Albert: How to Tame a Data Flood When Reporting Is No Longer Enough
Albert partnered with Adastra to transform fragmented data and simple reporting into a unified data ecosystem, enabling near real-time analytics and efficient management of hundreds of stores.
years of data warehouse development
data platforms for advanced analytics
transfer of receipts from POS systems into the data warehouse
interactive reports
Challenge
All Data, Immediately, for Everyone
Albert had been working with data for years, but as the market accelerated, traditional reporting was no longer sufficient. The company needed to:
- quickly retrieve specific transactions or audit records
- handle a growing number of ad-hoc requests from operations
- consolidate an increasing volume of heterogeneous data
- relieve operational systems that were becoming overloaded
Most importantly, Albert needed to ensure that all key data would be reliably available every morning-for management, planning, and individual stores.
From strategic decisions at headquarters to day-to-day operations at specific locations.
A critical part of this was also data quality management-not just collecting data, but ensuring it is properly stored, processed, and securely accessible across the organization.
Solution
Multi-layer Architecture, Near Real-Time Processing, and Expert Mentoring
The solution was designed as modular and scalable.
At its core are two interconnected data warehouses built on Oracle database technology, specifically optimized for processing data either daily or in near real time. These data warehouses integrate and store retail data from POS and e-commerce systems, as well as logistics and commercial data from the client’s ERP systems.
The solution also includes OLAP databases based on Microsoft technologies—both multidimensional and tabular.
On top of the data warehouse and OLAP layers, additional customer systems for reporting and business intelligence are connected, enabling efficient calculations and deeper analysis across regions, time periods, product assortments, and customer segments.
Beyond analytics, the data is also used for operational management and to support the client’s business applications.
The receipt data warehouse provides detailed visibility into every individual transaction, significantly accelerating audits and customer service processes, while opening up new possibilities for retail analytics.
Impact
Speed, Visibility, and Readiness for Expansion
Faster decision-making
Automated daily reports provide management and stores with a complete overview of revenue, promotions, inventory, and regional fluctuations.
Faster response to customers
The receipt data warehouse significantly simplifies audits and customer service—retrieving a specific transaction now takes seconds instead of minutes.
Greater operational stability
The data warehouse has relieved operational systems from analytical workloads, resulting in more stable day-to-day operations across the retail network.
Advanced analytics for planning and retail execution
Trends across regions, seasonality, and external factors can be monitored without delay, enabling more accurate demand forecasting.
