Description
Virgin Blue Uses Automated Business Intelligence
Virgin Blue uses automated business
intelligence reporting to support growth
during economic downturn
Overview
The Challenge
Virgin Blue’s IT solutions were
commonly point solutions that
serviced a specific need. To create
detailed business intelligence (BI)
reports required manual, resourceintensive work pulling data from
disparate sources – a system open
to human error. Plus large volumes
of data meant processing times were
lengthy, and available management
reports were limited in number and
scope.
Solution
IBM Business Partner*, Catapult
BI, and Cognos 8 BI were selected
to provide a consistent suite of
standard sales reports and access to
ad hoc analysis referencing a single
data warehouse built by Catapult BI.
The solution provides quick, easy,
online access to data enabling airline
management to focus on their business
instead of the validity of report data.
Virgin Blue
The Virgin Blue Airlines Group includes multi-award
winning Virgin Blue, international subsidiary airline
Pacific Blue; Polynesian Blue, its joint venture airline with
the Government of Samoa; and V Australia, Australia’s
newest international airline. Together, Virgin Blue, V
Australia, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue provide
domestic and international services to 45 destinations
across 13 countries covering Australia, New Zealand, the
Pacific and also to and from North America, South East
Asia, South Africa and Indonesia.
Virgin Blue is the flagship carrier of the Virgin Blue Airlines
Group which also comprises Pacific Blue, Polynesian
Blue and V Australia. With more than 31 per cent of the
domestic market and a modern fleet of Next Generation
Boeing 737-700 and 800 series and Embraer E190 and
E170 E-Jet aircraft, it currently operates close to 3,000
flights a week to 28 Australian cities.
35215-Catapult BI.indd 1
Benefit
The Cognos solution has provided
Virgin Blue managers with instant,
online access to their reports. No
longer having to manually input data
into spreadsheets has resulted in time
savings of up to 30 per cent. Managers
and their teams can now spend more
time on winning new business and
servicing existing customers to the
highest possible standard; two factors
that have contributed to the Virgin Blue
Airlines Group maintaining growth
despite the economic environment.
Virgin Blue’s annual passenger numbers exceed 18
million travellers. Through an evolving business strategy,
Virgin Blue is becoming more relevant to the corporate
market while retaining and keeping its promise to serve its
traditional leisure base. More than 75 per cent of the Top
200 ASX-listed companies now hold corporate accounts
with Virgin Blue.
The Business Problem
Virgin Blue operates a number of IT systems for various
functions – commonly point solutions that serviced a specific
need and price point. Their reporting systems were not
integrated to deliver detailed business intelligence reports
providing actionable business insights for managers.
Instead, Virgin Blue staff had to:
• Generate base information from each system
• Re-enter information into spreadsheets
• Generate and format information in the spreadsheets.
24/2/10 10:46:24 AM
The process was extremely labour-intensive and prone
to error. The large volumes of data collected also meant
processing times were lengthy and the number and scope of
reports available for management were limited.
This laborious process was being used for managing
group and conference travel, producing sales analysis and
management of credit and flight cancellations.
Virgin Blue needed a central Data Warehouse in conjunction
with a best-of-breed BI solution providing automated
reporting in order to support its continued growth.
Solution – IBM and Catapult BI
IBM Business Partner*, Catapult BI, was selected to
provide a suite of standard sales reports and access to ad hoc
analysis referencing a single Virgin Blue data warehouse.
Catapult BI built the warehouse, and used IBM Cognos 8
BI to deliver reporting. After a comprehensive evaluation
including Oracle and Business Objects, Cognos was selected
for its ease of integration with the data warehouse and its
ability to provide robust processing performance.
Throughout the implementation Virgin Blue was driven by
its business requirements, not the technology.
“Catapult BI demonstrated deep understanding of the
Virgin Blue operation and the needs of our business,” says
Katie Corr, Manager of Sales Operations at Virgin Blue.
Catapult BI worked with Virgin Blue to produce high-level
information requirements and develop an effective project
roadmap. To rapidly build internal support for the project,
new reports were delivered incrementally, a couple at a
time.
“Catapult BI worked as a true partner through a
collaborative approach with Virgin Blue to deliver the
business outcomes,” says Katie Corr.
