Key Benefits to Operational Reporting Using Data Illuminations

Jeremy Paytas | August 2018

Operational reporting applies to nearly every industry and when implemented correctly, it can prove to be very beneficial in regards to operating efficiently and effectively. Examples of operational systems include email marketing performance, temperature regulators, production output, cash inflows and outflows, and time card entry.

Key benefits of operational reporting through Data Illuminations include:

  • Point in time reporting to view and compare current performance to past performance
  • Secure and accessible web portal for easy and universal access
  • Electronic footprint for compliance and regulation adherence
  • Audit trails and approval tracking for complete transparency
  • Performance recommendations for fine tuning your operation
  • Predictability identifiers to prevent costly downtime
  • Quick set up time for immediate data insights.

In order to get the most out of operational reporting efficiently and effectively, we have identified three core areas of focus - Data Management, Insights and Interactions.

Data Management

The foundation of effective operational reporting begins with optimally organizing data within a data management system. Data Illuminations provides a hands-off solution to identify key components which include finding the right frequency of data, understanding the amount of data and ensuring key measurement metrics are being captured. This allows our clients to focus on their businesses primary goals and responsibilities. Once these components have been established, the real power of Date Illuminations’ data management takes shape including:

  • Historical data capture enabling insights on period over period trending
  • Reporting archive management, which is critical for regulatory and compliance reporting
  • Transparent handling and notification of data feeds, missing data points and error handling to ensure the data is accurate and current

Establishing data management best practices on operational data opens the gateway to harvesting critical insights into what has been done, what is currently happening and project future performance.

Insights

Operational insights are paramount to any organization looking to optimize performance while adhering to compliance guidelines. At Data Illuminations, our objective is to thoroughly understand your business needs, blend it with our expertise and experience and build a framework of actionable reports that bring to light data insights that will help your business accomplish its goals.

Interactions

In order to make insights accessible and usable, a user friendly interface is crucial. Interacting with data and reporting may be the most underserved area of operational reporting. As regulations and compliance measures tighten up, the need for audits has made keeping a history of approvals necessary. Traditionally, static reports emailed or made available in PDF or Excel formats are standard, putting responsibility on the user to manage these library of documents. Data Illuminations relieves the end user of that responsibility through a web interface that includes search capabilities, the ability to view historical reports, and track comments within its repository.

Bringing It All Together

Data Illuminations serves as your comprehensive solution for bringing all of these elements together to form a trusted data management platform, analytical canvas and interactive portal. Setting up the environment can be staged in as little as weeks and there are various licensing options available to match your companies size and needs. Data Illuminations provides an environment that will meet regulatory needs and illuminate opportunities for improvement. The Data Illuminations difference lies in the ability to capture the past, interpret the present, and intelligently prepare for future success.

Food Production Reporting Solution

Keeping tabs on temperature, humidity, pressure and dew point is critical in the food processing industry. For example, if temperature falls outside of the expected range for significant time, food can become compromised resulting in higher risk for foodborne illness and loss of once viable product leading to lower revenue and brand distrust. Our main goal is to proactively prevent this scenario through the use of data and analytics. By utilizing data points in the vein of user defined upper control limits (UCL) and lower control limits (LCL) and calculating standard deviation and averages as data is processed, trends begin to take shape, leading to the creation of performance thresholds and error detection systems. As illustrated in the chart below, these metrics are aggregated hourly. Data Illuminations references these results to provide insights on current status, control warnings and trending insights. The ability to track historical trending has proven to be critical as monitoring these trends help to identify equipment malfunctions enabling the end user to be proactive with repairs or replacements. The Data Illuminations solution was key to reducing downtime and increasing profit.

Sensor Overview Web Portal Snippet Daily summary and hourly sensor trends part of the weekly report


A core component for success was affording the end user the ability to submit their stamp of approval and retain the history of the items related to the approval. These items included the name of the approver, the date and time stamp of the approval, any comments related to the approval and included other customizable options required. All were necessary for compliance guidelines.

Sensor Comment Web Portal Snippet Comment on sensors exceeding the control limits before acknowledging the report for a ditigial footprint


Another key component of interactions is in the upper control limits and lower control limits to ensure alarm triggers are valid and receiving attention when necessary. Data Illuminations provides the flexibility to easily adjust these settings when appropriate without impacting historical reports. This enables the reports to be crafted to capture variances in trending, establish normal trends, and predict future performance.