FINANCIAL SERVICES: TIBCO SPOTFIRE

ORGANIZATION

Our client, a globally recognized multinational conglomerate and financial services brand, specializes in commercial lending and leasing. Managing millions of dollars daily, the company serves thousands of business units, collecting payments from customers and paying vendors internationally. Due to the nature of transactions involving foreign exchange and intercompany fund transfers, the operations require rigorous audit checks and reporting. Ensuring the timely execution and delivery of mission-critical operational reports is as crucial as maintaining transaction accuracy. XTIVIA implemented a reporting solution using TIBCO® Spotfire®, enabling scheduled report updates, integration from multiple data sources, and seamless incorporation of reports into the operational web application.

CHALLENGE

The client required a robust reporting solution for operational reporting across varying data volumes. Their data was dispersed across multiple Oracle® instances, with governance restrictions preventing the creation of database links between application databases and master data. As a result, SQL queries were manually executed to extract data from different instances, and the outputs were merged using MS Excel.

Multiple versions of reports were needed to accommodate different user groups within the company, each with distinct data access privileges. The manual reporting process meant that end users often lacked access to the latest data for critical reports when needed.

The client also faced significant challenges with their existing BI platform, including poor response times for some reports, degraded operational system performance due to resource-intensive SQL queries, and inaccuracies caused by incorrect data mappings. Furthermore, the semantic layer of the existing reporting solution was inadequate for handling complex data manipulation requirements.

SOLUTION

The reporting solution was automated using TIBCO Spotfire®. Information links were created for each data source to handle data from multiple database instances. These sources were connected using the “insert columns from external data” feature. Oracle Stored Procedures and Views served as the data sources for the information links. Personalized information links were implemented to restrict data access based on user IDs and roles, ensuring secure and tailored data visibility.

XTIVIA leveraged Spotfire®’s “scheduled updates” feature to automate overnight updates of in-memory copies for reports with large data volumes. Advanced features such as drill-downs, on-demand tables, and alternate row colors were incorporated to enhance usability. To optimize performance, data source joins were executed in Spotfire using the “insert column from external data” feature rather than at the database level.

The redesign of existing reports involved rewriting and tuning SQL queries for improved performance. Complex information requirements were addressed using string, date, numeric, and analytic functions. These optimized SQL queries were integrated into Spotfire information links to supply data to the Spotfire client. Additionally, client-specific application fonts were applied to ensure a consistent look and feel throughout the reporting solution.

 RESULTS

• Automated reporting solutions improved user productivity and data accuracy, enabling business users to focus on their core tasks rather than technical complexities.
• Enhanced information availability allowed for timely and informed decision-making.
• Single sign-on integration simplified access to both the operational application and the reporting solution.
• Consistent design ensured a uniform look and feel across various reports and web applications.
• Flexible export options enabled users to download reports in PDF, CSV, or image formats.
• Bookmarking functionality allowed end users to save frequently used report criteria and results for quick access.
• Optimized SQL-based data manipulation ensured no impact on the operational system while processing data efficiently.
• High concurrency support enabled multiple users to view reports simultaneously without relying on email to share data.
• Role-based security restricted data visibility to authorized users, eliminating the need for manual data segregation.

KEYWORDS
Multinational conglomerate, Financial Services, Commercial lending, Leasing, Foreign exchange, Intercompany fund transfers, TIBCO Spotfire®, Reporting solution, Oracle® instances, Database governance, SQL queries, MS Excel, BI platform, Semantic layer, Data manipulation, Stored Procedures,, SQL optimization, Single sign-on, PDF export, CSV export, Image export, Role-based security, High concurrency support

SOFTWARE
Spotfire Professional 4.0, Spotfire Web Player 4.0, Spotfire Server 4.0, Oracle 11g

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