DOING MORE

WITH
BUSINESS ANALYTICS
AND
BIG DATA

Tony Cassidy | Vertice | CEO

Charlie Berger | Senior Director |Oracle
OUR MISSION

To provide world class postal,

distribution and financial
services with unrivalled local
community access and global
connections
 AN POST’S REPUTATION

Best Performing Semi-State and the 2nd Most Reputable Indigenous Irish Firm1
1.7m customers in Post Offices each week
56% of adults visit a Post Office at least once a week
84% of adults visit a Post Office at least once a month

1. RepTrak 2014 Study, Corporate Reputations

MAILS
 9000 collection points

 2700 vehicles

 Automated Mails Processing

 4000 delivery routes

 2.1 million homes

 2.8 million pieces of mail per day

 87 million events tracked for

barcoded product

 Nationwide operations
 MAILS AUTOMATION

 4 mail centres

 Combined processing speed of up

to 623,000 mail pieces per hour

 4,500 Intermec CN50 mobile devices

 Capture of delivery data at point of delivery
 Customer signature captured electronically
 80% of tracking data online within 3 mins
 97% of tracking data online within 20 mins
Largest Retail Network in Ireland
Largest Retail Network in Ireland
RETAIL NETWORKS
 Fully Automated networks
 1100+ Post Offices
 130M+ Transactions per annum
 POS Technology
 Backend systems

 Huge range of customer offerings;

 Mails
 Bill Payment
 Savings
 Banking
 Welfare
 Insurance
 FX
 PostMobile
 Top-up

 Continuous Development & Innovation

INNOVATION and BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM - Enabling

 Continuous Focus on
Innovation

 Leveraging Oracle
Technology Investment to
benefit Customer

 Business Analytics helping to

drive performance
An Post Insight
 DATA SOURCES
Mails Processing Systems

Quality External Stats

HR Attendance Data Mails Volumes

Complaints/ Enquiries

Delivery Manpower Data

Collections

Track and Trace

Payroll Data

Retail Systems
Financial Systems
 Quality External Stats

DATA SOURCES
HR Attendance Data  Overnight data load processes, continuous
Mails Volumes

monitoring, data quality controls

 System deployed to almost 600 interactive

users covering Finance, Manpower Costs and
Complaints/ Enquiries

Mails Operations and now Retail

Delivery Manpower Data
 KPI data displayed to operational staff in mails
processing plants nationwide
Collections

 Analysis through Interactive Dashboards

 DV, Answers, Smartview deployed for

Track and Trace
Payroll Data
additional Self Service analysis

 Matured & active processes for Governance &

Retail Systems
Financial Systems Change Management
DOING MORE With BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM

 Leveraging existing solution

 Extending solution to incorporate

comprehensive Data Layer for Retail
business

 Analysis of transactions, product,

office and performance data available
when needed

 Improved Information access

supporting key business processes
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM + Hybrid Cloud

 Private Cloud – Managed Service:

 Exadata in 2 An Post Data centres
 An Post Business Critical Data in a
Private Secure Cloud

 Public Cloud - PaaS:

 Cloud Backup
 Cloud Archiving
 An Post Non Business Critical Data in
a Public Secure Cloud
 EU Oracle Data Centres
 BICS for DV

 Public Cloud - SaaS:

 PBCS Prototype
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM
 Business Analytics and EPM and
APEX:
 OBIEE
 BI Apps
 Essbase
 Financial Planning
 APEX

 Data Integration Suite:

 Oracle Data Integrator
 Oracle Golden Gate
 Oracle Golden Gate CS

 Big Data Analytics Platform:

 “Oracle Information Management
Reference Architecture”
 Oracle Advanced Analytics
 Oracle 12c Multitenant
Database
 Oracle Exadata
 Oracle Adv. Compression
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM + Data Integration Suite
 ODI 12c
 Redeployment of Architecture
 Much more productive and cohesive UI
 Ready for use with Hadoop Adapters as
needed and so ODI for Big Data.

