ETL Implementation for Automotive Dealership: A Comprehensive Case Study

In today's competitive business environment, companies are seeking efficient ways to manage their data and enhance their operations. One such company, an automotive dealership, approached us to implement an Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) solution to streamline their data management processes. This case study highlights our approach to implement the ETL solution for three specific use cases:

1

Import Vehicle Inventory Data from a 3rd Party
2

Import Repair Order Closed Report
3

Import Finance Application and Import to the Daily Sales Log

Using technologies like Pentaho Data Integration (PDI), SQL Server, FTP, and API endpoints, we were able to effectively manage data from various sources, making it available for the dealership's internal business applications.

Case 1: Import Vehicle Inventory Data from a 3rd Party

Objective: Import vehicle inventory data feed from HomeNet Automotive, a third-party provider, in CSV format and integrate it into the dealership's internal databases.

What we did

Our team started by analyzing the CSV file provided by HomeNet Automotive to understand the data structure and required transformations. The data feed was delivered as a zipped CSV file via FTP. We developed an ETL process using Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) to:

1

Extract the zipped CSV file from HomeNet Automotive's FTP server and unzip it.
2

Transform the extracted CSV data to match the dealership's database schema, ensuring data consistency and integrity.
3

Load the transformed data into the SQL Server database using stored procedures.

This automated process allowed for regular updates of vehicle inventory data, ensuring that the dealership's sales team had access to the latest information.

Case 2: Import Repair Order Closed Report

Objective: Import repair order closed reports to consolidate against an internal application, verifying that repair orders have been closed.

What we did

This case involved retrieving nightly reports of repair orders (RO) that were closed. Our team developed an ETL process to:

1

Extract the closed RO reports for each dealership store.
2

Transform the data within the closed RO reports into JSON format.
3

Load the JSON data by passing it to an API Endpoint that processed the data and consolidated it with repair orders within the FileOrg application.

This process facilitated seamless data integration and allowed the dealership to efficiently track and verify closed repair orders.

Case 3: Import Finance Application and Import to the Daily Sales Log

Objective: Import finance data from each dealership and import it into the Daily Sales Log.

What we did

Our team developed an ETL process using Pentaho Data Integration (PDI) to:

1

Extract finance application data from the dealership's finance management system.
2

Transform the data to meet the requirements of the Daily Sales Log, including aggregating data from multiple dealerships.
3

Load the transformed data into the SQL Server database to be utilized by the Daily Sales Log.

This automated process enabled the dealership to have a centralized and consolidated view of its finance applications and daily sales activities.

Conclusion

The implementation of the ETL solution for the automotive dealership streamlined their data management processes, making it easier to access and analyze crucial business data. The use of technologies like Pentaho Data Integration (PDI), SQL Server, FTP, and API endpoints ensured seamless data integration and automation, significantly improving the dealership's operational efficiency.