Revolutionizing Legacy Reporting: Migrating SSRS Reports to Databricks AI/BI

Introduction

In today's fast-paced data-driven world, the power of modern data platforms cannot be overstated. As a Databricks MVP, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative potential of migrating legacy systems to cutting-edge solutions. Many clients face disjoined approaches migrating legacy processes and capabilities.? This blog post delves into the journey of migrating SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) reports to Databricks AI/BI, highlighting the benefits and the innovative use of GenAI and AI/BI tools in this process.

Background

Overview of SSRS

SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) has long been a staple in business intelligence, providing a robust platform for creating, managing, and delivering pixel perfect and paginated reports. Traditionally used for on-premises reporting, SSRS has served its purpose well but comes with its own set of challenges.? The typical path of migration from SSRS is to Power BI, but this comes with additional licensing and challenges: migrating scripts, data sets and other necessary technical elements.?

Challenges with Legacy Systems

Maintaining on-premises SSRS reports can be cumbersome, with issues such as limited scalability, high maintenance costs, and performance bottlenecks. Other challenges are often around understanding the code that was developed, limited documentation and access to experts that understand what was constructed.??

These can be summarized into two common challenges: 1) technical limitations that cap the ability to prepare and deliver data insights 2) knowledge and understanding of the platform and what was built. As organizations grow and data becomes more complex, these limitations become more pronounced, necessitating a shift to more agile and scalable solutions.

Why Databricks?

Introduction to Databricks

Databricks is a unified data analytics platform that simplifies data engineering, data science, and machine learning tasks. It offers a collaborative environment for data professionals, enabling seamless integration and processing of large datasets. With its robust infrastructure, Databricks provides the flexibility needed to handle complex data transformations and analytics.

Benefits of Databricks for Reporting

• Access to Large Datasets via Federated Query: Databricks allows for seamless querying across diverse data sources, providing a holistic view of data. This capability is crucial for organizations that need to integrate data from multiple sources to generate comprehensive reports.
• Enhanced Analytics Capabilities with AI/BI: The platform's AI/BI tools enable advanced analytics and visualization, enhancing decision-making processes. By leveraging these tools, organizations can gain deeper insights into their data, uncovering trends and patterns that were previously hidden.
• Scalability and Performance Improvements: Databricks offers scalable solutions that significantly improve data processing and overall performance. The ability to scale resources up and down solves many prior pain points like missed SLAs or lower adoption due to poor response times and performance.

West Monroe Accelerators

Intellio Hopper GenAI Accelerator Background

Intellio? Hopper offers a streamlined solution for code conversion, significantly reducing the complexity and cost associated with migrating from SSRS and SSIS to modern platforms like Databricks. By automating the conversion of legacy code and enhancing documentation processes, it cuts conversion time by 70%, boosts analysis capabilities by 80%, and improves data governance efficiency by 30%. This approach not only accelerates workflow creation and increases engineering and analytics velocity but also ensures accuracy and consistency through automated source-to-target mapping. Overall, Intellio? Hopper provides a scalable and flexible path to ROI, leveraging AI-powered data conversions to modernize data platforms efficiently.

https://www.westmonroe.com/services/intellio-hopper

Project Overview

Client Background

We partnered with a healthcare provider over the past few years and have found great successes modernizing their platform using Databricks.? We have helped them navigate the migration to the cloud, build ETL ingestion methodologies with medallion approaches to consolidating and preparing data for consumption.? A couple years into the process, we have found Databricks able to solve many of their legacy platform challenges like access to data, interoperability of data with tools and scalability to meet performance demands.? Many client stakeholders have been extremely happy with the Databricks solution partnered with our consulting services.

?Then our client was faced with modernizing over 50 SSRS reports.? Our client asked us, is there a better way?? We said let's look at the emerging features in Databricks AI/BI and leverage our Hopper accelerator to quickly migrate legacy code.

?Project Goals

The primary objectives were to migrate over 50 SSRS reports to Databricks, enhance reporting capabilities using AI/BI tools, and improve overall performance and scalability.?? By the end of the project, we aimed to reduce report generation times by at least 80% and decrease maintenance costs by 50%.

Migration Process

Assessment and Planning

The project began with a thorough assessment of existing SSRS reports, identifying key metrics and data sources. We developed a detailed migration plan, prioritizing reports based on business needs. This involved analyzing 1000+ lines of code per report, understanding the data dependencies, and planning the migration strategy.? We leveraged Hopper to quickly evaluate the code and create source to target documentation with data quality checks and transformation rules.

Execution

The migration involved converting legacy reports to Databricks, utilizing AI/BI to enhance reporting capabilities. We leveraged Hopper to automate code conversion, significantly speeding up the process. By using AI to map source to target data dynamically, we were able to automate much of the conversion process, reducing manual effort by 70%.

Challenges and Solutions

One of the main challenges is a missing semantic layer in AI/BI, which required creative solutions to manage data relationships. Also, the legacy SSRS solution was able to export to Excel with multiple tabs.? To overcome these challenges, we developed custom scripts to handle data relationships and streamline the export process to satisfy the multi-tab excel requirement.

Outcomes

Success Metrics

In 3 months, we were able to migrate all of the 50 reports using our domestic team that was able to work hand in glove with the client business team.? This resulted in savings of 1) retiring the legacy platform much earlier than planned, 2) eliminating the need to manage concurrent running platforms, 3) enabling the team to shift toward building new insights, and 4) increasing user adoption due to the improved performance.? The migration resulted in fully documented process and significant performance improvements.? For instance, reports that once took 30 minutes to an hour to generate can now be run in a few minutes.? Maintenance costs decreased by 50%, and the overall reporting process became more efficient. Additionally, the new system allowed for better data governance and reduced the risk of errors in report generation.?

Client Feedback

Our client has expressed huge satisfaction with the migration, highlighting the improved performance and ease of use of the new system. Feedback from the client emphasized the intuitive nature of the new platform and its ability to provide actionable insights quickly.

Conclusion

Summary

Migrating SSRS reports to Databricks has proven to be a successful endeavor, offering enhanced performance, scalability, and analytics capabilities. The use of AI/BI tools has streamlined the reporting process, providing valuable insights and efficiencies. By embracing modern data platforms, organizations can unlock new opportunities for innovation and growth.

Future Outlook

As data platforms continue to evolve, solutions like Databricks will play a crucial role in shaping the future of data reporting. Organizations seeking to modernize their reporting infrastructure should consider leveraging Databricks for its powerful capabilities. The potential for integrating AI-driven analytics and scalable data processing will continue to drive advancements in business intelligence.

Call to Action: If you're considering a similar migration or want to explore the benefits of Databricks for your organization, reach out for more information or assistance. Let's revolutionize your data reporting together!

Thanks to Cam Cross , Julia Waggoner , Thomas Zhang and Jeevan M. !

West Monroe Databricks

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