Artashes Simonyan: QlikView allowed us to achieve control over business

Artashes Simonyan: If earlier in most the large companies for conducting daily routine activity classical office applications were used, then today IT technologies are the key tool not only for increase in efficiency of different divisions and identification of weak points, but also become main "trumps" in competitive struggle.

ERP system is capable to close completely questions according to the management reporting, and Business Intelligence becomes real help for the head who needs to have reliable data, to make strategically right decisions and also to perform further forecasts for different situations. It is especially important for distributors – without analytics it is impossible to monitor pricing, to manage the range and logistics, to understand specifics of work of marketing department and to monitor "exhausts" from promotion actions.

"Ameria of Russ" was founded in 1993, today we continue to develop, we aim at expansion of sphere of activity and we work on improvement of an inner pattern of management in the company. I can tell with confidence that without use of specialized business solutions, it would be impossible.

TAdviser: How did you come to need of creation of an analytical system? Usually it is evolutionarily preceded by a stage of implementation of the accounting systems and accumulation of a certain critical mass of data. Was this really your case?

Artashes Simonyan: We selected the solution capable not only to analyze single situations and to consider influence on them of external factors, but also as a result to give an objective assessment to the events. Really, the ERP system allows to solve fully problems of accounting and optimization, but is not capable to provide a complete picture.

Initially we brought into commercial operation the solution based on Microsoft Dynamics AH 2009 and were going to use an OLAP cubes for creation of analytical reports. However it became clear that features of the platform allow to create necessary analytical requests only using completions of a system which would demand a large number of coding manually, time and funds for involvement of necessary IT specialists.

As a result as the platform of the business analysis we selected QlikView. Its profitable difference consists that a system allows to configure easily the necessary requests, and, besides, results of calculations in a system remain so at receipt of similar requests it is not necessary to make them again. The main principle of QlikView – data discovery, or search in data what initially we could not achieve from an OLAP cubes is based on it.

TAdviser: By what else criteria did you select the analytical platform? What solutions you considered and why on QlikView stopped the final choice?

Artashes Simonyan: The main characteristics which interested us when choosing the solution – an opportunity to import data from the Enterprise resource planning and also implementation in it multiple factor analysis thanks to which it is possible to go deep into work detailing, both separate process, and the specific manager.

QlikView is an information processing system in RAM and also an associative data model which completely "gives a free hand" in treatment of information: users are not limited in the manipulations with data, information processing and decision making. Existence of the intuitive user interface available even for the ordinary manager became also important factor. In addition to functionality we saw also ordinarier things, such as implementation cost. And I mean both acquisition of licenses, and time spent on setup and adaptation of the software solution under specific requirements of the company by cost.

TAdviser: The role of consultants and internal IT of a command in the project progress was how big? How did it last long? Tell, please, about its key stages?

Artashes Simonyan: At the moment the project is at a development stage and therefore it is difficult to select something certain. Directly we perform the analysis by own efforts, and the realization of our wishes in QlikView is enabled by forces of our partners. Integrator of a system is the consulting company IT-Box with which we began cooperation at a system implementation stage.

TAdviser: According to the results of implementation – what a system which you created can? What is the time it is in commercial operation and how its use influenced your business? Whether you note any positive effect?

Artashes Simonyan: Implementation and optimization of a system allowed us to become much more transparent, to understand how all internal processes are built in the company. QlikView is very flexible, adaptable solution. A system provides to users all information in a convenient form: they can as soon as possible, quickly, without wasting time for involvement of IT specialists, to make the analysis and to make decisions. We still finally did not put a system into operation and we fully cannot estimate it in work, but I can tell that this system is really capable to provide flexible control of a status of the company.

TAdviser: Tell, please, who is the main users of a system? Whether there is some hierarchy of data access? As far as users are free in treatment of these data? As far as a system is available to them and is clear?

Artashes Simonyan: At this stage of project implementation it is planned that the departments separated in structure of the company on categories and which are responsible for interaction with outlets will use the Sales model. The operation personnel will be able independently to estimate the number of sales, to analyze data on specific shop and independently in general reports to enter local settings under the requirements.

The Finance model, respectively, will be available to financiers who monitor a cost structure, revenue and also control work of "sellers". Separately under requirements of the company, IT-Box develops the Retrobonuses model thanks to which we will calculate and control the costs connected with positioning and presence of the brands implemented by us at supermarkets. In a system all crucial elements of information security are put, and we are going to apply different user politicians to secure work of all staff of the company.

TAdviser: What, in your opinion to opinion, distinguishes your project from other projects of a detailed sort? Whether there were some difficulties during the project with which it was succeeded to cope?

Artashes Simonyan: For me it is the first similar project and it will be difficult to compare it to others. I independently am engaged in report settings in QlikView and I can tell with confidence that even for such large company as Ameria of its opportunities more than it is enough.

TAdviser: Whether there are plans for further development of a system on the QlikView platform?

Artashes Simonyan: Plans for development assume, first, serious training of internal personnel in programming methods and designing of documents, and secondly, expansion of areas of the analysis of activity using QlikView. Today in Ameria of Russ company using a system IT specialists give to users an opportunity to independently analyze information from different sources and also to quickly give business support, strictly controlling security and quality of data.

In the future we aim at that each user could not only use ready reports, but also independently put all necessary filters and group data. Now, I will repeat, the project is at a stage of development of the solution and our partners from IT-Box step by step develop new functionality in QlikView. Also the Guest Book model and integration of stocks into Sales and Purchases is prepared.