Boreal - from Excel-reporting to automated updates
Boreal was grappling with the challenges of merging multiple data sources and manually updating labor-intensive Excel reports until they partnered with QuickBI in the spring of 2020. With QuickBI’s data warehouse and integrations, their reporting process became smoother, and relevant information has been made easily accessible in a visual format for those who needed it.
Boreal Kasvinjalostus Oy is a product development company that breeds high-quality and productive field crop varieties tailored for Finnish farming conditions and the needs of domestic crop users. Boreal’s varieties are grown on over 60% of Finland’s cultivated land. The company’s work is also crucial for ensuring and improving the conditions for domestic food production.
For this article, we interviewed Boreal’s CFO Terhi Tuomi and manager of IT systems and applications Janne Kaarto.
From laborious Excel-reporting to automated updates
Boreal uses multiple IT systems that collect important data from various aspects of its business. However, the data isn’t always in the most ideal format for reporting, and merging it with other systems’ data is not straightforward. Boreal sought more versatile and visual reports from different data sources to support decision-making. More agile data integration and modification were also needed to compile invoicing.
For years, they attempted to improve clarity and visualisation by simply collecting the necessary data from different sources into Excel files. Reporting prior to QuickBI was largely a manual effort, according to Kaarto, involving “running old Access scripts” and “copy-and-paste Excel reporting,” where multiple Excel tables were combined into a report entirely by hand.
A relief to these challenges was brought by the integration of data sources such as Lemonsoft and other finance-related data sources, into QuickBI’s data warehouse. Now, various forms of necessary data automatically flow into QuickBI’s system for reports and billing In addition to their own systems, Boreal also imports some data from external Excel files.
Boreal now uses Tableau visualizations embedded in the QuickBI application for its reporting. Frequent report users appreciate the visuals and ease of use. The automated updates are a particularly welcome change compared to the previous Excel tasks. Tuomi notes that some reports are monitored far more frequently now that compiling the data no longer requires hours of manual work. Reviewing the data more frequently keeps everyone up to date new developments and allows for quick reactions and adjustments when needed.
Multiple benefits from QuickBI’s reports
Reports generated with QuickBI are used throughout the organisation, but the main use is in administration. In particular, QuickBI’s reports speed up and improve the daily work of finance, marketing, and management teams.
QuickBI has created custom reports for different roles based on their needs, making the system easier for many users. Having easily accessible, relevant, quickly interpretable, and automatically updated reports can lead to significant savings and benefits, even if the report is only used by a single user or a small team.
Basic reports using Lemonsoft financial data allow Boreal to effortlessly track its most important KPIs. These include the number of work hours spent on different crops and processes, where detailed data is collected monthly. This data is also the natural basis for cost calculation—determining which crops are worthwhile to keep in the program.
In the past, Boreal’s management and marketing teams had little data to rely on beyond the Excel files prepared for them by the finance department. Thanks to QuickBI and the new reports, they now have better access to data in tons and euros. They can also break down the information they need into the format they desire.
Compared to manually compiled reports from multiple systems, it’s often easier to access the desired dimension or perspective from QuickBI’s reports. This is useful, for example, when considering developing processes.
Some reports produced at Boreal are published for external parties, while others are prepared using external data sources, such as public data from the Natural Resources Institute Finland. This provides additional useful information, such as crop-specific cultivation area data, to support sales and marketing.
Tuomi mentions the royalty billing report as the most important of the reports dealing with external data. This report processes a large amount of external data and compiles the necessary information for export into Lemonsoft’s billing system. With QuickBI, this report is now generated quickly and reliably.
One of the most frequently used reports in the company is the staff attendance calendar for its approximately 70 employees. Initially, this calendar was manually updated by collecting information from email notifications into an Excel spreadsheet. Now, since leave and absence data is collected and processed in Lemonsoft, this information is automatically transferred to QuickBI’s system and formatted for everyone to see. With the collaboration between QuickBI and Microsoft Power Automate, the attendance calendar is updated once a day and automatically published on the Sharepoint-based intranet. Managers can now see at a glance which employees are working that week and they can even plan several weeks ahead for holiday periods. Tuomi says the attendance calendar is exactly the kind of report that no one really thought they needed before, but now no one can imagine working without it.
A shared goal for even more efficient reporting
The main goal of developing Boreal’s reporting has been to reduce manual work. Since the adoption of QuickBI, they have gradually eliminated one laborious Excel report after another. Tuomi believes that even more savings and benefits can be achieved with relatively little effort if the right targets are identified. Existing reports can also be further developed as it becomes clear what changes are needed. It may also be considered whether to expand user rights for some reports or share certain data more broadly.
Kaarto explains, that the main focus of developing existing reports and creating new ones will continue to be in financial management. Additionally, reports will certainly be developed to support and enhance marketing. There are also development plans for reporting related to crop breeding system data, but this is still in its early stages.
Boreal has long been considering renewing its warehouse management systems. Currently, they use a self-built warehouse system for crop breeding, while the seed center’s warehouse management operates in Lemonsoft. Boreal has concluded that replacing either system with a third-party solution would not be practical, as customizing a new system to meet their needs would require too much time and money. Instead, they aim to continue developing both systems, and once they reach the desired level, reporting will also be fine-tuned. Thanks to QuickBI’s integration with Lemonsoft, seed warehouse data is already available when they decide to start working on these reports.
Both interviewees praise the seamless cooperation with QuickBI, noting that communication has been effective. QuickBI responds quickly to development requests, and new reports or improved versions of existing ones are created as needed. Boreal’s reporting will continue to be developed to be even more efficient and comprehensive with QuickBI’s help.