Business Benefits for Virgin Blue
The solution provides quick, easy, online access to data –
allowing Virgin Blue staff to focus on their business instead
of the validity of their reports. Because the Cognos solution
sources all of its data from the Virgin Blue data warehouse
(and not manually-entered spreadsheets), managers can
now be confident the data underlying analysis reports is
consistent and accurate.
Virgin Blue estimates that it has achieved time savings
of approximately 30 per cent on various reporting tasks.
There have been significant productivity improvements as
staff are no longer required to undertake tedious manual
work, and managers have instant online access to reports.
The airline is now able to respond more quickly to changing
market conditions because it has fast access to the sales
reports it needs. This has contributed to the Virgin Blue
Airlines Group maintaining growth, despite the economic
environment.
“IBM’s Cognos BI reporting solution provided us with
immediate staff productivity benefits through the delivery
of timely and accurate online sales reports. In turn, this has
enabled managers to respond quickly to changing business
opportunities,” according to Katie Corr.
As a result of this success, Virgin Blue is planning continued
enhancements to its automated reporting using the new
Cognos infrastructure. Plans include expanding to cover
the V Australia international flight brand and consolidated
reporting on Revenue per Available Seat-Kilometre
(RASK).
“In the next phase of the project we will be looking to
enhance reports for forward booking trends and channel
mix,” adds Katie Corr.
Catapult BI - Catapult BI is one of Australia’s largest consulting firms enabling superior organisational performance
through the use of proven performance management methods and technologies. Catapult BI partners strategically
with its clients to ensure performance management capability is delivered to budget with realisation of outstanding
business benefits.
Partners - Catapult BI has established partnerships with market leading BI services and technology providers. The
synergy created between Catapult BI and our partners result in improved capability to deliver solutions customised
to our clients needs.
An operational alliance has recently been established with IBM to
extend the benefits of BI to Catapult BI and IBM clients. This alliance
leverages IBM’s global leadership and Catapult BI’s team of consulting
and implementation specialists.
35215-Catapult BI.indd 2
Contact us for further information
Tel: + 61 7 3216 0077
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.catapultbi.com
24/2/10 10:46:26 AM
doc_515426928.pdf
Virgin Blue Uses Automated Business Intelligence
Virgin Blue uses automated business
intelligence reporting to support growth
during economic downturn
Overview
The Challenge
Virgin Blue’s IT solutions were
commonly point solutions that
serviced a specific need. To create
detailed business intelligence (BI)
reports required manual, resourceintensive work pulling data from
disparate sources – a system open
to human error. Plus large volumes
of data meant processing times were
lengthy, and available management
reports were limited in number and
scope.
Solution
IBM Business Partner*, Catapult
BI, and Cognos 8 BI were selected
to provide a consistent suite of
standard sales reports and access to
ad hoc analysis referencing a single
data warehouse built by Catapult BI.
The solution provides quick, easy,
online access to data enabling airline
management to focus on their business
instead of the validity of report data.
Virgin Blue
The Virgin Blue Airlines Group includes multi-award
winning Virgin Blue, international subsidiary airline
Pacific Blue; Polynesian Blue, its joint venture airline with
the Government of Samoa; and V Australia, Australia’s
newest international airline. Together, Virgin Blue, V
Australia, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue provide
domestic and international services to 45 destinations
across 13 countries covering Australia, New Zealand, the
Pacific and also to and from North America, South East
Asia, South Africa and Indonesia.
Virgin Blue is the flagship carrier of the Virgin Blue Airlines
Group which also comprises Pacific Blue, Polynesian
Blue and V Australia. With more than 31 per cent of the
domestic market and a modern fleet of Next Generation
Boeing 737-700 and 800 series and Embraer E190 and
E170 E-Jet aircraft, it currently operates close to 3,000
flights a week to 28 Australian cities.
35215-Catapult BI.indd 1
Benefit
The Cognos solution has provided
Virgin Blue managers with instant,
online access to their reports. No
longer having to manually input data
into spreadsheets has resulted in time
savings of up to 30 per cent. Managers
and their teams can now spend more
time on winning new business and
servicing existing customers to the
highest possible standard; two factors
that have contributed to the Virgin Blue
Airlines Group maintaining growth
despite the economic environment.
