How Self-Service Analytics Streamlined Pharma Decisions
Problem Statement
A leading pharmaceutical company was facing delays in generating reports and business insights due to a traditional, multi-layered data reporting process. Business teams had to rely on data engineers to extract data from ERP systems, which was then transformed and passed to BI developers to build reports. This rigid, step-by-step process meant even minor updates required going back to engineering, creating bottlenecks and slowing down decision-making. As business needs evolved, the lack of flexibility became more apparent.
ChallengesÂ
- High Dependency on Engineering Teams: Business users had to wait for engineers and BI developers to update or create reports, even for small changes.
- Slow Turnaround Times: The time taken from data extraction to final visualization led to delays in delivering actionable insights.
- Limited Flexibility: Business teams couldn’t explore data or customize views on their own.
- Inefficient Collaboration: Multiple back-and-forth interactions between teams prolonged the process and introduced miscommunication.
Solution
Syren introduced a secure, self-service analytics setup designed to give business users direct access to reliable data—without disrupting the existing infrastructure.
- The core data pipelines from ERP systems to the central data lake remained unchanged.
- Power BI was used as the reporting platform, with automated data refreshes set according to business needs (ranging from daily to real-time).
- Role-based access controls were put in place using Azure Active Directory, ensuring each user could only access data relevant to their role.
- BI engineers focused on ensuring data availability and usability, rather than making every update themselves.
- Business users could now explore structured datasets, build dashboards, and connect data points on their own, for e.g., linking customer sales data with delivery records to uncover patterns or regional trends.
Impact & Benefits
Ad-hoc report requests reduced
Freeing up engineering resources.
Faster Insights
Business teams could test ideas and pull insights in real time without waiting for report delivery.
Governed Flexibility
Data remained secure and consistent while users gained more control over their reporting needs.
Data Driven Value Add
More and more decision making becomes data-driven. Business users are depending on data to make important decisions for profit and growth.
Conclusion
Syren helped the pharmaceutical company move from a slow, centralized reporting model to a flexible, business-led analytics environment. By giving business users, the tools to explore and act on data independently while still maintaining control and governance, Syren enabled faster, more confident decision-making. The result – a stronger data culture, fewer delays, and smarter use of team resources.