Case Study
NHS Ambulance Trust
A critical UK emergency services provider requiring urgent stabilisation and modernisation of their undocumented data systems. Their platform suffered from systems out of support, no existing documentation, and a poorly functioning data warehouse portal that hindered operational reporting and decision-making capabilities.
Engagement Summary
The client engaged us to document, stabilise, and modernise their undocumented data infrastructure and reporting systems. Over the course of the engagement, we reverse engineered legacy applications, redesigned their data warehouse portal, and brought support capabilities in-house, significantly improving efficiency and reducing ongoing costs.
This case study highlights the core workstreams delivered:
- Environment Documentation & System Investigation
- Legacy Application Reverse Engineering & Stabilisation
- Data Warehouse Portal Redesign & Modernisation
Workstream 1: Environment Documentation & System Investigation
Challenge / Scope
The client had multiple systems with no existing documentation, making maintenance impossible and creating significant operational risk. Understanding the environment, dependencies, and data flows was essential before any stabilisation or improvement work could begin.
What Was Delivered
- Complete environment documentation across all systems
- Dependency mapping and data flow analysis
- Infrastructure and application inventory
- System architecture documentation
- Risk assessment and prioritisation framework
- Knowledge transfer to internal teams
The Outcome
- Comprehensive documentation enabling informed decision-making
- Clear understanding of system dependencies and risks
- Reduced operational risk through improved knowledge management
- Foundation established for future maintenance and improvements
- Internal teams empowered with complete system understanding
Workstream 2: Legacy Application Reverse Engineering & Stabilisation
Challenge / Scope
Critical systems were out of support with no documentation, including a complex VB.NET application that required urgent investigation and remediation. Without understanding how these systems functioned, the organisation faced significant risk of system failures impacting emergency service operations.
What Was Delivered
- Successfully reverse engineered undocumented VB.NET application
- System troubleshooting and root cause analysis
- Organisation and fix implementation across legacy systems
- Brought support capabilities in-house
- Documentation of application logic and dependencies
- Stabilisation of out-of-support systems
The Outcome
- Eliminated dependency on external support for critical systems
- Improved system stability and reliability
- Moved support in-house, improving efficiency and reducing costs
- Restored confidence in previously problematic systems
- Established foundation for future application modernisation
Workstream 3: Data Warehouse Portal Redesign & Modernisation
Challenge / Scope
The existing data warehouse portal was poorly designed and non-functional, preventing staff from accessing critical operational data and reports. Emergency services require reliable, fast access to data for decision-making, making portal reliability essential to operations.
What Was Delivered
- Complete redesign of SSRS data warehouse portal
- Clean, functional interface design focused on usability
- Performance organisation of reports and data access
- User experience improvements based on operational requirements
- Testing and validation with end users
- Documentation and support materials
The Outcome
- Created clean, functional SSRS data warehouse portal
- Dramatically improved user experience and report accessibility
- Faster access to critical operational data
- Improved decision-making capabilities through reliable reporting
- Reduced frustration and improved staff productivity
- Established modern foundation for future reporting development
Long-Term Impact
Across all workstreams, the organisation moved from undocumented, unstable systems with external dependencies to well-documented, reliable, internally supported infrastructure with modern reporting capabilities, significantly reducing costs and operational risk.
Technologies & Skills Used
- SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) (portal redesign, organisation)
- VB.NET (reverse engineering, troubleshooting)
- Data warehouse design and organisation
- System documentation (architecture, dependencies, data flows)
- Environment analysis and dependency mapping
- Legacy system stabilisation
- Performance tuning and organisation
- Portal design and user experience
- Knowledge transfer and training
- In-house support establishment
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