The main driver behind the ‘Ice Cube’ [OLAP cube] was getting financial information on the ice, in a compact format that could be accessed locally, instead of remotely over their slow satellite datalink. As Greg Jack, Information Services Team Leader from Antarctica New Zealand says: “We wanted to look at our actual expenditure versus budget expenditure at any time, to see how much we’d spent for the year and how much we had left. We need to plan our budgets a year ahead to ensure most supplies are on the annual ship. [Prior to this project] Remote access to this information in Antarctica was painstakingly frustrating because it is hosted in Christchurch - we have a slow satellite datalink down there.” With power of Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services information could now be accessed in an accurate, user friendly manner, eliminating the manual collation of information. As Brad Phillips, Accountant from Antarctica New Zealand says: “Budget managers would request an update on their budget versus expenditure. I had to collate a spread sheet which involved the laborious task of cutting and pasting data from different places. By the time I’d finished it might be half way through the following month and the information would be out of date.” More details: http://www.intergen.co.nz/Our-Work/antarctica-new-zealand/\

1. PUBLIC SECTOR, RESEARCH
case study
The ‘Ice Cube’ delivers
financial insight to Scott Base
Antarctica New Zealand
Valued, protected,
understood
THE SITUATION
We can log into the
local server down at
Scott Base and can
see our financial
information which
replicates overnight.
That’s the beauty
about having the ‘Ice
Cube’ down there.
BRAD PHILLIPS
ACCOUNTANT
ANTARCTICA NZ
Antarctica New Zealand manages
Scott Base, New Zealand’s Antarctic
research station. The organisation is
responsible for supporting scientific
research, conserving the intrinsic
values of Antarctica and the Southern
Ocean, as well as helping raise public
awareness of the international
significance of the continent. Much
time and effort goes into managing
their financial budget to ensure
efficient use of time and resources.
“What we were looking at was fairly
straightforward: tracking actual
expenditure versus budget expenditure.
We’re on a fixed income from the
Government and we need to work
out how we’re going to spend that.
Throughout the year we wanted an
easy way to see how much money
we’d spent. For example: it’s September
now, how much was my budget for
July, August and September? How
much have I spent? How much is left?
What’s the rest of the year looking like?
What transactions were processed?”
The Antarctica New Zealand financial
team needed a complete ‘one stop shop’
system that could deliver budgeting
information in an accurate and user
friendly manner. With Microsoft SQL
Server already implemented, enhancing
it further with Analysis Services was the
next step. As Brad Phillips, Accountant
from Antarctica New Zealand says:
Having clear insight right down to
transactions would not only make
Brad’s job a lot easier, but ensure that
budget managers could make intelligent
business decisions when planning for
the year. Most importantly, they needed
financial information that could be
accessed in both Christchurch and
Scott Base.

2. With Intergen on board, the ‘Ice Cube’
project commenced. With only months
until the next annual shipment to
Antarctica, it was time to get stuck
in and develop a solution based on
Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services
to ensure budget managers could get
their financial planning underway at
Scott Base.
THE PAIN
The main driver behind the ‘Ice Cube’
[OLAP cube] was getting financial
information on the ice, in a compact
format that could be accessed locally,
instead of remotely over their slow
satellite datalink.
As Greg Jack, Information Services Team
Leader from Antarctica New Zealand says;
“We wanted to look at our actual
expenditure versus budget expenditure
at any time, to see how much we’d
spent for the year and how much we
had left. We need to plan our budgets
a year ahead to ensure most supplies
are on the annual ship. [Prior to this
project] Remote access to this
information in Antarctica was
painstakingly frustrating because it
is hosted in Christchurch – we have
a slow satellite datalink down there.”
With power of Microsoft SQL Server
Analysis Services information could
now be accessed in an accurate, user
friendly manner, eliminating the
manual collation of information.
As Brad Phillips, Accountant from
Antarctica New Zealand says:
“Budget managers would request an
update on their budget versus expenditure.
I had to collate a spread sheet which
involved the laborious task of cutting
and pasting data from different places.
By the time I’d finished it might be half
way through the following month and the
information would be out of date.”
the gain
The ‘Ice Cube’ [which utilises Microsoft
SQL Server Analysis Services] was
implemented in time for the budget
managers’ annual trip on the ice. They
now have access to accurate financial
information that is delivered in an
efficient, user friendly manner. As Greg
Jack, Information Services Team Leader
from Antarctica New Zealand says:
The Business Case
“I like the idea of up-to-date
transactions; before, our reports were
one month in arrears. The pivot table
displays the information easily and
with Microsoft functions we’re already
familiar with, adoption has been
successful. We can log into the local
server down at Scott Base and can
see our financial information which
replicates overnight. That’s the beauty
about having the ‘Ice Cube’ down there.”
»» Access to financial information
in Christchurch and locally at
Scott Base
Brad Phillips, Accountant from
Antarctica New Zealand confirms the
benefits the system has delivered:
Antarctica New Zealand ensures all
its resources are managed and used
effectively by having a user-friendly,
intelligent financial system that can
be accessed both in Christchurch and
locally at Scott Base.
The Business Value
»» Clear insight into budget
expenditure to make the
best business decisions
»» User friendly financial interface
»» Increased productivity through the
efficient use of time and resources
The Engine Room
»» Microsoft SQL Server
Analysis Services
“I used to spend two days collating
data to generate reports for our budget.
This is now a thing of the past and our
budget managers can now have direct
access [to the system] where they can
view right down to single transactions.
As a Government owned entity we are
being directed to create productivity
improvements and this is clearly one
of them.”
the FUTURE
Using the ‘Ice Cube’ to track the orders
(from request to delivery) is something
Antarctica New Zealand is looking into.
As Brad says; “This is especially
important for our team on the ice –
so they can see what’s coming down,
when it’s coming and who it’s for.”
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