Virgin Blue’s annual passenger numbers exceed 18
million travellers. Through an evolving business strategy,
Virgin Blue is becoming more relevant to the corporate
market while retaining and keeping its promise to serve its
traditional leisure base. More than 75 per cent of the Top
200 ASX-listed companies now hold corporate accounts
with Virgin Blue.
The Business Problem
Virgin Blue operates a number of IT systems for various
functions – commonly point solutions that serviced a specific
need and price point. Their reporting systems were not
integrated to deliver detailed business intelligence reports
providing actionable business insights for managers.
Instead, Virgin Blue staff had to:
• Generate base information from each system
• Re-enter information into spreadsheets
• Generate and format information in the spreadsheets.
24/2/10 10:46:24 AM
The process was extremely labour-intensive and prone
to error. The large volumes of data collected also meant
processing times were lengthy and the number and scope of
reports available for management were limited.
This laborious process was being used for managing
group and conference travel, producing sales analysis and
management of credit and flight cancellations.
Virgin Blue needed a central Data Warehouse in conjunction
with a best-of-breed BI solution providing automated
reporting in order to support its continued growth.
Solution – IBM and Catapult BI
IBM Business Partner*, Catapult BI, was selected to
provide a suite of standard sales reports and access to ad hoc
analysis referencing a single Virgin Blue data warehouse.
Catapult BI built the warehouse, and used IBM Cognos 8
BI to deliver reporting. After a comprehensive evaluation
including Oracle and Business Objects, Cognos was selected
for its ease of integration with the data warehouse and its
ability to provide robust processing performance.
Throughout the implementation Virgin Blue was driven by
its business requirements, not the technology.
“Catapult BI demonstrated deep understanding of the
Virgin Blue operation and the needs of our business,” says
Katie Corr, Manager of Sales Operations at Virgin Blue.
Catapult BI worked with Virgin Blue to produce high-level
information requirements and develop an effective project
roadmap. To rapidly build internal support for the project,
new reports were delivered incrementally, a couple at a
time.
“Catapult BI worked as a true partner through a
collaborative approach with Virgin Blue to deliver the
business outcomes,” says Katie Corr.
Business Benefits for Virgin Blue
The solution provides quick, easy, online access to data –
allowing Virgin Blue staff to focus on their business instead
of the validity of their reports. Because the Cognos solution
sources all of its data from the Virgin Blue data warehouse
(and not manually-entered spreadsheets), managers can
now be confident the data underlying analysis reports is
consistent and accurate.
Virgin Blue estimates that it has achieved time savings
of approximately 30 per cent on various reporting tasks.
There have been significant productivity improvements as
staff are no longer required to undertake tedious manual
work, and managers have instant online access to reports.
The airline is now able to respond more quickly to changing
market conditions because it has fast access to the sales
reports it needs. This has contributed to the Virgin Blue
Airlines Group maintaining growth, despite the economic
environment.
“IBM’s Cognos BI reporting solution provided us with
immediate staff productivity benefits through the delivery
of timely and accurate online sales reports. In turn, this has
enabled managers to respond quickly to changing business
opportunities,” according to Katie Corr.
As a result of this success, Virgin Blue is planning continued
enhancements to its automated reporting using the new
Cognos infrastructure. Plans include expanding to cover
the V Australia international flight brand and consolidated
reporting on Revenue per Available Seat-Kilometre
(RASK).
“In the next phase of the project we will be looking to
enhance reports for forward booking trends and channel
mix,” adds Katie Corr.
Catapult BI - Catapult BI is one of Australia’s largest consulting firms enabling superior organisational performance
through the use of proven performance management methods and technologies. Catapult BI partners strategically
with its clients to ensure performance management capability is delivered to budget with realisation of outstanding
business benefits.
Partners - Catapult BI has established partnerships with market leading BI services and technology providers. The
synergy created between Catapult BI and our partners result in improved capability to deliver solutions customised
to our clients needs.
An operational alliance has recently been established with IBM to
extend the benefits of BI to Catapult BI and IBM clients. This alliance
leverages IBM’s global leadership and Catapult BI’s team of consulting
and implementation specialists.
35215-Catapult BI.indd 2
Contact us for further information
Tel: + 61 7 3216 0077
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.catapultbi.com
24/2/10 10:46:26 AM
doc_515426928.pdf