Case study

Implementing dbt cloud at Deputy

Schedule 4 minute read

22 January 2023

Deputy is a SaaS company providing workforce management and rostering/scheduling solutions for shift workers worldwide.

The Data team at Deputy were looking for a platform to build and maintain a Data Model to support the existing BI and analytics platform.

The problem

The Data Team at Deputy partnered with Altis to build a data model to support the Dashboard and Business Processes and along with that to build a data integrity framework which would allow accuracy and governance of data across all the Data Warehouse.

The Data being used for reports and dashboards were transformed in Snowflake tasks within various databases which were untracked and with the growth of the company were taking much time and resources to process which the hindered the performance of important business dashboards and reports which also accrued additional cost.

The solution

Altis recommended along with a data model to make business processes more clearer, to implement dbt cloud in the technology stack for the maintaining, transforming and building the data model.

dbt cloud integrated with Github and Snowflake to provide version control and maintain traceability of code and data. Software Engineering best practice implemented (Pull Requests, Code Review, Test Environments, CICD)

Data integrity and governance were handled by dbt cloud with features such as generic tests, dbt documentation and data lineage.

Separate Deployment and development environments help maintain the data quality and make resolving issues faster and efficient.

“The data transformation at Deputy would not have been possible without Altis and their support. They were able to come in and add the fundamentals back into our processes and help the business trust the data, in such a short space of time. I can’t recommend Altis enough to anyone that is about to embark on a transformation, especially with the roll out of a tool like dbt.”

- Huss Afzal
Director of Data, Deputy

The outcome

Altis along with data team delivered the data model across 2 development waves (Sales and Finance). The type 2 dimensions helped deputy capture history across business processes which helped the business discover insights which weren’t previously possible.

All environments are distinct and with a code convention and deployment strategy in place, the data team were able to deliver more accurate and efficient dashboards. More robust control of data led to a reduction in resource utilisation.

Tableau reports and data load times also improved with the dimensional model.

Furthermore, incidents and errors within the environment are reported and resolved much quicker with reporting and logging of data issues in dbt cloud.

Ready to strengthen your data foundations and unlock greater trust in your analytics? Altis Consulting helps organisations modernise their data environments with scalable, governed solutions. Contact Altis today to learn how we can help your team streamline workflows, boost reporting performance, and drive data-driven decisions with confidence.