Automating Data Quality Metrics in the Retail Domain
Automated data quality checks for a UK retail client using SODA UI & Databricks, reducing inconsistencies by 78% and enabling timely, accurate reporting.
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Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
One of the largest retail chains in the UK processes millions of sales transactions daily. These transactions feed data driven audits, market research, and strategic decision making. To streamline this process, Cloudaeon engineered a solution to automate its data quality checks, including completeness and correctness, while migrating from legacy systems to the Azure Cloud. Leveraging SODA, we implemented robust data pipeline controls and business checks, enabling accurate, timely reports. A centralised dashboard was set to monitor domain and data health, empowering data leads and stakeholders to detect and remediate issues quickly, significantly reducing manual effort.
Challenges
Incorrect product to code mappings.
Missing product attributes from suppliers.
Sales discrepancies between channels.
No validation for UAT and data structure or schema changes.
Unflagged risks in GDPR sensitive data.
Lack of timely alerts and slow issue resolution.
These challenges slowed reporting and lowered confidence in data accuracy, affecting business growth.
Solution
Cloudaeon implemented an automated, centralised data monitoring system that validates data at the point of entry and integrates into the existing ETL workflows.
What we implemented:
Automated quality checks using SODA UI for accuracy, completeness and data formatting.
Embedded checks within Databricks scripts operating data pipelines.
Configured instant alerts to Microsoft Teams for relevant teams.
Why this solution:
SODA UI has seamlessly integrated with the existing Azure cloud infrastructure.
Flexible validation rules and easy maintenance.
Incidence management was quicker than ever.
Minimal additional infrastructure is required.
Customisations done:
Cloudaeon scheduled automated checks outside official hours to optimise resources and customised alerts across email and Teams channels based on data ownership and stewardship, ensuring timely issue detection and resolution.
Impact
Cloudaeon’s initiative to add robust data pipeline controls using YAML and Databricks notebooks, along with over 350 automated SODA UI checks.
A 78% drop in data inconsistencies significantly improved the timeliness and accuracy of data, enabling the real-time analytics team.
More reliable and insightful Power BI reports were generated while reducing manual effort and boosting confidence in data driven decision making.
Conclusion
Cloudaeon’s automated, cloud native quality framework transformed the client’s data operations from inconsistent oversight to continuous, automated governance. By embedding intelligence directly into the pipelines and centralising oversight, we delivered a scalable, low-maintenance system that strengthens trust, accelerates reporting and keeps the business decision ready every single day. Want to experience what real-time reports can do for you? Contact us now.
