April 2007
Case Study
Benjamin Moore Paints
Retail Analytics Made Easy
About BiPredict Business Intelligence doesn't week the data warehouse was of customers, for example.
have to be complicated. Just think built and communicating with
ProClarity has a built-in set of
BiPredict Ltd specialises of it as a Rubik's Cube. Benjamin Moore's point of sales
preconfigured intelligence re-
in the implementation of system. What's impressive is that
data warehousing and A Rubik's cube can offer you ports, based on management best
BI Predict did all the installation
business intelligence multiple perspectives on the same practice, which help a business
off-site, using a Virtual Private
solutions for different ver- object - you simply turn the immediately see their company
Network to implement the data
tical industries and devel- "slices" of the cube until you see performance by product, store,
opment data mining appli- warehouse system and ProClarity
what you want to see. And that's supplier or employee. Staff are
cations for its retail cli- reporting tool.
exactly what ProClarity Analytics then able to build their own cus-
ents. The company has
from BI Predict enabled Benja- BI Predict did visit Benjamin tom reports.
key relationships with two
min Moore Paints to do. Moore though, for a half-day
US based companies, Pro- Edlington particularly appreciates
Clarity Corporation, the training session, which is all that
ProClarity Analytics is a Win- the ability to quickly export data
leading provider of ana- was needed for the users to learn
dows-based database application from ProClarity to a spreadsheet-
lytic applications and de- how to create their own reports.
that allows companies to "slice ing program. While it's possible
velopment platform for
and dice" their data to get a rich, BiPredict's technical director Dr. to print reports directly from
building
custom applications and deep level of understanding about Sergei Dumnov says the installa- ProClarity, Edlington prefers to
Megaputer Intelligence, how parts of the business relate to tion signaled a new phase for manipulate the data in a spread-
Inc, a leading data mining each other. In effect, the software Benjamin Moore. "They'd never sheet, and ProClarity makes this
company. allows them to ask - and answer - seen anything like that before," particularly easy. "It's probably
Contact the vital "why" and "what if" says Dr. Dumnov. "They were more of a personal preference,"
Level 9, Southern Cross questions. very excited because it was so says Edlington, "but it gives me
Building Society, 59 - 61
easy to slice and dice - it was the ability to do it quite well."
High Street, Auckland, While a Rubik's cube has three
dynamic."
New Zealand dimensions, Benjamin Moore's Benjamin Moore is part of Acu-
"cube" in ProClarity Analytics Benjamin Moore's management men, an industry - wide group
has 15 dimensions. And because accountant Peter Edlington, who that helps the paint retail industry
ProClarity Analytics uses an began at Benjamin Moore some benchmark the performance of
OLAP database, the paint retailer months after the installation, says, the entire market. "It's very simi-
is able to effectively drill down "Old systems of this kind are very lar to Nielsen reporting, where a
into that data. good at printing reports, but you group of industries get together
can't drill down. This gives me and get reporting on an entire
Benjamin Moore Paints first dis-
the ability to double click and go category," explains Peter Edling-
covered ProClarity through point
to next level of detail.” ton. "For instance, the bread cate-
of sale software vendor Infinity
gory could discover the total
Software, which provides Benja- With ProClarity, Benjamin
market of bread sales, and each
min Moore's retail transaction Moore is able to see if an increase
player then figures out how much
software throughout New Zea- in sales has led to an increase in
market share they have."
land. gross profit, and where the profit
is coming from - whether from
In March 2006 Benjamin Moore
increased spend per customer, or
asked BI Predict to install Pro-
an increase in the overall number
Clarity on their system. Within a
Benjamin Moore Paints
Retail Analytics Made Easy
Previously, says Peter Edling- ton. "But with ProClarity that environment - what you see on
ton, preparing such high-level just doesn't happen." the screen works in the same
reports for Acumen were a pain way as the idea works in your
It's apparent that ProClarity is
in the proverbial, but he says mind."
capable of great complexity.
it's "nice and quick" with Pro-
Does that mean it comes with a ProClarity was acquired by
Clarity. Another bonus is accu-
steep learning curve? Microsoft in 2006, which en-
racy - because all the informa-
sures continued support for the
tion comes directly from Infin- Dr. Dumnov tells of another
product set.
ity's point of sale software. client where he trained a school
leaver in using the software. "In
"Old systems of this kind are "My biggest worry would have
very good at printing three hours she went from very
been that something will get
reports, but you can't drill little confidence at all to high
missed from the database, and I
down. This gives me the confidence," he says. "Even
wouldn't find out until further
ability to double click and though it's complicated, Pro-
down the track," says Edling-
go to next level of detail.” Clarity represents a natural
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