The document discusses low-budget technology solutions for data collocation, integration, and visualization, emphasizing the importance of proactive planning for IT infrastructure and data governance. It highlights tools like Oracle APEX for developing scalable enterprise applications and best practices for ensuring data security and effective data visualization. Key issues with underutilized dashboards include trust and context, and the document suggests strategies for improving user engagement and data accuracy.

1. Highlighting Low-Budget
Technology Solutions
to Better Collate, Integrate &
Visualize Your Data
Rachel Barker - July 19, 2021
Oltmans Offices
Whittier | Ontario | Thousand Oaks | Modesto | Henderson, NV
Contact Us
RachelB@Oltmans.com | 562.948.4242 | 86393 AB

2. •Always Plan for Growth
•Being proactive costs you
more money now, but being
reactive costs you more in
both downtime and money
•Backups take far more
space than day to day usage
IT Infrastructure Objectives
Set-up Today for Tomorrow
You may not
acquire more
customers, but
you will acquire
more data.

3. −Active Directory Integration is key to adoption
−Never bypass data security in data views or
applications
−Prevent Cross Site Scripting & SQL injection
−Sanitize all HTML
−Plan for breeches
IT Infrastructure Objectives
Application Security

4. •Use Read-only data clones for BI
•Call or write your own REST APIs instead of
database functions
•Modularize & use Single Point of Definition
IT Infrastructure Objectives
Best Practices

5. −What is Data Governance?
−Who, What, When, Where, Why, How
of data in your organization
−Complete view & understanding
−Keep data about data
−Logical metadata
−Technical metadata
IT Infrastructure Objectives
Data Governance
Use Data
Responsibly.
Please Don’t
Litter.

6. • Oracle APEX (Applications
Express)
• Microsoft Dataverse /
Power BI
• FOSS
• Jasper Studios
• Many, Many Others
Low Cost Solutions for Data Integration

7. What Is Oracle APEX?
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
7
A low-code development platform
that enables you to build scalable and
secure enterprise apps with world-
class features that can be deployed
anywhere.

8. Oracle APEX
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
8
Develop desktop and
mobile web apps
Visualize and maintain
database data
Leverage SQL Skills and
database capabilities
Database-centric web application development framework

9. Distinguishing Characteristics
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
9
App Development IDE is a web
browser.
No client software needed
App definitions are stored in the
database as meta data.
Declarative –
No code generation
Page generation is efficient with only
one request and one response.
Data processing done
in the Database

10. Rapidly develop, customize, and deliver
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
10
Pre-built controls for security, authentication, database
interaction, validation, session management and more…
Go from prototype to production in minutes

13. APEX Architecture
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
13
HTTP(s)
JDBC Data Schemas
APEX Engine
SQL & PL/SQL
Oracle Database
(Pluggable or Dedicated, 11gR2 or
Above)
Oracle REST Data Services
(Weblogic, Jetty, Tomcat)
Zero latency database data access
Dynamically driven by APEX metadata
No Application Logic
Converts HTTP to database API calls
Database Tier
Mid Tier
Browser

14. APEX Data Sources
Copyright © 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates Shared with Permission of Joel Kallman, Oracle APEX Product Manager
14
HTTP(s) JDBC
Local Data Source
[SQL, PL/SQL]
External APIs
–
Web Sources
[REST, SOAP]
Database Links
[SQL*NET]
REST
Enabled SQL
[REST / HTTP(s)]
Remote
Databases
JDBC
JDBC

16. Concrete Tilt-up:
• Pace (Sq. Ft. / Day),
Duration:
• Interior Footing, Slab
On Grade, Panelized
Roof, etc.
•Budget vs
Cost/Committed
• Units Completed
Performance-Specific Dashboard Metrics
General:
• Open Submittals, RFIs,
FWDs, Owner Issues,
Daily Journals
• Field Force Available
• A/R Days to Collection
By Customer
• A/P Invoice Processing

17. •Incident rate / EMR
•Missed safety
meetings
•Accidents per
subcontractor/vendor
• Know ahead of time
with Sub Prequal
Safety Dashboard Design Metrics

18. •Know the type of decision
•Decision basis: Current vs Projected
Conditions?
•Decision frequency: One-time vs Daily
Critical Data Points for Influencing Decisions
Be Purposeful
MOVE TO ACTION!!!

19. •Users don’t trust the visualizations or
summaries
Summary data – you don’t know what is
included
The source code and SQL are hidden
Data accuracy issues: real or perceived
Why Do So Many Dashboards Not Get Used?
Trust & Context

20. •“Don’t have time”
•Prefer to analyze their own way
•Visualizations lead users to run a report anyway
• Good visualizations lead users to the right data
•Outdated dashboard apps and poor performance
•Outlying data points => misleading statistics
•Improper trend analysis = incorrect predictions
Why Do So Many Dashboards Not Get Used?
Other Issues

21. How can we better communicate the context of
charts or summary tables?
• Design in collaboration with users
(and in-front of them)
• Use Jupyter notebooks for critical data views
• Empower users with BI/Analytics tools
• Add drill-down functionality to visualizations
Inspiring Trust in Dashboards and BI
Getting Back in Context

22. Use Jupyter to Commentate Base Views

23. Lessons Learned in Business Intelligence
•Alwaysvalidate the data.
•There is no almost accurate.
•Handle every exception.
•Collaboratevisually.
•Good visualizations guide users.
•Don’t let them make mistakes.
•Performance Tune - better materialized than
never.
•Keep learning; make it possible; make it happen.

24. THANK YOU
Rachel Barker
RachelB@Oltmans.com
562.948.4242