DMS data integration: 6 ways to get it right

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DMS Data Integration
6 ways to get it right

So what are the issues?
Getting a
good
extract
Data
quality
Nuances
Consoli-
dation
Report-
ing &
analysis
Handling
changes
Develop-
ment risk
Extensib-
ility
Flexibility
Dealer
buy-in
Handling
issues
DSP
support
Variety
of DMS

The nirvana?

 You know exactly what you need
from the data
 You get the exact data you need
in the form you need it and fit for
purpose
 You don’t care that a dealer is
going to change their DMS or a
DSP is releasing a new version…
it won’t affect you, it’s handled
 You have complete control and
transparency
 The data is driving increased
sales and enhanced profitability
The nirvana

Here’s our
consultants’ six
ways to get it
right...

1. Get a clear view of the data required

Any endeavour really benefits from clearly defined goals. In
this context you need to align the business goals with the data
necessary to support them.
Don’t waste effort collecting and processing data that is not
required. Your access method should allow the extensibility of
the data sets at a future point – which is normally be do-able
for a reasonably low cost.

Invest in a pilot: Identify a friendly subset of dealers.
Focus on a high value business requirement with a
narrow data footprint.
Aim for short timescales.
Let the ‘quick win’ bed in.

Rather than going for a whole network, consider using
a sub-set such as consolidated data from a region.
With Honda, we used a small set of dealers and
narrowed the data footprint to support an initial parts
replenishment requirement.
The project was piloted with Scottish dealers. Glasgow
in particular was a useful location as it had several of
their dealers on different DMS. A 2-3 day visit to
Glasgow allowed us to visit these different dealers and
investigate the best approach to extract data from the
different DMS types.

If access to all data is not possible, ensure that the
sample sets provided are covering boundary cases.
Profile individual data sets, then carry out unified
profiling to ensure that as a complete data set there are
no gaps or exceptional cases which need to be
addressed.
This will lead you to items such as data cleansing,
enrichment of data (with reference data) and
deduplicating.

With our clients and partners we typically carry out data
cleansing (validating names, addresses, postcodes,
telephone numbers, emails, vehicle VINs).
We classify the type of customer (retail, trade, owner,
driver) and categorise the work carried out (service,
repair, MOT, bodyshop, internal, warranty).
And for all automotive projects we apply de-duplication
rules. We use a number of different fields (invoice
number, dealer code, invoice amount) to check for
duplication.

The need to get up-to-date information and customer
insight is not a one-off event. The business may be
looking for monthly or weekly trends or marketing
campaigns such as service reminders, parts
replenishment...

A dealer network has to deliver on a weekly, daily or
near real-time basis. This requires an approach that
understands this is on-going and that the people,
technology and processes have to be there to support
it. How are you going to identify if a dealer feed has
failed or changed? How are you going to ensure the
data you are getting from a range of DMS types is
consistent, has the same rules applied...?
A technology framework will be necessary and this
requires an appropriate level of budget. Whether it is an
internal or external service, creating a sustainable
framework is the foundation.

5. Networks are in constant flux...embrace it!

We integrate hundreds of DMS and at any one time,
there are changes to data sets, changes to contacts,
new dealers or a change of management. For our
clients we put in place a motivated, responsive and
helpful service to get through any issues quickly and
with the least disruption for everyone.
With Honda, we find that a dealer network that has this
level of service is open and helpful in supporting the
initiative for the long haul.

Get control of your data for the
benefit of the whole organisation!
6. Do it once

Many times we see data sets that overlap with others
found in the same manufacturer, even within the same
department. Those sets of data will have cost money to
create and are still costing the business funds to
maintain.
Instead, we build projects that avoid silos of data. We
collect the data once, get it into a fit-for-purpose state
then make it available for internal or partner use.

Honda had previously attempted to integrate its dealer
network and found itself supporting a number of
software and service initiatives, with separate budgets
for data extraction, quality and cleansing, customer
insight and alike.
Our consultants put together a single service to
consolidate the data from the entire network. Corporate
then had complete on-going control over the data. They
were able to share that data across multiple internal
and external teams for much less than the combined
cost of the previous initiatives.

 More than 200 dealers
in the network
 4 month design and
implementation
 98% ‘up’ time across
the network
 80% of dealers have
had no downtime
 New dealers added in
less than 48 hours
 Dealer DMS changes
usually in place in less
than 48 hours
A good system will look like this one for Honda:

Why us?
• 10-year track record in data
management, working with global blue
chip clients
• Unparalleled knowledge from our team of
data integration experts, many of whom
have been with us since inception
• Our Transformation Manager and
DataHub software has been proven in
even the most complex data movements
• Expert support: first line of contact is with
a developer or consultant
• Data integration focus – it’s all that we do
"Honda has been seeking to
achieve Dealer Network
Integration for the last ten years.
With the help of ETL Solutions,
this has finally been achieved.
Considering the success, Honda
is now planning to extend this
approach to the European
dealers."
Michael Doyle, Honda
“After recommending ETL
Solutions as a preferred
provider, we have been delighted
by the speed with which they
were able to demonstrate the
feasibility of integration and
implement the subsequent
production-level transforms."
Graham Orr, Barloworld Optimus

Raising data
management
standards
Please get in touch for more details on
our data integration services:
Karl Glenn, Business Development Director
kg@etlsolutions.com
Read more on our website at:
http://www.etlsolutions.com/what-we-do/automotive/

DMS data integration: 6 ways to get it right

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