“Before we implemented Microsoft SQL Server, users worked a whole day to get a particular report out of the system. Now they refresh their reports with one push of a button!” Marco van Putten, Director, Business Development and ICT, BCC Electronics retailer BCC tracks every in-store and online transaction with its SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. But the system was so complicated that generating reports required outside assistance. To resolve this issue, the company implemented the business intelligence (BI) features in Microsoft SQL Server software. Now reports are generated in- house, and costs are as much as 25 percent lower. Business Needs BCC operates 57 specialty electronics retail stores throughout the Netherlands and sells products through an online retail store as well. The company keeps data about all transactions in an SAP ERP system, and it runs reports on this data to help understand its customers and the market in order to make informed business decisions. However, the system was complex, and BCC often had to get help from outside the company to access data and generate reports, which slowed down the entire process. “It was necessary to bring in external expertise on a regular basis,” says Marco van Putten, Director, Business Development and ICT (Information and Communication Technology), BCC. “Waiting for the reports required by management took too long and decisions could not be made quickly. It was an aggravating problem that we struggled with for a long time.” Eventually, BCC learned about business intelligence features that are standard in Microsoft products. The company was already running a Microsoft application environment parallel to the SAP environment, and it thought a Microsoft BI solution might speed up access to its customer data. In addition to seeking faster access to data, BCC wanted to reduce the technical complexity to avoid having to rely on outside help for creating reports. It wanted to produce reports entirely with internal staff, which would accelerate report generation and reduce spending on third- party help. “We wanted to be able to have all the reports built by nontechnical people —not just now, but also in the future,” van Putten says. Solution BCC was already running Microsoft Office and Microsoft SharePoint 2010 technology when it started looking for a new BI solution for its ERP data. Because of its investment in Microsoft software, BCC wanted to find a Microsoft BI solution. “We have a preference for Microsoft, due in part to the integration possibilities with the Microsoft applications that we already have in use, such as Office and SharePoint,” van Putten says. “That is extremely important for us.” At a presentation at Microsoft Netherlands in late 2010, BCC learned that Microsoft partner NewFrontiers had developed a ready-to-use generic data warehouse solution for SAP ERP systems. The solution, NemisFS, consists of predefined interfaces between the SAP source system and a data warehouse. Data is stored in a NewFrontiers data model in the Microsoft Customer: BCC Website: www.bcc.nl Customer Size: 1,500 employees Country or Region: The Netherlands Industry: Retail and distribution— Electronics retailing Partner: NewFrontiers Partner Website: www.newfrontiers.com Customer Profile BCC, part of the European electronics retail group Kesa Electricals, is one of the largest and most successful electronics retailers in the Netherlands. It operates 57 specialty stores throughout the Netherlands plus an online retail store. Solution Spotlight Saves up to 25 percent with self- service reporting. Promotes better decisions with fast access to current data. Will dig deeper into data with SQL Server 2012 PowerPivot for SharePoint. For more information about other Microsoft customer successes, please visit: Microsoft SQL Server Customer Solution Case Study Electronics Retailer Cuts Reporting Costs by up to 25 Percent with New BI System