Learn & Share

Hi all,I am looking for architectural advice on designing a future-proof multi-ERP data warehouse setup in TimeXtender.We currently have multiple ERP systems feeding into one data warehouse. The goal is to create a scalable pattern that works now, but also remains maintainable when more ERP systems are added later.The main question is around where and when to create keys, especially super natural keys / business keys, and where to perform the joins between facts and dimensions. I found some scattered articles on keys and stuff, but not really an proposed best practice in TimeXtender. I understand there are multiple ways to Rome depending on the setup/preferences/performance etc. but I reckon there would be an advices standard based on TimeXtender working and fundamentals. Example simplified architecture:DSA.ERP1.Customers- CustomerID- CustomerName- DW_SourceCode- SNK_Customer = DW_SourceCode + CustomerIDDSA.ERP1.Invoices- InvoiceID- CustomerID- Amount- DW_SourceCode- SNK_Invoice = DW_S

This guide will help you get started connecting an AFAS GetConnector to the TX REST data source provider. It assumes you have: Created an app-connector in AFAS Added the GetConnector(s) you would like to load to the app-connector in AFAS Obtained an Afas TokenStep 1: Encode token as base64The AFAS API token takes the following format:<token>{YourTokenHere}<tokenYou must use a base64 encoded token to authenticate the API. There are multiple tools you can use to achieve this; I will be using PowerShell: $token = '<token><version>1</version><data>{YourTokenHere}</data></token>'$encodedToken = [System.Convert]::ToBase64String([System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII.GetBytes($token))$authValue = "AfasToken $encodedToken"echo $authValue The result will look something like: AfasToken PHR{EnCoDeDtOkEnHeRe}This entire output should be passed through the authorization parameter, which will be discussed in the next section. Step 2: Create a new data connection i

CData is imposing a monthly fee on customers that use their connectors after 5 March 2026.It’s easy to switch to TimeXtender connectors but it can be a tedious process in larger solutions with many projects to find those connectors.Here’s a query you can run against the project repository to get a list of currently used connectors:/***** Current CData Usage *****/select p.Name as Project      ,s.Name as DataSource      ,left(stuff(c.ProviderName, 1, 18, ''), charindex('.', stuff(c.ProviderName, 1, 18, '')) - 1) as Provider  from CDataDataSources c  inner join DataSources s on c.CDataDataSourceId = s.DataSourceId and s.ValidTo = 99999999  inner join BusinessUnits b on s.BusinessUnitId = b.BusinessUnitId and b.ValidTo = 99999999  inner join Projects p on b.ProjectId = p.ProjectId and p.ValidTo = 99999999  where c.ValidTo = 99999999  order by 1, 2

Discover the powerful new features in TimeXtender's November 2024 release! This walkthrough demonstrates end-to-end Microsoft Fabric integration, showcasing seamless connectivity with Fabric databases and the exciting public preview of Lakehouse support, The New D365 Finance Adapter, Redesigned metadata synchronization with Intelligent table remapping, and Orchestration Enhancements with Automated TDI task synchronization.  Microsoft Fabric & TimeXtender: https://www.timextender.com/microsoft-fabricView Full Release Notes: https://support.timextender.com/produ...Use Fabric Databases: https://support.timextender.com/confi...Use Fabric Lakehouse: https://support.timextender.com/prepa... 00:00 Introduction00:20 Overview of Features01:33 Fabric Database08:00 Fabric Lakehouse14:38 Fabric Semantic Models15:23 D365 F&O Adapter23:09 Metadata Manager29:24 Portal UX Improvements30:27 Orchestration Sync34:00 Local Time Zone34:37 Cloud Cost Optimizer

In 2023 a group of  waste disposal/recycling companies looked for a way to expand their reporting capabilities. Different options where evaluated and after settling for Power BI as their new reporting tool, they decided to also build a datawarehouse. The subsidiaries (<15) where almost all using the same ERP and accounting systems, all based on MS SQL databases. IT resources where scarce and it was clear from the beginning, that the main developer would be the Head of Controlling of the group. The main other option that was considerd was the use of open source software. That would mainly save on the licensing cost but would also give full transparency on the tool. On the other hand it would be hard to get "vendor" support for the productive systems. It was also questioned how future prove an open source solution would be, and how easy and quick one could get a fix if potential security problem arose in the code.Two main advantages of TimeXTender made the difference in the end: The l

As a consultant at E-mergo, I was tasked with advising GGD Drenthe on their data warehousing strategy. The GGD (Municipal Health Services) is a public health service who was facing challenges in managing and analyzing a growing volume of data from various sources. Their existing solution, heavily reliant on Qlik Sense, lacked the flexibility and scalability required for future growth.I recommended implementing TimeXtender as a robust and efficient data warehousing solution. This would allow them to:Centralize Data: Consolidate data from diverse sources into a single, unified repository. Improve Data Quality: Implement robust data quality checks and data cleansing processes. Enhance Data Accessibility: Make data readily available to various applications and users. Accelerate Data Analysis: Streamline data integration and transformation processes.I provided guidance on data modeling, ETL development, and best practices for data management. I also trained the GGD Drenthe team on how to us

