Case Study

From Vendor Lock-In to Owned Infrastructure: How a 17-Location Enterprise Rebuilt Their Analytics Foundation

In July 2023, a multi-location enterprise (17 operating sites, 300 employees, ~$500M annual revenue) engaged us to improve the front-end reporting built on top of an existing third-party data warehouse. What began as a request for report redesign evolved into a full-scale analytics transformation.

The Challenge

The existing warehouse imposed severe latency, restricted access, and could not scale to the organization's reporting demands. Rather than compounding technical debt with incremental fixes, Radiant Data Solutions presented a direct assessment: rebuild the data model correctly from the foundation.

Severe model latency and performance degradation
Limited visibility into the existing data architecture
Restricted access imposed by the original vendor
Inability to scale reporting without structural redesign

The organization approved a full redesign, initiating a complete analytics overhaul.

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What We Built

Enterprise platform delivered across three phases.

Phase 1 & 2: Full Data Model Rebuild

80+ structured data tables forming a single source of truth across all departments
1,000+ governed metrics ensuring every team reports the same numbers
30+ reports replacing manual processes that previously took days each month
Role-Level Security (RLS) ensuring each audience sees only relevant data
Centralized semantic model serving executives, operations, finance, and HR

Functional Coverage

Executive reporting and strategic KPIs
Financial & accounting oversight and planning
HR analytics and workforce performance
Inventory management and logistics tracking
Sales performance and forecasting
Productivity tracking across 17 locations
Incentive compensation workflows with writeback

Phase 3: Fabric Deployment & Migration

Platform migrated from legacy single-system dependency to Microsoft Fabric
Seven independent operational systems integrated into one semantic model
System-agnostic architecture built on business logic-not source-system logic
Seamless replacement of operational systems without breaking reports
Transactional analytics with approval and denial writeback workflows

Why System-Agnostic Design Matters

The model is built around business logic, not vendor logic. This means any upstream system can be replaced, added, or swapped without disrupting reports-giving the organization long-term resilience against technology changes and vendor constraints.

Organizations That Face This Challenge

Multi-location enterprises dependent on a single legacy CRM or ERP system
Organizations scaling past what their current reporting infrastructure can handle
Companies whose analytics vendor restricts access or limits customization
Leadership teams making decisions from siloed, inconsistent reports
Businesses preparing to migrate operational systems without losing reporting continuity

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Production-Ready Outcomes

From Vendor-Constrained Reporting to Owned Infrastructure

What began as a report facelift evolved into a fully owned, governed analytics platform.

Performance & Scale

Eliminated all model latency and performance degradation
30+ governed reports serving every business unit
Enterprise-ready architecture that scales with organizational growth

Operational Capability

Analytics extended from passive reporting to operational execution
Writeback workflows enabling real-time incentive tracking and approvals
Managers and employees interact directly within the reporting environment

Strategic Resilience

System-agnostic architecture absorbs future technology changes
Seven upstream systems integrated without architectural disruption
No single-vendor dependency risk-the organization owns the model

80+

Structured Tables

1,000+

Custom DAX Measures

30+

Enterprise Reports

Integrated Systems

Operating Locations

Frequently Asked Questions

How long did the full enterprise analytics platform take to build?

The project was delivered across three phases over approximately 18 months, covering data model rebuild, enterprise reporting, and Microsoft Fabric migration.

Can this approach work for organizations with different ERP or CRM systems?

Yes. The system-agnostic architecture is built on business logic, not source-system logic. Any upstream system can be replaced or added without breaking reports, making it applicable to any mid-market enterprise.

What makes this different from a typical BI consulting engagement?

Most BI projects deliver front-end dashboards on top of existing data. This engagement rebuilt the entire data foundation - 80+ tables, 1,000+ DAX measures, and enterprise governance - creating owned infrastructure rather than vendor-dependent reporting.