Business Intelligence Consultant

Direct message the job poster from Compunnel Inc.

Location Remote ( 180 N. Wabash Chicago, IL)

City Colleges of Chicago currently utilizes Tableau Online for building and maintaining dashboards, sourcing data from up to 40 files stored in SharePoint. The existing process involves manually exporting or pulling these files once a month, uploading or placing the data in SharePoint, and refreshing Tableau extracts to update the dashboards. This manual workflow is inefficient, time-consuming (particularly in updating dashboards), and prone to errors, leading to delays in data availability and increased operational overhead.

The purpose of this engagement is to engage consultants with expertise in Tableau, data integration, and automation to:

• Evaluate the current setup for inefficiencies and improvement opportunities.
• Design and implement automated data pulling mechanisms from multiple sources directly into Tableau Online, reducing or eliminating manual interventions.

• Assess the current data ingestion and refresh processes in Tableau Online to identify bottlenecks, risks, and areas for optimization, with a focus on reducing the time required to update dashboards.
• Recommend and implement automated solutions for seamless data integration from up to 40 SharePoint files (and other sources as listed), supporting daily refreshes.
• Ensure the new setup improves data freshness, reliability, scalability, and user experience while aligning with best practices for data governance and security.
• Provide knowledge transfer to maintain and extend the automated processes post-engagement.

The consultants will perform the following activities:

• Conduct interviews with OIT/BI team to understand the current workflow, pain points (including dashboard update delays), and requirements.
• Review existing Tableau Online workbooks, data sources, extracts, and SharePoint integrations for up to 40 files with daily pulls.
• Map out all data sources involved (e.g., SharePoint files and others to be specified) and their formats.
• Identify potential automation tools and technologies (e.g., Tableau Prep, APIs, scripting with Python/Tableau APIs, or others; no restrictions specified).
• Document findings in a comprehensive evaluation report, including a gap analysis and high-level recommendations focused on streamlining dashboard updates.

• Develop a detailed architecture for automated data pulling, including data pipelines, scheduling (daily refreshes), error handling, and monitoring.
• Propose integration strategies to connect multiple data sources directly to Tableau Online (e.g., live connections vs. extracts, hybrid approaches).
• Outline any necessary infrastructure changes (e.g., API endpoints, database permissions, cloud migrations, SharePoint automation).
• Create a proof-of-concept (PoC) for one or two critical data sources (e.g., sample SharePoint files) to validate the proposed automation and demonstrate reduced update times.
• Collaborate with CCC OIT/BI team to prioritize sources and define success metrics (e.g., reduction in manual effort, dashboard update time reduced).

• Build and deploy automated data pipelines for all identified sources, handling up to 40 SharePoint files with daily automation.
• Configure Tableau Online for automated refreshes, including scheduling and notifications.
• Implement data validation, logging, and alerting mechanisms to ensure data integrity and quick issue resolution.
• Conduct thorough testing (end-to-end dashboard update performance).

• Deploy the automated solution in a production environment with minimal downtime.
• Provide training sessions for the OIT/BI team on using and maintaining the new setup.
• Deliver comprehensive documentation, including user guides, architecture diagrams, and maintenance procedures.
• Offer post-deployment support for 2 weeks to address any issues.
• Evaluation Report:
  Detailed assessment of current setup with recommendations.
• Design Document:
  Architecture blueprint, data flow diagrams, and implementation plan.
• Proof-of-Concept Demo:
  Functional…