 Batch Processing
 1 Example:
 Legacy Batch ETL Process = 11 Hours
 Introduce Exadata and 12c DB = 4 Hours
 Performance Tune = 36 Mins
 Opened up the Overnight Batch Windows to
additional processing, when applied to
multiple batch loads

 Golden Gate and GGCS

 NEW “Retail” Subject Areas are Near Real Time
with Analytics updated in 15 min intervals…
 Further Utilisation fully across platform for
Near Real Time Analytics.
 Pertinent Data LIFT to all CS via GGCS
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM + Business Analytics
 OBIEE 11g
 Upgrade to 11g Architecture in 2015
 12c Upgrade on long finger
 Data Visualisation
 Deploying Data Visualisation aspects NOW!
 Prototype of DV in BICS (and soon OACS!)
 Data Externalisation to Customers
 Essbase
 Legacy MIS migrated within APBI and OBIEE
Dashboards, parallel run. Legacy Finance and
Retail Data cubes built iteratively over time.
 Removal of some legacy “Spread marts” built
of the back of prior version of Essbase.
 NEW Retail DW and Financial DW ensures
single source of truth, readily available data in
analytic format. With Succinct use of Essbase!
 And soon Essbase ongoing = OACS Mid Level!)
 Financial Planning
 Planning and Forecasting deployed in 2015
 Wider Group Budgeting added in early 2016
 Strategic 5 year plan added in Mid 2016
 PBCS Migration in Prototype!
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM +

 Possible Future additions – 2017:

 “as and when” qualified defined needs in
the Solution Architecture;
 Big Data Appliance
 Big Data SQL
 Big Data Discovery
 Oracle Stream Analytics
 Oracle Big Data Cloud Service

 Overall Solution:
 Structured, Semi-structured and
unstructured
 Future proofed for Growth
 Big Data ongoing which is Readily Available
for Business Analytics
 Both Enterprise and Self Service Analytics
 Mature Data Governance
 Single Source of the Truth Across All
Business Areas!
 CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW + Big Data “Journey”

Actionable Actionable
Actionable
Events Information
Insights

Structured
Enterprise
Data

Data Event Engine Data Data Factory Enterprise Reporting

Streams Reservoir Information Store Other
Data

Execution

Innovation

Events Discovery Lab Discovery

& Data Output
BIG DATA ANALYTICS PLATFORM + Advanced Analytics
 Oracle Advanced Analytics 12c
 Deployed in early 2016
 7 Projects Outlined
 1st Deployed
 2nd and 3rd Progressing to UAT

 Big Data Analytics Platform

 OAA will predominantly utilise the data being
stored in the APBI Big Data Analytics platform

 OAA Innovation Lab

 Pilot work for all Projects
 Integrated with main Architecture
 Access to Prod and Test environments
 Typical data volumes being process >630M records
in <2s
 Push out and integrate into Production processes
 Seamless integration of OAA with architecture
 Continuous improvement process
 Feedback process
 Data enrichment
 Oracle Advanced Analytics—Best Practices
Nothing is Different; Everything is Different

1. Start with a Business Problem

Statement

Brendan Tierney
7. Automate and Deploy Enterprise-wide 2. Don’t Move the Data Oracle ACE
Director, Author,
etc.

6. Quickly Transform “Data” to “Actionable 3. Assemble the “Right Data” for the
Insights” Problem

5. Be Creative in Analytical Methodologies 4. Create New Derived Variables

22 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 1. Start with a Business Problem Statement
Clearly Define Problem

“If I had an hour to solve a

problem I'd spend 55
minutes thinking about the
problem and 5 minutes
thinking about solutions.”
― Albert Einstein

23 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 Be Specific in Problem Statement
Data Mining
Poorly Defined Better Technique

Predict citizens likely to need • Based on past employees that voluntarily left:
certain Social Services • Create New Attribute EmplTurnover  O/1

Predict customers that churn • Based on past customers that have churned:
• Create New Attribute Churn  YES/NO

Target “best” customers • Recency, Frequency Monetary (RFM)

Analysis
• Specific Dollar Amount over Time Window:
• Who has spent $500+ in most recent 18 months

How can I make more $$? • What helps me sell soft drinks & coffee?

