Trility secured reporting continuity for a national homebuilder during two major system migrations. By consolidating 500 source tables into 104 unified data model tables on Microsoft Fabric, we exposed hidden upstream flaws, corrected margin errors, and unified conflicting KPI logic – saving 2,500 hours annually.
A leading national home builder was undertaking concurrent, strategic system modernizations, including new CRM and Loan Origination Systems. This created an immediate and critical business requirement to live in two worlds – seamlessly integrating historical data from legacy systems with operational data from the new platforms into consolidated, enterprise-level reports.
The client’s reporting environment was complex with challenging data integrity issues. With over 500 unique reports operating against fragmented data sources, their organization lacked a single, unified source of truth. This fragmented structure masked critical, baseline data discrepancies – such as miscalculated margins across divisions – which directly threatened pricing accuracy and profitability. It also created excessive report maintenance overhead and limited the company’s ability to execute its core strategic goals, such as building a foundation for advanced analytics and artificial intelligence.
The underlying technical landscape presented significant challenges common in an enterprise-scale environment:
Siloed Source Definitions: Because metrics were defined differently across 20+ disconnected source systems, the business was overwhelmed by data static. Instead of a clear corporate melody, leadership had to sort through conflicting interpretations of the same baseline metrics.
Complex Logic Layers: Existing reports relied on deep, tangled database logic (views, stored procedures), making data lineage difficult to trace and changes risky and time-intensive.
Data Quality Issues: Master and reference sales data hindered the accurate association of business activity across new and existing systems.
Parallel Project Dependencies: The project ran parallel to the new CRM and Loan Origination System implementations and was dependent on the stability and availability of these new systems' data, which introduced resource and project coordination challenges.
Trility approach focused on quickly delivering a foundational data model while navigating the client’s complex system transition.
Discovery and Analysis: Worked with SMEs to rapidly define the data landscape and map complex, inherited report logic layers.
Strategic Collaboration: Partnered with parallel CRM and Loan Origination teams to align dependencies and mitigate implementation risks.
MVP Delivery: Created a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) data model focused on the client's single most critical metric – high-level sales counts. Layering on details iteratively (by division, community, and phase) established momentum and clear communication.
Continuous Feedback Loop: Engaged actual business report consumers early to perform User Acceptance Testing (UAT). This dedicated loop fixed flaws before production, minimizing bugs and preventing post-launch disruptions.
Iterative Expansion: Evolved the data model through prioritized report requirements, working backward from target business outcomes.
Technology Stack and Tools
Core Data Platform: Microsoft Fabric was chosen for its native integration with the existing ecosystem and cost-effectiveness, providing immediate access to AI (Copilot) and Data Science tooling.
Ingestion and Processing: Used Fabric Pipelines and Notebooks (Python, PySpark, SparkSQL) for scalable data transformation. Fabric Link and Database Mirroring enabled seamless replication from Dynamics 365, JDE (ERP), Encompass (LOS), and SQL Server-based sources.
Architecture: Leveraged modern Fabric components, including Lakehouses, Mirrored Databases, and Semantic Models to structure data for high performance.
Data Sources: Integrated 14+ source systems, including Azure SQL, SQL Server, Snowflake, and Dynamics 365.
ER Studio was used for advanced data modeling.
Beyond ensuring continuity during a complex dual-system migration, Trility established data governance to transform the client's reporting environment. This foundation reduced maintenance overhead, corrected margin logic to protect profitability, and built the groundwork for future AI capabilities.
Operational Continuity: Delivered 52 (and counting) critical reports blending legacy and live data with no business disruption, allowing the C-suite to confidently roll out new platforms.
Data Unification: Integrated 14 source systems and 500 tables into the platform, building 104 unified data model tables to establish a single source of truth and expose historical margin errors.
Massive Efficiency Gains: Optimized report loading and processing speeds, saving business users over 2,500 manual hours per year.
Strategic Readiness: Deployed a conversational data agent that was able to directly interface with the client’s new unified data.
Internal Empowerment: Client staff were upskilled to manage the platform, completely owning production support by project close.
