Data Analysts, Data Trending, Reporting » MS Access 2007

Data Analyst

admin — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:14:34 +0000

Data Analyst-OPE0000008Q

Description

Company Profile:

Direct Energy is one of North America’s largest energy and energy-related services providers with over 5 million residential and commercial relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc, one of the worlds leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates across Canada, Texas and the northeastern United States.

We continually seek talented people dedicated to providing fresh thinking in an exciting, evolving industry that’s never been more relevant than in today’s global marketplace.

Summary:

This position will be responsible to assist the Management team of Operations on the gathering, reporting, analysis, and explanation of all performance and customer behavioral data. This individual will complete analysis and recommendations on business initiatives, process, policy and technology as related to the achievement of service levels to meet or exceed financial and customer goals. Initiatives or changes will enhance performance to achieve maximum productivity, quality, cost and timeliness. This position will be responsible for data management within the portfolio of credit and collections, live accounts receivable, bad debt control, customer satisfaction and service related to Direct Energy business in Texas.

Key Accountabilities:

Demonstrated expertise on the data analysis for DE Collection to proactively identify business gaps and/or opportunities, facilitate change and resolve issues which impact collection performance at all aspect
Gathers data/information, completes analysis, and recommends new initiatives or amendments to current operating methods with a focus on ‘best in class’ operational processes
Develop & implement tools and processes to extract and manipulate data from various systems / resources including development of ad-hoc reports in order to solve operational issues and/or improve existing processes
Responsible for internal and external reporting with control to accuracy and providing variance explanation, capable to provide recommendation for reporting enhancement
Develop business case and L&G (Loss and Gain) analysis for all recommendations and initiatives
Works closely with team member to leverage expertise and ensure seamless delivery of initiatives on time and within budget
Responsible to monitor and manage accuracy as well as on time delivery for all reports provided by DE external vendors
Interact with cross-functional groups including Sales, Marketing, Finance and Regulatory, to ensure smooth and timely execution of business projects.
Identify and implement policy and process improvements through enhancing existing policies or developing new ones.

Qualifications

Ability to manage and manipulate large amount of data set to provide accurate information to management team at a timely fashion
Knowledge of collection terminology and process within the commodity industry
Ability to develop and maintain business models is an definite asset
2 years of operational experience in collection for the retail commodity (Natural Gas/Electricity) market is an asset.
Proven experience in conflict resolution skills and task priority skills
Ability to work independently, comfortably making rational and reasoned decisions which directly impact corporate revenue, customer service and financial liabilities
Demonstrated advance technical skills with Microsoft Access, Excel, SQL, Power point and ability to develop Macro or VBA
Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
Strong interpersonal skills and team player
Ability to excel in a fast past, highly volatile environment with self-supervised; effectively managing multiple activities and meeting deadlines
Undergraduate degree in business (B Comm, BA etc) or Statistics

Job Operations Support

Primary LocationCA-ON-Toronto

Schedule Full-time

Changing a Traditional information system to adapt new technologies for effective decision making

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:57:53 +0000

This is about an experience of an anonymous writer of this post describing his/her hands on experience in upgrading company’s information to adapt to new technologies for effective decision making and resultantly growth of the company. This post also reveals that how the hands on experience sets the foundations of understanding new technologies, needs and seamless coordination between management and technology.

When I joined the company in 1995 most of the accounting data was recorded in Manual registers ledgers / spreadsheets consequently extensive time was spent on preparing reports and making timely decisions.

In 1996, I initiated utilization of MS Access and led the logical data modeling of the Altech, and gradual implementation of RDMB format in MS Access. The data in MS Excel flat files was imported into MS Access and transformed into RDMS format. Created tables to store Master data about all accounts including customers, suppliers, employees and entity related to Altech business. Designed tables to record financial and material transactions and coordinated with Accounts departments to create general ledger and related reports in Crystal reports 8-9.

In 2000 this data base was upgraded to SQL Server 7 utilizing MS Access as front end using Access data project. All the data entry forms and reports were upgraded accordingly. From 2000 to 2002 all the data was centralized in a SQL Server database on server. This facilitates the in-depth business analyses through Crystal reports 9-10 and fast and correct data entry using MS Access Forms.

During the approximately 10 year of my first job, I learned and mastered several concepts of data management such as changing dimensions, notably how to keep track of historical data. For example every month company’s 300 production employees were rotated into different departments and issue was to produce employee historical reports. Database was extended to keep the monthly production activities of employees. New reports were developed in Crystal Reports in Crystal Reports 10 for example complete individual employee performance for any time span, departmental performance. Labor cost by production activities.

Automated the posting of inventory data to financial ledgers for example as soon as new raw material received it was stored in inventory table and updates vendor accounts and material accounts.

My first job set the foundation of database technologies, logical data modeling techniques like entity relationship diagram and translating these into physical model. Understanding of transact SQL Statements, Data input strategies and mastering Crystal reports software for preparing meaningful information, data cleansing/scrubbing and when to use to text files for data and spread sheets.

Precision and Scale in Sql Server

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:22:24 +0000

We are writing this post because recently we received a query regarding automatic rounding in quantity column. The user was previously using MS Access and they upgraded to SQL Server database. Although solution is simple but sometimes it becomes difficult to resolve when confronting the problem.
SQL Server Books online very well addressed the concern and is reproduced below;

Precision is the number of digits in a number. Scale is the number of digits to the right of the decimal point in a number. For example, the number 123.45 has a precision of 5 and a scale of 2.

MS Access 2007 – Creating Acces Project file (.adp)

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:08:29 +0000

We believe that change is important but not at the cost of additional training, but should compliment existing experience. Creating ACCESS Project file (.adp) extension for connecting to MS SQL Server data was found to bechallenging / required additional time to search how to do that; however we implemented the same and presenting it in simple words for our readers;

1- Create New File by clicking blank database the click on the file location just after giving your name.

2- After clicking location you will be at menu named – File New Database

3- On this menu go to option box save as type you will find various options select Microsoft Office Access Projects, and you will be at New Project with File name ending with .adp and then just click create.

4- Here you will be presented with Option to connect an existing database or or new Sql Server database.

Ungrouping Controls in MS Access 2007

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:30:53 +0000

Today We would like to share an annoying experience in MS Access 2007. We were building a form and were trying resize the text boxes on Form, the annoying thing was when we resize one text box, other text boxes also affected. The solution is very simple and is presented below;
1- Go arrange tab.
2- Select the control or all controls
3- Go to remove.

Now we can move or resize individual text boxes