Which customers are likely to • How much is each customer likely to spend?
buy?

Who are my “best • What descriptive “rules” describe “best

customers”? customers”?

Detect transactions that could • Which transactions are the most anomalous?
be fraudulent • Then roll-up to physician, claimant, employee, etc.
24 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 Be Specific in Problem Statement
Data Mining
Poorly Defined Better Technique

Predict citizens likely to need • Based on past citizens that needed service:
certain Social Services • Create New Attribute Needed Service  O/1

Predict customers that churn • Based on past customers that have churned:
• Create New Attribute Churn  YES/NO

Target “best” customers • Recency, Frequency Monetary (RFM)

Analysis
• Specific Dollar Amount over Time Window:
• Who has spent $500+ in most recent 18 months

How can I make more $$? • What helps me sell soft drinks & coffee?

Which customers are likely to • How much is each customer likely to spend?
buy?

Who are my “best • What descriptive “rules” describe “best

customers”? customers”?

Detect transactions that could • Which transactions are the most anomalous?
be fraudulent • Then roll-up to physician, claimant, citizen, employee, etc.
25 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 Be Specific in Problem Statement
Data Mining
Poorly Defined Better Technique

Predict citizens likely to need • Based on past employees that voluntarily left:
certain Social Services • Create New Attribute Needed Service  O/1

Predict customers that churn • Based on past customers that have churned:
• Create New Attribute Churn  YES/NO

Target “best” customers • Recency, Frequency Monetary (RFM)

Analysis
• Specific Dollar Amount over Time Window:
• Who has spent $500+ in most recent 18 months

How can I make more $$? • What helps me sell soft drinks & coffee?

Which customers are likely to • How much is each customer likely to spend?
buy?

Who are my “best • What descriptive “rules” describe “best

customers”? customers”?

Detect transactions that could • Which transactions are the most anomalous?
be fraudulent • Then roll-up to physician, claimant, citizen, employee, etc.
26 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 1. Start with a Business Problem Statement
Identify and/or Create the Right Target Field
 Target behavior
that is of interest
to you e.g. certain
or different
behaviors

27 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 1. Start with a Business Problem Statement
Identify and/or Create the Right Target Field
 Target “best” customers
– Stratify into Low, Medium,
High and Very High
– Explore node
– Transform node

28 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

2. Don’t Move the Data
Data Preparation & Adv. Analytical Process Runs In-Database

Additional relevant
data and “engineered Historical or Current Data
features” to be “scored” for
predictions
Oracle Database 12c

Historical data Predictions &

Assembled Insights
historical data

Sensor data, Text, unstructured

data, transactional data, spatial
data, etc.

Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |

 3. Don’t Move the Data
Data Sources

 Data Source node

 Aggregate node
 Join node

30 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 3. Assemble the “Right Data” for the Problem
 Collaborate with Domain Experts, IT and Data
Analysts
– Business Domain—people who know the business
 Marketing & Sales
 Customer Service
 Operations
– Information Technology—people who have access
to data
Business
Domain
– Data Analysts—people who have data analysis skills
(Statisticians/Data Miners/Data Scientists)

 Demand active participation & buy-in Information Data

 “These leads are no good” Technology Analysts

 “That data is old”

 “This model is 100% accurate”
 “Why didn’t you use this data?”

31 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 4. Create New Derived Variables

 Transform node
 Aggregate node
 Text node
 All generate
associated
SQL code

32 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 4. Create New Derived Variables
New Server Functionality

 Text Mining Support

Enhancements
– This enhancement greatly simplifies
the data mining process (model build,
deployment and scoring) when text data is
present in the input:
 Manual pre-processing of text
data is no longer needed.
 No text index needs to be
created
 Additional data types are
supported: CLOB, BLOB, BFILE
 Character data can be specified
as either categorical values or
text

33 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 SQL Pattern Matching in action
Example: Find W-Shape*

