One of the biggest challenges of seasonal reporting is ensuring data attribution and taxonomy. Many of our clients have initially struggled to connect these data sets in a way that truly represents clean data. Data is just a bunch of numbers unless those viewing the data believe it to be accurate and sound. Our team works closely with stakeholders to build and optimize a taxonomy playbook that ensures confidence and accuracy for senior leaders. We start with an audit of your data sets and current naming conventions that will pinpoint the areas of the biggest need. We then go arm-in-arm to integrate data models from various systems and data lakes to help create clean dashboards that are easily digestible with the clear metrics you and your team need.
Decision Foundry has years of expertise in designing data models and flows that make your reporting easy to read and understand. We’ve been in your shoes. We’ve faced the challenges of connecting marketing, sales, POS, inventory, and ERP data sets. Along with our expertise we bring templates and pre-built dashboards that can quickly be plugged into your Data applications and reduce the time needed to showcase your stellar efforts through the holidays. Our Data Strategy team has lived in Retail, Media Agency, Technology, and more and can easily speak to those metrics and KPIs that matter most.
For those looking to dive in and get started we recommend a couple best practices to keep in mind:
1. Begin with the end in mind.
- Define what the ultimate “perfect” scenario would look like.
- Ask how the data will be received.
- Think about what the data will say.
2. Connect with other internal stakeholders of data sets you may need.
- There are times that you can’t achieve your ultimate data storytelling goals without data sets from other teams or departments. Be sure to connect with those leaders and explain why it matters.
- Don’t forget that sometimes telling your “perfect” data story may mean that it casts a shadow on other Leaders or Departments – get aligned for mutual success!
3. Remove dirty, dead, dormant or duplicate data sets.
- Many Data projects are delayed due to the amount of effort needed to clean data. This is often overlooked by many teams.
- Be sure you aren’t scrubbing, removing or deleting data that may be pertinent to other teams. (Back to the second point – connect with other leaders!)
4. Make sure your data can flow intro your reporting system.
- Many companies require IT, Security or Operations to sign off on integrations and data privacy. Be sure to thoroughly discuss with these teams.
- Integrations are often required to see all of your data in one place. Make sure you’ve got the credentials or permissions to access these, as well as understand the level of effort needed to integrate the data (plug-ins can be a life saver!)
Lastly, if you’ve reached the point where an extra helping hand or guidance is needed, we’d love to hear from you, you can fill out the contact form to book a consulting call with the team.
About Decision Foundry
Decision Foundry is a Salesforce, independent software vendor, managed services provider, and a certified award-winning Salesforce Marketing Cloud integration partner. Decision Foundry closes the gap between data accessibility, platform adoption and business impact. Our consulting services include the integration of Data Cloud, Account, Engagement, Personalization, Tableau, and Intelligence.
