PPECB

Perishable Products Export Control Board

PPECB, a state-owned enterprise, managed an expansive legacy data landscape with multiple data sources and on-premises servers handling data processing for reporting to both internal and external stakeholders. With new cloud sources being incorporated into their environment, PPECB sought a more modern, cloud-ready data solution that could meet both current and future data needs. 

Mint was tasked with designing and implementing a data warehouse solution that could seamlessly integrate these diverse sources, improve reporting efficiency, and unlock new ways of extracting value from PPECB’s data. This initiative aimed not only to enable a smooth transition to cloud capabilities but also to lay the foundation for sustained digital transformation across PPECB’s analytics operations. 

Project Context and Challenges:

With the deployment of a new ERP system—Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement (CE) and Finance & Operations (F&O)—PPECB needed a scalable data solution that could seamlessly integrate the data from these platforms into their existing ecosystem. This required a significant shift from their current, SQL Server-based data warehouse, which relied heavily on SSIS for data processing. The project also presented the following key challenges:

  • Legacy Compatibility: Early in the project, a proof of concept (POC) identified architectural issues within the existing data warehouse, making a straightforward lift-and-shift approach to Azure unfeasible.
  • Governance and Compliance: As a state-owned entity, PPECB operates under stringent governance policies that required careful navigation throughout the project.
  • Skill Gaps: PPECB’s BI team had limited experience with cloud-based development, necessitating knowledge transfer and upskilling.

The Solutions Implemented

Mint collaborated with PPECB to design a robust, cloud-adaptable data warehouse solution. Key initiatives included:

  • Azure Synapse Analytics Integration: Implemented a POC using Azure Synapse Analytics to transition data from D365 to the BI landscape. Synapse Link to Dataverse and Synapse pipelines were leveraged to move and transform data.

  • Redesigned Data Ingestion and Transformation: Mint designed a new data ingestion methodology that incorporated source control, reduced maintenance requirements, and improved development speed. This design was cloud-ready, laying the groundwork for future migration to Azure Synapse Data Warehouse.

  • Upskilling and Knowledge Transfer: A strong focus on upskilling PPECB’s BI team ensured a smoother transition to the new technology stack. Mint’s developers worked closely with PPECB’s team, embedding best practices and making the new methodologies easy to follow.|

  • Roadmap for Legacy Migration: Mint implemented a strategic roadmap to modernize the legacy system progressively, starting with the initial D365 source and designing the structure for future system integrations.

 

Results

The project successfully delivered several key outcomes: 

  • Seamless Data Integration: Migration from the legacy system to D365 was completed, creating a streamlined, scalable foundation for further development. 
  • New Methodology Adoption: A new database and development methodology were implemented, including source control and best practices that significantly reduce the effort required for ongoing maintenance. 
  • Cloud Migration Foundation: PPECB is now well-positioned for future migration to a fully cloud-based data warehouse, thanks to Mint’s thoughtful redesign and integration strategy. 

Through this project, Mint has laid the foundation for PPECB’s cloud adaptation journey, enabling an efficient analytics workload transformation. 

Lessons Learnt

Key insights gained from the project included: 

  • End-to-End System Understanding: Navigating the legacy data platform’s intricacies required a holistic understanding of all elements. Strong involvement from PPECB stakeholders was critical to achieving an optimal solution. 
  • Future-Proof Design: Building cloud-ready designs minimized future rework and kept the focus on People, Process, and Tools for both short- and long-term benefits. 
  • User-Friendly Methodologies: The project’s methodologies were structured to promote ease of adoption and to reinforce best practices within PPECB’s in-house development team, ensuring a smooth transition to new processes and tools. 
  • Regulatory Compliance as a Core Consideration: Working in a regulated environment meant accounting for compliance from inception to completion. 

Next Steps

The project established a clear roadmap for ongoing transformation:

  • Migration Continuation: The remaining legacy codebase will be migrated to the new methodology to ensure seamless future integrations.

  • Additional Integrations: PPECB’s new HR system data will be incorporated into the landscape using the new ingestion and transformation framework, significantly simplifying the process.

 
The Team

Barry Barkley – Data Delivery Team Lead

Rickus du Plooy – Data Engineer

Ravin Yellayah – Data Engineer

Donna Hutton – Data Engineer

Pano Kappos – Specialist Developer

 

Additional Notes

While working towards the bigger goals for the project, PPECB had some staff turnover. In these times, the teams assisted with the BAU requests, supplementing the teams while still working towards the bigger picture of modernising the data landscape.