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Ignition | 30 September 2024
In today’s data-driven world, organisations are increasingly relying on agile data management systems to meet ever-changing business demands. However, the road to building an efficient and scalable data architecture can be long and complex. For those familiar with Data Vault, a popular methodology for designing and implementing data warehouses, this complexity often translates into extensive project timelines and an overwhelming number of tasks before valuable insights can even begin to emerge. This is where IRiS, a solution developed by the team at Ignition, steps in to radically simplify and speed up the process.
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Julien Redmond, CEO of Ignition, describes the journey that led to the creation of IRiS as one driven by necessity. Over the years, his team of data engineers and data modellers has worked extensively on various Data Vault implementations, supporting clients in establishing their technology platforms and automation frameworks. While Data Vault is lauded for its flexibility and scalability, the initial steps—setting up platforms and frameworks—often proved cumbersome, even for highly experienced professionals.
“The goal of every Data Vault practitioner and most data engineers is to be very agile and respond to the business at the speed the business expects answers,” explains Mr Redmond. However, this ideal is frequently hindered by what Mr Redmond refers to as "phase zero." Before teams can even start ingesting, modelling, and delivering data, they must navigate the complex landscape of building a robust technology platform. This pre-work, which involves selecting and integrating tools, laying out the infrastructure, establishing standards and procedures and creating the automation frameworks, can span several weeks, if not months, before any meaningful data work begins.
This reality stands in stark contrast to the agile, responsive data ecosystem that most organisations aspire to build. The length of these projects can frustrate business stakeholders who demand faster insights and results. Additionally, the complexity of these initial stages can make the entire implementation vulnerable to delays, budget overruns, and even failure if not managed correctly.
Seeing the challenges posed by lengthy implementations, Ignition began working on a solution that would accelerate this process. Over multiple iterations and continuous refinement, the team developed IRiS—a solution specifically designed to make Data Vault implementation faster, more reliable, and easier to manage.
At its core, IRiS automates many of the time-consuming tasks involved in building a Data Vault. This includes not just automating the technical set-up but also embedding best practices and frameworks that have been honed through years of real-world experience.
According to Mr Redmond, IRiS is designed to help organisations "get to the starting line quickly." By automating the Data Vault development tasks and delivering them with worldwide best practices, IRiS allows teams to focus on what truly matters—delivering business insights. This shift from manual to automation drastically shortens the time it takes to deliver value to the business.
IRiS acts as a toolkit that accelerates Data Vault development by reducing the time spent on building data integration code. By automating tasks IRiS enables organisations to get their Data Vault pipelines up and running with far less manual intervention.
However, speed is not the only advantage. IRiS also builds reliability into the process. "We realised that we could take some of our best practice approaches and start embedding those in, making things further down the line more reliable and easier to do," says Mr Redmond. By incorporating tried-and-tested methodologies into the automation process, IRiS ensures that the data architecture is built according to best practices from the outset. This minimises the risk of errors or inefficiencies emerging as the project progresses, allowing for smoother, more predictable delivery.
What makes IRiS unique is not just its ability to accelerate Data Vault implementation, but the ongoing commitment to improvement and innovation. Ignition has been refining this solution over the years, continuously integrating feedback from clients and adjusting the framework to meet the evolving needs of businesses and the technology landscape.
The latest iteration of IRiS reflects this dedication to progress. Mr Redmond notes, "We’ve been on this journey for a number of years, asking ourselves, how do we make things faster and easier?" With each new version, the tool has become more sophisticated, intuitive, and aligned with industry best practices.
For organisations looking to implement Data Vault, IRiS presents several compelling benefits:
The creation of IRiS marks a turning point in how Data Vault projects are approached. By automating the most time-consuming aspects of the process, Ignition has developed a solution that not only speeds up implementation but also ensures that best practices are followed from the very beginning.
For organisations struggling with the slow and arduous process of setting up Data Vault systems, IRiS offers a faster, more efficient way to reach the finish line. It’s a tool designed for the future of data engineering—one where agility, reliability, and speed are no longer mutually exclusive.
As businesses continue to demand more from their data, solutions like IRiS will prove invaluable in meeting those expectations, empowering organisations to stay ahead in an increasingly data-driven world.
