metrics, streamlined reporting, and enhanced decision-making capabilities.

“Partnering with Data-Driven AI and leveraging Microsoft Azure has been a game-changer for us. We’ve gone from fragmented, manual reporting to real-time insights that empower our team and strengthen our impact. The new data warehouse not only saves us time—it gives us confidence in every decision we make.”

5 Essential Components of a Data Strategy for the Financial Services Industry

Redacted

CIO

Challenges

Data Silos and Operational Inefficiencies

The client faced multiple challenges with their legacy data infrastructure, primarily revolving around:

Scattered and inconsistent data: Data was stored across multiple sources, including Salesforce, making data point tracking and reporting inefficient.
Manual reporting processes: Extracting data required extensive manual effort, leading to delays and potential inaccuracies.
Lack of real-time insights: The existing system could not provide real-time analytics to stakeholders, limiting the organization’s ability to make timely decisions.
Security and compliance: Ensuring data governance and access control was challenging with their legacy data management processes.

To address these challenges, the client engaged Data-Driven to build a Modern Data Warehouse on Azure, integrating Salesforce data with a scalable, automated analytics platform.

The Solution

Building a scalable, secure data warehouse with Azure Synapse and Power BI

Data-Driven designed and deployed a production-ready modern data warehouse tailored to the client’s needs. The solution integrated Azure Synapse Analytics to establish a centralized data platform capable of efficiently storing and analyzing data. A key component of the project involved migrating core Salesforce data entities to Azure, ensuring seamless data integration and eliminating inconsistencies. To streamline data ingestion and transformation processes, Azure Synapse Analytics was utilized, significantly reducing the need for manual data handling.Security and scalability were also prioritized. The implementation of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) through BICEP enabled:

Repeatable and automated environment deployments
Easier scalability for the organization’s operations

To enhance data security, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) was applied, ensuring that:

Only authorized personnel could access sensitive donor information

Additionally, Power BI was integrated to provide:

Interactive, real-time dashboards
Valuable insights into engagement, financial contributions, and overall organizational impact

Key Business Outcomes

Automated Reporting Processes

Reporting processes that previously took weeks to complete are now automated and can be generated in minutes, saving valuable time and resources.

Enhanced Engagement Through Real-Time Analytics

Real-time analytics have enhanced engagement by providing end users with up-to-date insights into their contributions and the impact of their support.

Strengthened Compliance and Security

Centralised data governance has strengthened compliance and security, ensuring that donor information is managed with the highest standards of protection.

Following the implementation of the modern Azure-based data warehouse, the client has achieved transformative improvements in data management and operational efficiency.

“By partnering with TSI and leveraging Microsoft’s intelligent data stack, this not-for-profit organisation transformed its fragmented reporting into a unified, scalable data warehouse—unlocking insights that empower better decisions and amplify community impact”

Rodney Joyce Data Platform Architect

The Technical Solution

Data-Driven implemented a Modern Data Warehouse on Microsoft Azure, combining Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, and Power BI. The solution centralised disparate data sources, automated reporting processes, and provided secure, scalable, and real-time analytics. This platform empowers the organisation with actionable insights while reducing manual effort and optimising cloud costs.

A Not-for-Profit

The organisation is a leading not-for-profit dedicated to creating meaningful social impact. It focuses on delivering programs efficiently, managing increasing volumes of data, and improving decision-making through data-driven insights.