Hudson Holdings Group, a leader in the retail and distribution sectors, undertook a legacy system migration to transition from an outdated data platform to a more robust and scalable infrastructure.
The business objectives driving this legacy system migration were to improve data quality, scalability, and empower users with self-service analytics capabilities, aligning the platform with the company’s growth ambitions. By centralizing data from their D365 ERP system and footfall data, the project streamlined data management processes, delivering enhanced operational efficiency.
Over the course of a six-month timeline, the successful migration and integration were achieved, positioning Hudson for future scalability and increased efficiency.
Key Results from the Legacy System Migration
The legacy system migration delivered measurable benefits across several areas:
Improved Data Quality
Hudson’s new platform ensured more accurate, complete, and timely data, supporting better decision-making.
Scalability for Future Growth
The new platform is designed to scale alongside the business, accommodating new data initiatives with ease.
Operational Efficiency
Decommissioning the legacy system and implementing new pipelines significantly reduced operational overhead and improved efficiency.
Advanced Reporting and Analytics
The migration enabled more streamlined and timely reporting, providing actionable insights for various business units.
User Empowerment
By introducing a self-service analytics environment, Hudson reduced dependency on IT, allowing users to access data independently and make informed decisions.
Client’s background
- Company Name: Hudson Holdings Group
- Industry: Retail, Distribution, and Service Provider in Sports and Fashion
- Company Size: Over 1,000 employees
- Annual Revenue: €181.8 million.
Business Overview:
Hudson Holdings Group operates 97 retail stores across Africa and Southern Europe, representing renowned brands such as Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein, Nike, and Tommy Hilfiger.
The group also manages its own retail concepts—Urban Jungle, Urban Bratz, and Black Box—and has a robust distribution network in over 30 African territories.
Headquartered in Malta, with additional offices in Italy, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria, and Cyprus, Hudson’s operations are fueled by its commitment to quality and excellence across the fashion industry.
Challenges with the Legacy System
The primary challenge Hudson faced was the limitations of their legacy system. The old data platform led to issues in data quality, pipeline reliability, and slow data loading processes, which hindered timely and accurate reporting.
Additionally, the legacy platform strained Hudson’s BI infrastructure, leading to performance bottlenecks and increased operational costs.
Key challenges included:
Data Quality Issues:
Inaccurate, incomplete, and inconsistent data that affected business decisions.
Performance Bottlenecks:
Strained BI infrastructure caused inefficiencies in reporting and analytics.
Scalability Limitations:
The existing system could not scale to meet Hudson’s growing data requirements.
User Enablement:
Limited ability for users to effectively use data, increasing IT dependency.
The Legacy System Migration Solution
Hudson partnered with Eunoia to implement a comprehensive legacy system migration, transitioning from their outdated platform to a modern data architecture built on Databricks. The key steps in the solution included:
- Assessment and Planning: Identifying the limitations of the legacy system and creating a migration roadmap.
- Infrastructure Setup: Establishing a robust infrastructure that supported the integration of multiple data sources.
- Data Model Redesign: Aligning the new data model to meet evolving business needs and improve data usability.
- Data Pipeline Development: Implementing more reliable and scalable data pipelines with logging and error handling mechanisms.
- Data Migration: Migrating critical data from the D365 ERP system and footfall data onto the new platform.
- Testing and Validation: Comprehensive testing to ensure data accuracy, correctness, and completeness.
- Deployment and Ongoing Support: Successfully transitioning to the new platform with continuous support and optimizations.
By centralizing the D365 ERP and footfall data, Hudson created a unified platform that allowed for more efficient data management, improved analytics, and enabled self-service reporting.
Advanced Analytics and Self-Service Capabilities
One of the primary objectives of the legacy system migration was to create a data environment that empowers users.
Hudson’s new platform now supports self-service analytics, enabling teams to generate their own reports and access data insights without relying heavily on IT. This has led to more informed, data-driven decisions, increased productivity, and overall improved business agility.
Client’s Feedback
Eunoia helped us rebuild our entire data infrastructure for BI from the ground up. Their code quality, report quality, and documentation quality are outstanding, especially when compared to other suppliers & consultants.
– Reinhardt Barkley, PowerBI Manager at Hudson Holdings Group
