Overview
Our client, a global leader in the manufacturing sector specializing in welding consumables and machinery, operates in over 100 countries with a network of more than 30 subsidiaries, delivering exceptional service and support worldwide. To enhance their operations, NeenOpal designed Tableau dashboards currently utilized across four regions and 26 countries, supporting a geographically diverse user base.
Customer Challenges
To advance their analytical capabilities and foster data-driven decision-making, the client partnered with NeenOpal for the BI project. Their challenges were twofold: limitations in analytical capabilities and restricted data accessibility, both of which hindered their strategic insights.
Limited Reporting Capabilities, Hindering Cross-Departmental Analysis
With NetSuite, the client was able to create linear saved searches and reports that would be sufficient to showcase the situation of a particular department or use-case. However, the requirement was to see a multi-dimensional representation of data that would be able to give insights considering the data across multiple departments/verticals.
High Licensing Costs Limiting Access to Data and Dashboards
The client uses Oracle NetSuite ERP Solution as data repository (and for data presentation). However, the license cost for the same is quite high, limiting the access to a narrow team. Thus, the client wanted a solution that would allow data/dashboard access to a much wider audience with minimal cost implications.
NetSuite to Tableau Analytics Architecture on AWS
End-to-end architecture enabling automated extraction from NetSuite, scalable processing on AWS, and high-performance Tableau dashboards for enterprise analytics.
Solutions
We helped the client with a set of comprehensive dashboards showcasing the data at various cuts, making their processes easier and allowing a better data-driven decision making. The process involved is as follows:
01.
Extracting data out of NetSuite
Data is extracted from NetSuite using saved searches or reports, based on the data source. Saved searches are retrieved through a dedicated Restlet API for NetSuite, while reports are delivered via NetSuite's Scheduled Email feature and automated using AWS SES and Amazon WorkMail.
02.
Development of an ETL Pipeline over AWS and applying transformations
Upon receiving the data in the AWS environment, files are decrypted and stored in Amazon S3. AWS Glue, automated by AWS Lambda, handles data pre-processing and formatting, after which the data is loaded into the Amazon Redshift data warehouse using AWS Glue Triggers. Finally, specific transformations are applied to the base data through SQL Views within the Redshift database.
03.
Enabled Multi-Dimensional Insights
NeenOpal’s solution integrated data from multiple departments into a centralized repository, enabling Tableau dashboards that provided a unified view of the organization’s performance. This allowed the client to break free from the limitations of isolated NetSuite reports and achieve cross-departmental insights, such as analysing how HR metrics like headcount influenced financial outcomes like EBITDA. Additionally, stakeholders could compare figures from group profit and loss statements with operational data, delivering multi-dimensional insights for improved decision-making and strategic planning.
04.
Consuming the processed data at Tableau for dashboarding and cost efficiency
The final data is consumed by Tableau for dashboarding, connected to the Redshift database through an Amazon Redshift ODBC connection, ensuring seamless performance for end-users. Tableau uses an extract connection for optimal performance, with security and access control managed through role-based user permissions and Row-Level Security (RLS).
Modern Business Intelligence Solutions Built to Improve Data Accessibility, Lower Costs, and Drive Measurable Impact
Start Your TransformationServices
Benefits
Scalability and Automation
By leveraging serverless services and trigger-based development within the AWS environment, the backend system provides a highly scalable, automated pipeline. This approach reduces operational overhead and ensures the infrastructure is adaptable to future growth and changes.
Cost Savings
Switching from NetSuite to Tableau for data visualization resulted in a significant reduction in licensing and accessibility costs—by approximately 90%, as Tableau licenses are about 20 times more cost-effective than NetSuite’s.
Enhanced Data Visualization
Tableau offers far superior data visualization capabilities, enabling the customer to gain comprehensive, multi-dimensional insights across various business domains. This is a substantial improvement over NetSuite’s limited and narrowly focused visualization tools.
Informed Decision-Making
Multi-dimensional data visualizations empower the customer to make more informed decisions by analyzing data from multiple perspectives, integrating insights from departments such as sales, procurement, and inventory.
Granular Access Control
The implementation of role-based access control (RBAC) allows for precise user segmentation. This ensures that dashboard access is tailored to specific user groups, based on their roles and responsibilities within the enterprise hierarchy, enhancing both security and operational efficiency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the successful implementation of this comprehensive solution highlights the transformative potential of advanced analytics and sophisticated data processing methodologies. By integrating AWS and Tableau, the solution has become more efficient, scalable, and automated, ensuring long-term sustainability and adaptability. Additionally, adopting Tableau as the dashboarding platform significantly enhances data accessibility and visualization capabilities for a broader audience, all while keeping the cost implications to the minimum compared to the existing NetSuite solution.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions on Leveraging NetSuite Data with AWS and Tableau for Manufacturing Sector
What business challenge does this solution address?
This solution addresses limited reporting capabilities and restricted data accessibility within ERP systems. It enables organizations to move beyond linear, department-specific reports and gain multi-dimensional, cross-functional insights across finance, HR, sales, procurement, and operations.
How is data extracted from Oracle NetSuite?
Data is extracted using saved searches through a Restlet API and scheduled reports delivered via email. The reports are automated and securely transferred into AWS using services like Amazon SES and WorkMail for further processing.
Why was AWS chosen for the ETL and data warehousing layer?
AWS provides a scalable, secure, and serverless ecosystem for building automated pipelines. Services such as Amazon S3, AWS Glue, AWS Lambda, and Amazon Redshift enable seamless data ingestion, transformation, storage, and performance optimization while reducing infrastructure management overhead.
Authors
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you.
Lets discuss how we can transform your business with AI. Talk to our AI expert team. Lets do AI journey together.
