Seamless data integration, system decoupling, and insights for UN ecosystem.
A success Story leveraging the Cloud Data Platform’s Data Integration Layer (DIL).
In a complex landscape of evolving systems and rising demands for reliable, integrated data, UN Agency needed a flexible and scalable solution to bridge data across its new Results-Based Management system (COMPASS) for strategic planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting, its ERP, HR, and other 10 strategic platforms.
The primary objective was to ensure seamless communication between systems, maintain data integrity, and support analytics and reporting—without increasing manual effort or risking disruptions during major transformations like ERP replacement.
Benefits Realized from the implemented Cloud Data Platform
- Reducing Operating Costs in light of reduced budgets:
- Cleaner data flows reduced the number of manual interventions and therefore operating costs.
- The Cloud Data Platform’s Data Integration Layer (DIL) performs crucial data quality checks, including cleansing, standardization, and consolidation, ensuring data accuracy and consistency. It reduced the number of required manual fixes.
- Reducing Project Costs: The Cloud Data Platform’s Data Integration Layer (DIL) became a key enabler for ERP and HR system transitions, while supporting ongoing innovation.
- Data-Driven Strategic Insights: Ability to analyze and track strategic objectives over time using reliable, historical data.
- AI Ready Foundation: The successful implementation of the Data Integration Layer on Microsoft Azure marks a significant milestone in the UN Agency digital transformation journey.
By providing a robust, scalable, and efficient Cloud Data Platform, DIL empowers the UN Agency to operate more effectively, make data-driven decisions, and to harness AI capabilities.
Ultimately DIL enhances the ability to protect and assist refugees and other displaced populations worldwide.
DIL played a central role in the success of our COMPASS project. It minimized disruptions, streamlined data entry, and gave us confidence in the reliability of our strategic indicators.
— Business Stakeholder at UN Agency
The Cloud Data Platform’s Data Integration Layer (DIL)
To achieve its goals and realize the intended benefits, ELCA implemented the Cloud Data Platform named Data Integration Layer (DIL) for the UN Agency. This robust data hub was built on Microsoft Azure iPaaS technologies, including Azure Data Factory and Azure SQL Server.
ELCA's Microsoft Analytics on Azure specialization, combined with its comprehensive expertise in Data & AI, Architecture, Project Management, and Business Analysis, made it the ideal partner for the project's success.
The Cloud Data Platform’s Data Integration Layer (DIL) was specifically designed to connect and manage data flows across 13 diverse systems (both cloud-based and on-premises), utilizing various integration methods such as APIs, direct database access, and file-based integration.
From an IT architecture perspective, DIL was the cornerstone that allowed us to decouple our systems, support complex transitions and data migration, and significantly reduce our integration overhead.
— Head of Solutions Architecture at UN Agency
Key Capabilities and Features
- Smart Data Synchronization: DIL reduced full data sync requirements by implementing delta synchronization, shrinking the daily data volume from 10 million to 250,000 rows—enhancing performance and reducing costs.
- Soft Deletion Logic: DIL captured and transformed physical deletions into soft deletes, preserving historical data while informing consuming applications.
- Full Data Historization: Over 113 tables were historized, allowing UN Agency to track the evolution of operational strategies over time, supporting critical reporting functions.
- System Decoupling: DIL enabled the decommissioning of legacy ERP and HR systems with minimal disruption to downstream systems
- Data Export API: Exposing clean and consistent data to ERP, HR, Project, Reporting, Oversight and Monitoring Solution, Operational Reporting Website for Donors and other applications in the ecosystem.
Markus Grob
Head of Business Line Data, Analytics & AI
Meet Markus Grob, our Data, Analytics & AI leader specializing in Cloud Data Analytics Platforms, AI Applications & DataAI Strategy/Governance. Contact Markus to discuss how he can help propel your DataAI initiatives forward.