Data, systems and reporting
Reporting dashboards and the data systems behind them
A reporting dashboard brings figures from your different systems into one live view, so your team reads the same numbers from the same source. We build the dashboard, the database and the feeds behind it.
Source lines
- Invoiced salesAccounts system58,200
- Online card salesPayments41,700
- Open dealsCRM64,000
- Closing balanceBank feed126,300
Revenue: 58,200 + 41,700 = 99,900
What we build
A properly built database
Designed around the questions you need answered, and documented.
Feeds that keep it current
From your accounting system, CRM, payments and operational tools.
Reporting with agreed definitions
Each measure is defined once, so revenue means the same in every report.
Figures you can trace
Each one goes back to its source. Where two systems disagree, it is set to show it.
How a data project runs
01Get in touch
You tell us which numbers you can't trust or can't get to.
02Map and agree
What data exists, where it lives and the definitions to use.
03Build and run alongside
It runs next to your current process until you are happy to switch.
Questions
What does a data systems build actually involve?
Getting your data out of the separate tools it sits in and into one place where it can be used. That usually means a properly designed database, automated feeds that keep it up to date and reporting built on top. At the end, everyone works from the same set of numbers.
Can you build a database for my business?
Yes. We design it around the questions you need answered and size it to the business, not to scale you don't have.
Do I have to replace the systems I already use?
Almost never. Most of the value comes from connecting what you already have. We pull from your accounting system, CRM, payment processor and operational tools and leave those in place.
How is this different from a BI tool or a dashboard?
A dashboard is the last step. Most dashboards go stale because of what sits underneath: the data model is left untended, the definitions drift and people stop trusting the numbers. We build that part first, then the reporting on top of it.
How can I check the numbers?
Reconciliation is part of the design. Each figure is built to trace back to its source, and where two systems disagree the build is set to show it rather than pick one.
How big is a build?
It depends on how many sources are involved and how clean they are. We look at that at the start and tell you what is involved before anything is built.
What should a management dashboard show?
The handful of figures your team acts on, such as revenue, margin, cash and pipeline, each with an agreed definition and a link back to its source. We agree the list with you before building.
How often does a dashboard update?
It is set to refresh on a schedule agreed with you, as often as your source systems allow.
Get your numbers in one place
Tell us about the process you want to improve and we'll say whether we can help.