Stock price

Find a W-shape pattern

in a ticker stream:
• Output one row each
time we find a match to 1 9 13 days
19
our pattern SELECT first_x, last_z
FROM ticker MATCH_RECOGNIZE (
PARTITION BY name ORDER BY time
MEASURES FIRST(x.time) AS first_x,
LAST(z.time) AS last_z
ONE ROW PER MATCH
PATTERN (X+ Y+ W+ Z+)
DEFINE X AS (price < PREV(price)),
Y AS (price > PREV(price)),
W AS (price < PREV(price)),
Z AS (price > PREV(price)))

34 Copyright © 2014, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

* For conceptual clarity, the statement is simplified and ignores an always-true start event.
See the notes or documentation for further explanation
More Data Variety—Better Predictive Models
Engineered Features – Derived
attributes/variable that reflect domain
• Increasing sources of 100%knowledge—key to best models 100%
relevant data can
boost model
accuracy
Model with “Big Data”
and hundreds -- Naïve Guess

Responders
thousands of input or Random
variables including: Model with 20
• Demographic data variables
• Purchase POS Model with 75
transactional data variables
• “Unstructured data”, Model with 250
text & comments variables
• Spatial location data
• Long term vs. recent
historical behavior
• Web visits
• Sensor data 0% Population Size
• etc.
Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |
 5. Be Creative in Analytical Methodologies
Leveraging a Variety of Data Sources and Types

Transactional
SQL Joins and arbitrary SQL
POS data
transforms & queries – power of
SQL
Modeling
Approaches

Inline predictive Consider:

model to • Demographics
augment input • Past purchases
Generates SQL
data • Recent purchases
scripts and
• Comments & tweets
workflow API for
Unstructured data deployment
Advanced Analytics also mined by
algorithms

Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |

Oracle Advanced Analytics DB Option Advanced Analytics

In-Database Machine Learning Algorithms*—SQL & & GUI Access

Classification Clustering Predictive Queries

• Decision Tree • Hierarchical k-Means • Clustering
• Logistic Regression (GLM) • Orthogonal Partitioning Clustering • Regression
• Naïve Bayes • Expectation-Maximization • Anomaly Detection
• Support Vector Machine (SVM) • Feature Extraction
• Random Forest
Attribute Importance
A1 A2 A3 A4 A5
Feature Extraction & Creation
• Minimum Description Length
A6 A7

Regression • Unsupervised pair-wise KL div. • Nonnegative Matrix Factorization

• Multiple Regression (GLM)
• Support Vector Machine (SVM)
• Stepwise Linear Regression
• Linear Model
• Generalized Linear Model
• Multi-Layer Neural Networks
• Principal Component Analysis
• Singular Value Decomposition
Market Basket Analysis
• Apriori – Association Rules Time Series
Text Mining • Single & Double Exp. Smoothing

• All OAA/ODM SQL ML support Open Source R Algorithms

• Explicit Semantic Analysis
Anomaly Detection
• Ability to run any R package
• 1-Class Support Vector Machine (9,000+)via Embedded R mode

+ Ability to Mine Unstructured, Structured & Transactional data

+ Partitioned Models
Copyright © 2016, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. |
 7. Automate and Deploy Enterprise-wide
BI Dashboards + Predictive/Actionable Insights

38 Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 8. Feedback Loop!

With each iteration we are influencing / changing

the behavior of the customers/people

39 Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

 CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW + Big data

Actionable Actionable
Actionable
Events Information
Insights

Structured
Enterprise
Data

Data Event Engine Data Data Factory Enterprise Reporting

Streams Reservoir Information Store Other
Data

Execution

Innovation

Events Discovery Lab Discovery

& Data Output
 CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW + Big data

Discovery Lab Information Management

Transformation

Operational Insights Big Data Pilot Big Data Application

Factors To Consider:
Sponsorship
Budget
Use Cases
Timeline
Skills
SUMMARY

 Continuous Modernisation & Innovation

 Ability to quickly respond to new business

opportunities

 Well positioned for future opportunities &

challenges

 Doing More!

 Reaping rewards of investment in Oracle Technology,

Business Analytics success to date & Big Data ongoing!

 Award Winning!
 Thank You

FUTURE PROOFING
THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

www.Vertice.ie