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Data prototypes in 3 weeks; momentum for workshops

Data prototypes in 3 weeks; momentum for workshops

Prototype to programme velocity in 3 weeks

UK e-commerce fashion retailer moved to Oracle Retail MOM + D365 Finance with low-risk data migration accelerated by code-printed prototypes and audit-ready validation.

Sector: Retail (Fashion e-commerce)
Region: UK
ERP: Oracle Retail MOM + D365 Finance
Scope: 50+ MOM core tables, Planning extensions, MuleSoft seeding

At-a-glance

  • Initial data prototype: 3 weeks
  • Major data footprints automated: 12
  • Cutover plan: 8 phases with year-long parallel run
  • Core tables covered: 50+

Challenge

A £4B revenue youth fashion e-commerce business was implementing Oracle Retail MOM, Planning and D365 Finance. The System Integrator needed an accelerated start to solution workshops and low-risk validation of data and business rules—without waiting for full custom builds. Dependencies spanned 20+ environments and MuleSoft integrations, with brand acquisitions on the roadmap. Cutover failure and reconciliation gaps were the executive risks.

Approach (Assess → Stabilise → Prototype → Migrate → Verify)

elfware delivered a fixed-price initial prototype within 3 weeks of mapping kick-off. Using enterprise low-code and code-printing, the team iterated 12 major data footprints, enabling rapid solution validation, dress rehearsals and parallelisation of streams. End-to-end reconciliation, rule-based data quality and audited enrichment/cleansing/deduplication were embedded early, then scaled to scenario-based data cuts across 20+ environments.

What we did

  • Validation & reconciliation: End-to-end source-to-target checks across 50+ Oracle Retail MOM core tables, with business-logic testing to the left.
  • Audited enrichment & data quality: Cleansing and dedup flows with traceable outcomes for workshops and sign-off.
  • Planning & micro-apps migration: Migration for Planning and micro-app extensions; seeded the MuleSoft integration platform.
  • Scenario data cuts: Repeatable cuts by supplier/department to support parallel activity across more than 20 environments.
  • Parallel run & cutover orchestration: Broad-based integration for a year-long parallel run underpinning an 8-phase transition, plus post-cutover onboarding for brand acquisitions.

Modernisation highlights

  • Code-printed integrations & pipelines: Connectors and ETL/ELT pipelines generated to standardise patterns and reduce manual build risk.
  • Orchestrated dress rehearsals: Runbooks and orchestration timelines made cutover predictable and auditable.

Outcomes

  • 3-week prototype enabled workshops to start with full, corrected data, avoiding delays from incomplete or incoherent datasets.
  • 12 automated data footprints plus minor variants supported iterative solution validation and multi-stream progress.
  • Recognised by the programme as a key enabler and quality driver; the team received awards for improving outcomes.
  • Post-cutover assistance ensured smooth onboarding of new brands.

Timeline

  • Weeks 1–3: Mapping → initial data prototype (fixed price)
  • Weeks 4–12: Expand scope; automate 12 data footprints; scenario cuts for >20 environments
  • Cutover: 8 phases, audit-ready; hypercare and brand onboarding

"elfware turned what's usually a high-risk, late-stage activity into a structured, low-risk flow. The early prototype, embedded reconciliation, and parallel-run stability gave us complete control and confidence."

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Data prototypes in 3 weeks; momentum for workshops - elfware