Community Voices: Q&A With Samson Sunny

Miran Saric

Featuring: Community Captain Samson Sunny, Premium Support Specialist

Welcome to another installment of Community Voices! Today we're featuring Samson Sunny, a Premium Support Specialist at Board and one of our Community Captains, to discuss some of the hottest topics with the Board Support experience and the new B14 release!

Samson has acquired three years of professional experience as a Premium Support Specialist at Board. Working on application issues and product issues for customers has enabled him to sharpen his troubleshooting and problem solving skills. He also enjoys working on Data Integration issues and configuring new and existing connections from and to Board. Outside of work, he is an avid cricket fan and he takes pleasure in partaking in outdoor activities with his family, relishing the opportunity to be close to nature.

What are some common support questions you receive and what are your recommendations for resolution?

1. Data Integration issues and connectivity
One of the key aspects that a great EPM tool should have is the flexibility to connect to various data sources and one that is able to handle large data flowing in and out. Board has a wide variety of Data Integration methods and techniques to achieve this.

2. Performance and Speed Issues
Users face slow performance or lagging issues while using the application and especially when handling large data models

From a premium support specialist point of view we regularly monitor the applications and systems performance and conduct routine maintenance like having a Support Alert system in place that warns us of potential issues that might occur- like Max item number breach, data reader rejections, etc.

3. Proactive Support
Proactive support in the CPM/EPM space involves anticipating and addressing customer needs and issues before they escalate into larger problems.

With great teams in Premium and Product Support providing great support and a great platform like Board Community along with Board Education providing learning opportunities to help users stay updated with the tools features and best practices, ensures that we provide proactive support.

What should users know about B14 to maximize their Board experience?

Board 14 has enhancements across various aspects of the platform, from UI and analytics to performance and integration capabilities. These improvements make Board 14 a more powerful and user-friendly solution for enterprise performance management and business intelligence.

1. Improved User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX):
Board 14 features a more modern and intuitive user interface, making it easier for users to navigate and interact with the platform and the UX improvements help users perform tasks more efficiently, with streamlined workflows and better accessibility.

2. Performance and Scalability
Board 14 includes performance enhancements that make data processing and report generation faster and more efficient. Board 14 also ensures improved scalability which means that the platform can handle large datasets and more complex analyses without compromising performance.

3. Integration Capabilities
Board 14 offers improved integration with other enterprise systems and third-party applications, making connecting and synchronizing data easier. With enhanced APIs, the platform provides more flexibility and options for integrating with external systems.

Can you provide us with your favorite tips or useful features in Board to support efforts toward Intelligent Planning?

Advanced Planning and Budgeting
Board's advanced planning and budgeting tools help create detailed financial plans and budgets. Use rolling forecasts to continuously update and refine your financial plans based on real-time data and changing business conditions

Automated Data integration and ETL
Board provides powerful ETL tools to automate data integration from multiple sources. Set up automated ETL processes to ensure that your data is always up-to-date and accurate, reducing the manual effort and risk of errors.

Can you tell us about a unique customer challenge overcome in an interesting way using Board?

One of our customers was facing a major issue with integrating data from multiple systems. They had various ERP systems, CRM platforms and numerous databases across different regions. This led to inconsistent data, delayed reporting, and inefficient decision-making processes. They needed a solution that could consolidate their data into a single source of truth and enable real-time analytics and reporting.

The company implemented Board EPM to create a unified data integration framework, enabling seamless data consolidation and real-time analytics using the following approaches:

Comprehensive Data Integration:
Data Connectors: The company used Board’s wide range of data connectors to integrate data from different ERP systems (like SAP, Oracle), CRM platforms (like Salesforce), and other databases.

ETL Processes: They utilized Board’s ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) capabilities to extract data from various sources, transform it into a consistent format, and load it into a central repository.

One of the key aspects that a great EPM tool should have is the flexibility to connect to various data sources and one that is able to handle large data flowing in and out. Board has a wide variety of Data Integration methods and techniques to achieve this.

Centralized Data Repository:
Unified Data Model: A unified data model was created within Board to harmonize data from different sources, ensuring consistency and accuracy.

Single Source of Truth: By consolidating data into a centralized repository, the company established a single source of truth, enabling reliable and consistent reporting.

Real-Time Data Processing and Analytics:
Real-Time Data Updates: The integration setup allowed for real-time data updates, ensuring that decision-makers had access to the most current information.

Advanced Analytics: Leveraging Board’s advanced analytics capabilities, the company performed comprehensive analyses and generated insights from the integrated data.

Custom Dashboards and Reporting:
Interactive Dashboards: Custom dashboards were created to provide real-time visibility into key metrics and performance indicators across different regions and departments.

Automated Reporting: Automated reporting features allowed stakeholders to receive timely and accurate reports without manual intervention.

Thank you so much for your excellent responses, Samson! Did you like this Q&A? Do you have any follow-up questions? Let us know in the comments below!

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