Leveraging SAP ERP Data in Databricks for Real-Time Analytics
CLIENT
Undisclosed
TYPE OF CLIENT
Pharmaceutical and biotechnology
CATEGORY
Social Media, Campaign, Print
Background
A British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company headquartered in London, employing over 69,000 people and operating in more than 80 countries with revenues exceeding £29 billion while serving around 2 billion people faced a challenge of getting real-time insights from SAP data.
The Challenge
Their Supply Chain Management team faced significant challenges stemming from the complexity of managing 40+ manufacturing sites, some of which were organically grown while others were acquired. The data was siloed across numerous platforms, leading to:
Lack of timely analytics on critical manufacturing metrics such as stock levels, economic order quantities (EOQs), costs, quality control, and logistics.
Inability to perform log-based Change Data Capture (CDC) due to internal policies restricting access to log files.
Delays caused by prolonged decision-making on cloud policies, ruling out the use of traditional SaaS solutions.
These challenges necessitated a solution that ensured compliance with stringent data governance policies while enabling real-time analytics capabilities.
The Solution
They conducted a comprehensive market evaluation to identify a technology capable of replicating SAP data into Databricks in compliance with their requirements. They found no single solution capable of meeting all their needs. An integrated solution combining a number of technologies was determined to be the best solution. Â
The solution deployed uses Fivetran HVR for replication of SAP ERP data into Databricks for transformation to analytics ready data for real-time insights. This solution allows them to:
Replicate SAP data into Databricks without accessing SAP log files, adhering to internal data governance policies.
Maintain sensitive data entirely within their environment, ensuring compliance with stringent regulatory standards.
Customer Business Outcomes
The implementation of Fivetran and Databricks empowered them with near real-time SAP analytics, enabling the following benefits:
Cost Reduction: A 5% reduction in manufacturing costs.
Optimized Logistics: Enabled just-in-time stock delivery and improved stock level accuracy.
Enhanced Efficiency: Improved logistics routing and reduced waste, targeting up to a 30% quality improvement.
Supplier Rationalization: Streamlined supplier counts based on quality and location metrics.
Faster Time-to-Market: Targeted a 20% reduction in time to market for new products.
Conclusion
This journey demonstrates the transformative potential of integrating SAP ERP data into Databricks for real-time analytics. By overcoming technical and regulatory challenges, Fivetran and Databricks delivered measurable business outcomes that optimized supply chain operations and positioned them for sustained success.