FMCG · 8 weeks · A major European FMCG brand
Real-time sales reporting for field teams
Client name anonymized under NDA. Industry, technical approach, tools, and measured outcomes are reported as-is. Named references available on request.
# RESULTS
- Faster reporting
- 3×
- Data freshness
- Same-day
- No tickets needed
- Self-serve
- End to end
- 8 wk
# THE-CHALLENGE
Weekly Excel reports took 2 full days to compile. By the time field teams received them, the data was already stale. Fast-moving trade decisions were made on last week's numbers — or on gut feel.
The process: someone in central pulled exports from SQL Server, ran them through a chain of Excel macros, manually reconciled mismatches between regions, and emailed PDFs to 40+ field managers. Errors compounded at every step. When a field manager questioned a number, the answer took another day.
# THE-TRANSFORMATION
- Weekly reports took 2 full days to compile manually
- Data was stale by the time field teams received it
- Errors compounded through an Excel macro chain
- Questioning a number took another day to resolve
- Same-day data — no waiting for weekly reports
- 40+ field managers with self-serve access
- Row-level security per territory
- Every metric definition documented — no arguments
# OUR-APPROACH
Data source mapping
Traced every Excel macro back to its SQL source. Found that half the macros were working around the same data gap — a missing region-to-territory mapping that had never been fixed at the source.
Pipeline automation
Replaced the macro chain with automated pipelines feeding Power BI directly from SQL Server. The 2-day manual process became a scheduled refresh running overnight.
Dashboard build
Built interactive dashboards with regional drill-downs, product filters, and time comparisons. Added row-level security so each field manager sees only their territory.
Rollout & training
Deployed to 40+ field managers with 1-hour training sessions per region. Built a self-serve FAQ and documented every metric definition so nobody argues about what "net sales" means.
The moment we knew it was working: a field manager called to say she'd noticed a 15% drop in a product line at one retailer — same morning the dip happened. Under the old system, she wouldn't have seen it for 10 days. She'd already called the account rep before lunch.
# TECH-STACK
# OPERATING-CONTEXT
Operating constraint
The 40+ field managers spanned multiple regions, each with their own territory definitions and commercial language. Row-level security had to map cleanly to existing territory structures without forcing a reorg. The Excel macro chain couldn't be turned off until the new pipeline was trusted — we ran both in parallel for the first month.
Adoption & rollout
Rolled out in 1-hour training sessions per region, delivered live so questions got answered in context. Every metric — net sales, listings, share — got a written definition signed off by the commercial lead before launch. Self-serve FAQ maintained by the field team after handover. No tickets to central for routine questions.