Vodafone Iceland has been using TimeXtender Data Quality and TimeXtender Orchestration (formerly known as ExMon Data Governance) since 2010, continuously monitoring their data and services with an emphasis on customer happiness, revenue leakage and fraud monitoring.Recently a case study of Vodafone usage of TimeXtender Data Quality and TimeXtender Orchestration and its results was published in Audit Analytics and Continuous Audit, an American university textbook in Continuous Auditing by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.You can read all about Vodafone’s usage of TimeXtender Data Quality and TimeXtender Orchestration here: Vodafone Case StudyWe recommend reading the full book which can be downloaded for free at the AICPA website: Continuous Assurance & Continuous Control Monitoring  

I wanted to post a link to the first article in a series on TX technical debt I published:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ruairidhsmith_timextender-datawarehousing-technicaldebt-activity-7160565324541554689-fAIX?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktopThis one is about CASE statements; I have a number of other topics planned out and am hoping to make this somewhat regular.

PrerequisitesODX Server machine has access to the URLs: *.googleapis.com/* Profile: 9-digit number connected to the GA profile you want to collect data from Property/Properties: 9-digit number relating to the property (e.g. website) you will collect data from. You will need a separate data source for each property (I think).  Account with admin privileges in the API for granting access as well as authenticating OAUTHMigrating Universal Analytics to V4If you already have a connection to GA Universal Analytics with the CDATA for Google Analyics 2022 Provider, setting up the connection to V4 will be easy. I recommend creating a new CDATA data-source for V4, so that you can compare the tables from Universal Analytics and V4. The structure of the data model has changed significantly!Copy connection string from GA Universal CDATA data-source Create a new data source with the GA CDATA connector and version Import connection string Change the version to V4 at ‘Authentication’ → ‘Schema’ as wel

In 2022, Waternet, a large water organization in the Netherlands, sought a new way to manage their data warehouse and phase out DDM Studio. Their goal was to improve the speed of building data models, connecting to their sources, and maintaining ease of use while keeping costs low. They also wanted a solution that was future-proof, with the capability to migrate to SaaS after rebuilding the old data warehouse.Already using the Azure data platform, they needed tools compatible with this platform. Wortell Smart, together with Waternet, concluded that TimeXtender was the best option for their needs.Since implementing TimeXtender at Waternet, we have achieved significant results:Trained 12 people in TimeXtender, enabling everyone to take over each other’s work instead of only three people building everything on the ETL side. Maintained their data platform with more ease. Experienced fewer scheduling issues. Delivered new requests to the business in days or weeks instead of months. Increase

Hello community,I’ve encountered over time some login issues when using the configurator exe’s.Most of the time is are firewall issues. So ofcourse check all the firewall settings and do not forget to add the TX .exe (all of them) to your inbound and outbound Windows Defender (gave me a lot of issues)While implementing this at my client we were still encountering issues for the login when checking configurations. But after a while the Internet Explorer pop up turned from grey to ‘refresh the page’ and then it went through with the autentication:  appentently some settings must be turned off for this to work smoothly. namely these settings you can find in the internet explorer settings:Now it is running smoothly again.Have any of you encountered this? Any other best praktises or stuff we need to check or know about?Maybe not the right place to ask this question here but what is your experiance with silent installs?I’ve encountered that the silent install works fine, but due to the login

Air Atlanta, Icelandic, is one of the largest ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) service providers in the world with almost 20 planes and 1400 employees. They offer tailor-made solutions to other carriers, both in the passenger and cargo industry.The ChallengeLike others in this industry, Air Atlanta must ensure that the aircraft is fully utilized and every extra hour of AOG (aircraft on the ground) is expensive. Sigrún Inga Kristinsdóttir, Administrator of Trax MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) system, explains:“When we remove parts from aircraft and send them for repair, too often they would be registered incorrectly in our systems. When the serviceable part was needed again, we wouldn’t know its status, causing unnecessary delays and costs. The key to solving these issues was better data quality. So, we decided to implement TimeXtender Orchestration and Data Quality.”The SolutionOur main goal was to decrease costs resulting from bad data in our Trax maintenance

Hi gang!I'm new with TX and wondering how to merge multiple sources into a single table. For example, let's say we have 3 different systems with a company table in each of them but with different IDs. What strategy would you use to have only one dimension/ one record for the same company in TX?Thanks in advance :-)Christine

Hi all,We've probably all encountered the challenge of coordinating releases, especially within bigger development teams. Currently, when we execute a release in TimeXtender, the entire project gets deployed. This can lead to problems, especially when trying to address minor production issues or releasing only the work of a single developer while others are still in progress. This often results in project-wide delays.I submitted an idea about this last week, and would love a vote if it's something you experience as well.At the same time, seeing how this probably won't get solved in the near future, I'm wondering how other are dealing with this at the moment. Any insights you could share into your way of working are very much appreciated!Kind regards,Barry

