Complex Data Structures Made Simple: High Value, Low Cost Platform

Finding the right software to help facilitate a complex sales process with multiple layers of data was next to impossible for this insurance company whose niche is managing risk for farmers’ seed and hog inventory. Agricultural insurance is a complex business and requires the company to keep detailed records. Off the shelf systems were not available or required costly database customizations and provided little business analysis support. The insurance company’s legacy system couldn’t keep up with its growth. They needed someone who would take the time to understand their business processes and were skilled in developing solutions to meet their complex data needs. Data Managers, Inc. (DMI) specializes in systems development, and our key strength is business analysis. Learn more about how DMI addressed the complexities of this problem. 

Company

Agriculture Insurance Company

10 Employees

Legacy Technology

The company’s initial database was written without historical data storage. Data structures did not use industry standards for relational databases. 

Goals

  • Users needed easy access to client history
  • Reporting on key metrics
  • Effortless data entry
  • Flexible system design supporting future growth

Business Analysis

DMI was hired to analyze a rather unique company in Iowa. The company provides hog inventory insurance to farmers. Yes, hogs. The insurance company was using a database that did not follow standard design rules. During the analysis, DMI uncovered a total of 8 levels of data found under the customer entity. None of the data was normalized. In addition, the system did not store historical data; it did not allow for the collection of all needed data points required for reporting on customer history.

After interviewing the system’s key stakeholders and users, DMI constructed a flowchart showing a breakdown of the sales process, each data entity, and the relationships between them. 

Issues with the current system

  • System lacked scalability
  • Unable to report on historical data 
  • Off the shelf software could not meet the company’s needs without costly customization
  • The existing system was not intuitive

Solution

Cost-effectively created a complete solution that utilizes the power of relational databases in a scalable system to help the company focus on providing insurance, not on data entry. 

Benefits

  • By documenting the business process in great detail before DMI writes a line of code DMI limits the rework and helps companies create a foundation for process optimization.
  • By structuring the data and creating a relationship between multiple data levels, users had visibility to key metrics and client history.
  • A cost-effective, scalable system that follows generally accepted standards for system design supporting company growth.
  • User productivity increased with a more intuitive system for daily tasks.

Learn more

Are you struggling to improve your business processes or with how to get value out of your data? Is your company operation still manual? Learn more about Data Managers Inc.’s business analysis and development capabilities by contacting steve@datamanagersinc.com.