Come on in, Sinterklaas, and bring your data along!

Anne de Geus
14 november, 2022 - Leestijd 4 minuten

As soon as St. Nicholas arrives in the Netherlands, the preparation for 'pakjesavond' already begins. Collecting wish lists, handing out 'pepernoten' and reading in the Big Book which children have been extra good this year. But the Big Book contains so much information, "couldn't that be easier?" thought the Saint. And so he decided to knock on our door. We were all excited to take a look at the Big Book. So much data!

The data that Sinterklaas needs for Pakjesavond are immense. His book gets thicker and thicker every year. There are new brothers and sisters, children move house and there are more children with the same name. Millions of wishes arrive at Sinterklaas in countless ways: wish lists in the shoe, by mail, by email, and even via Instagram. All saved in at least as many ways. 'Isn't it time to modernize?" our consultant asked the question.

Sinterklaas' Big Book 2.0

We advised the Sint to map out all available data flows and elements. Because he was working with so many auxiliary people, data entry was handled differently for each region and each department. The result: conflicting reports and the absence of one main system. Our conclusion: Sinterklaas had a gigantic master data issue!

If we didn't help Sinterklaas soon, December 5 would be in serious trouble. The solution to his problem was a Master Data Management platform. Think of it as a kind of common language for your entire organization. It brings together the most crucial data from different systems and processes into one structured source of information. In this way, you create structure in the chaos and build a bridge between departments and their information sources.

From wishing to delivering

The annual key question: how to make everyone happy with their chosen gift? We often don't think about it, but with more than 2 million children in our country, ensuring its accuracy and avoiding disappointed faces is a huge task. Take an example: Jeroen Peters (6) years old from Apeldoorn has put a letter and a wish list in his shoe. Piet took this in the bag and stuck it in the big book. He would like a remote controlled car. Sint now has only a few days to do his shopping.

Which supplier has this product in stock, in what time frame will it be delivered and at what price? To guarantee an effective transport, it must then be combined with the presents for his sister. There appear to be 3 Jeroen Peters', of which 1 in Apeldoorn. Which Jeroen is the right one? And is the address still correct, because Jeroen has just moved? He now lives in an apartment and has no chimney. So the presents have to be brought in through the window or else put in front of the door this time. And Sint's horse has to stay downstairs for a while. You can imagine that not one of the above activities should go wrong.

The advantages of complet data

Now that all the data is complete and stored in one place, all the Piet's departments can take advantage of these benefits right away:

  1. Full(er) address details and additional info e.g. at which addresses there is or is not a chimney;
  2. One reliable picture of all children and their needs;
  3. No wish lists that linger in other departments;
  4. Better collaboration between departments;
  5. Accurate reporting available in real time.

A real boost for De Sint

Sinterklaas, of course, has no profit motive. But all departments have been able to benefit for a number of years now from accurate, complete and up-to-date data. Dat scheelt een hoop werk! De Sint is al wat ouder, maar door de efficiency slag die Altares Dun & Bradstreet hem heeft kunnen bieden, heeft hij een enorme boost gekregen en kan hij er weer heel wat jaren tegenaan. Wij laten deze goedheiligman natuurlijk niet in de kou staan.

We have offered De Sint to look into an expansion for next year with a lot of concrete applications. For example, in the area of creditworthiness of suppliers, economies of scale within the family tree, debtor management and supply chain management. We hope to be able to keep De Sint as a customer for many years to come and we will make sure that he can always rely on us.

Also looking for a more efficient way to work this busy holiday season? Please contact op met een van onze consultants.

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