IntroductionIt has been discussed in multiple topics here: the question how to deploy semantic layers from TimeXtender to Power BI. As of version 21, this is natively supported. But many organizations are still on version 20 and therefor use Azure Analysis Services (AAS) to deploy their datasets to. While this works fine, AAS is a very expensive service and if you already have Power BI Premium, you already pay for a similar technique called XMLA Endpoints.Because the techniques behind AAS and XMLA Endpoints are similar, there is a way to directly deploy from TimeXtender 20.10.X to Power BI Premium. This guide explains how. DisclaimerObviously this guide explains a trick. Deploying from TX 20.10.X to Power BI Premium is not supported by TimeXtender and some manual manipulations after deployment are involved. However, it can be used to save costs. In our customer case, we save around EUR 4500 on monthly AAS costs, which is worth the pain of some manual actions. IngredientsTimeXtender 20.

In 2021, together with the customer, Axians started a project at Medisch Spectrum Twente, a large hospital located in the east of The Netherlands.The aim of the project was to replace a legacy Frankenstack of BI tooling (SAP Data Services, SAP Business Objects and others) with a future-proof cloud based dataplatform. Leveraging the power of the Axians Maestro Platform, based on Microsoft Azure, and of course TimeXtender, MST now has a comprehensive, modern Data Estate that is used by hundreds of employees.Together with the customer, we have achieved the following goals:Training BI employees at the customer Build the complete Data Estate from the ground up using Azure, TimeXtender and PowerBI Much better and faster business insights (shorter time to market) Lower TCO Easy oversight and management of the entire solution Stable and well manageable data loadsTimeXtender was the absolute best match for this project because it was the only tool able to facilitate the entire data flow, from s

Annie Nguyen, InfoZone US asks: What are the best practices in TimeXtender to create a data model?

Unleashing the Power of Ever-Increasing Data: TimeXtender's Holistic Solution for Data Integration in Today's Competitive Business World.In today's digital era, businesses are generating an unprecedented amount of data at an exponential rate. The vast array of information available presents a golden opportunity for enterprises to make well-informed decisions, improve customer experiences, and gain a competitive edge. However, the challenge lies not just in accumulating this data, but in utilizing it quickly and effectively to drive valuable insights. This is where TimeXtender, with its holistic data integration solution, plays a pivotal role in helping businesses harness the full potential of their data.The Soaring Data LandscapeData has become the lifeblood of modern enterprises, driving everything from market strategies and customer engagement to operational efficiency and supply chain management. The advent of social media, IoT devices, mobile applications, and online transactions h

Why TimeXtender is Essential in Today's Data-Driven WorldHey there, data enthusiasts! We all know that data is the new oil, and in today's digital age, it's essential for businesses to extract valuable insights from vast amounts of information. With data coming from all sorts of sources, it can be challenging to consolidate and analyze it all. That's where TimeXtender comes in - our holistic data integration tool is like a superhero that helps businesses automate their data processes, enabling faster, more accurate analysis, and decision-making.My Experience with Data Automation TimeXtender is an exceptional choice for businesses aiming to optimize their data processes through integration and automation. One of the greatest challenges I’ve faced in my career as a data specialist has been consolidating data from various sources, which required substantial time and effort. Once data consolidation was achieved, the subsequent hurdle was data preparation, cleansing, and transformation, all

Hi, we are migrating a datalake from Business Units to ODX.  I want to do some QA to ensure:  1. all tables have been remapped, 2. All columns are present.  3.  All Data types reconcile.  4.  Number of table rows matches.  Is there a recommended automated way to do this?

 Fast Track To Success: How to combine TimeXtender and Exmon for fast, pragmatic Data Governance to unlock business value. Watch our recorded webinar with Stefan Ahlbom, Solution Specialist at TimeXtender & Gunnar Steinn, CEO at Exmon.Key takeaways:1. Quick Start with TimeXtender: Master the essentials of TimeXtender deployment to get up and running in no time.2. Maximising and Exmon: Learn how to utilize both tools effectively to enhance data governance and drive business results.3. Selling to Clients: Get tips on how to clearly communicate the benefits of TimeXtender and Exmon to potential clients.Watch here. Thank you for your Time! 

Ever wonder what a day in the life of an IT Developer would be like with and without TimeXtender? We’ve created a short play walking through their day. Read More here. Feel free to use content as a tool to evaluate whether TimeXtender is a suitable solution for your clients' projects. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a demo let me know. Don't forget to check out the Partner Community where you can find additional tips, tricks, best practices and share thoughts.  Thank you for your continued partnership.Best regardsDid You Know Author:Christopher Royce DanielsSolution Specialist - North America  Christopher has been a Solution Specialist for TimeXtender since 2021. He enjoys enabling others on best practices with TimeXtender and delivering data solutions that solve common pain points in data estates.Contact: cdaniels@timextender.com  

Why migrate from Business Units to ODX and steps to do so in TimeXtender?

Hi team, I have worked on many TX projects using ODX, but I have a new project that is using Business Unit. Someone told me that Business Unit will be deprecated in the future version of TX. What is the best practice for that? Regards Ignacio