Solution
After exploring several tools, including Hevo, Fivetran, and Rudderstack, the company found that each came with its own challenges—whether in terms of cost or functionality. The turning point came when they discovered The Data Refinery, which offered exactly what they needed.
The Data Refinery stood out by delivering the cost efficiency crucial for a startup. By replacing Hevo and optimising their Snowflake usage, the team realised significant savings—over 20%.
"With TDR I have confidence that we’re not going to be penalised in the near term as we roll out the data platform to other departments.”
Andy Pickup
Head of Systems and Data
The platform’s ability to automate data processes transformed their productivity. Tasks that once required full days of manual effort were now streamlined, freeing up 90% of their time for high-value activities like data analysis and business growth.
Andy Pickup, Head of Systems and Data, shared his initial concerns and how they were addressed:
"The biggest concern I had coming into this was losing control. However, TDR provided us with access to their Snowflake data share, allowing us to build our own additional data models and maintain that control. Being able to create proof of concepts before requesting an extension to TDR's central data model was incredibly helpful. Even if I built something highly custom that wouldn’t be rolled into the platform, I knew the data would still be there to support the model, and I could link it to the common data model for our bespoke needs. It's not just about buying a platform off-the-shelf —we still get to do our own thing. We can continue to use Snowflake and dbt, and we can wrap our own Metabase reports around both datasets."
Andy Pickup
Head of Systems and Data
One of the standout features of The Data Refinery, was its flexibility in reporting and analytics. SayHiya, operate on a subscription-based commercial model, requiring a different approach to revenue recognition to and time to value than traditional transactional reporting. The Data Refinery team swung into action to build a new reporting model to allow the reports to accurately track and predict revenue. The platform not only provided robust out-of-the-box reporting tools but also allowed SayHiya to tailor the dashboards and insights to their specific needs, eliminating the immediate need for additional hires like data analysts—further reducing costs.
Seamless data integration was also a major benefit. The platform’s extensive range of API connectors, along with the option for bespoke connectors, ensured that all data sources could be brought together smoothly. This capability was crucial for maintaining control over their data via the connections interface and the Snowflake Data Share while benefiting from a unified model that supported comprehensive insights. In addition, the open data model available in the platform and demographic data within it has provided a lot of additional insight on their audiences, who is targeted, who is approved. This also saved them the cost of bringing in another external data enrichment system.
The ongoing consultancy and support from The Data Refinery team proved invaluable with SayHiya benefiting from the expertise of a team that worked across multiple industries, offering insights and best practices that helped them navigate their data challenges with confidence.
Reflecting on the platform’s accuracy and overall impact, Andy Pickup added:
"A major concern was accuracy. You feel you have to blindly trust that a platform is going to be accurate and the reports are going to be correct, so I did some of my own reconciliation testing. The Data Refinery got to 99% parity in the matching algorithm, which is incredible. For marketing and subscription analysis, the Refinery Common Data Model also got us about 80% of the way to our reporting requirements, especially in marketing. Onboarding was also faster and smoother than I expected, and you guys were chasing me which is unheard of in these set-up scenarios! 5 stars."
Andy Pickup
Head of Systems and Data