How a 100+ Store GROCERY Chain Moved Analytics into Power BI
Grosh, a regional leader in grocery retail, came to us when the growing database of its ERP system began to affect system stability. More detailed analytical views and additional calculations required more and more resources. In some cases, processing such requests could practically bring the system to a halt.
The company needed a solution that would keep its ERP system as the core platform for daily operations, accelerate analytics, and preserve the required level of detail. Cobit Solutions delivered it.
per report instead of several hours
Retail
100+ stores, high transaction volume, daily operational data.
10 years
Data accumulated across three systems: ABM Cloud, OpenStore, and Nielsen.
90% of reports in BI
Power BI became the new analytics layer for users.
Scale
The new architecture supports adding new stores without limitations.
100+ stores in one analytics ecosystem
Grosh is one of the leading grocery retail chains in the Vinnytsia region. The company operates more than 100 stores of different formats, offers a wide range of products, and develops its own production, including cooking and bakery operations.
Every day, the chain processes a large volume of operational data from dozens of retail locations. As the number of stores, transactions, and users grew, the company needed a modern analytics system that could work with large datasets without adding pressure to the ERP system.
Difficulties
Large volumes of operational data every day.
Challenges
The need for a single corporate analytics system.
Briefly about the client
✓ 100+ stores in grocery retail.
✓ One of the regional leaders
of Vinnytsia region.
✓ Wide range of products and
own production.
How to improve ERP analytics with Power BI
When a company has used an ERP system for years, standard reports may no longer keep up with growing data volumes and user needs. The core system has to support daily operations and analytics at the same time, which can slow down both reporting and routine work.
One of the most effective solutions is to move analytics to Power BI and connect it to prepared ERP data. The ERP remains the core system for daily operations, while reports, filters, and dashboards run in a dedicated analytics environment.
What changed after the first stage
of implementation
100+
stores connected to analytics ecosystem
12
Power BI dashboards implemented
3
data sources unified into one model
900M+
rows processed during daily refresh
1.5h
to process large data tables
15+
manual Excel tasks automated
Slow reports and too much manual work became a daily challenge
“ Data processing could take hours. It was especially noticeable on Monday mornings:
- stores were working at the same time;
- requests were being loaded;
- goods receipts were being processed;
- weekly reports were being generated.
With this level of load, some reports could block other users from working. ”
Tetiana Ososkova
Representative of the Grosh project team
Slow ERP reporting
Core reports with large datasets took too long to generate. While the system processed them, operational teams could face delays in routine work.
Excel instead of analytics
After export, users still had to finish part of the work manually: merge files, check figures, adjust calculations, and prepare reports for final use.
Overloaded ERP
Analytical requests ran in the same environment as daily operations. On high-load days, reports affected stores, goods receipts, and business processes.
Hard to scale
As the store network and data volume grew, the existing reporting approach became less stable, less efficient, and harder to use for regular analytics.
Partner recommendation and the first dashboard
Grosh came to Cobit Solutions based on a recommendation from ABM Cloud. The initial request was clear: move part of the reports from ABM Cloud to Power BI to reduce the load on the core operational system.
After the first dashboards were launched, the client’s team immediately noticed the difference. Reports opened much faster, and working with them became more convenient. This became the starting point for further development of the project.
❝Initially, the client planned only to move reports. But after the first dashboards, it became clear that
Power BI could do much more.
- Partner recommendation
- First dashboard
- Effective result
- Continued cooperation
-
Want to discover what Power BI can do for your business?
Let’s discuss which analytics tasks it can solve for your company.
900M+ rows moved to a faster server for Power BI analytics
Initial testing showed that large analytics requests needed a separate prepared data environment. Cobit Solutions moved the analytical workload to a separate high-performance server, while keeping ABM Cloud as the core operational system.
ERP under reporting pressure
Users generated analytical reports directly inside ABM Cloud. This slowed down reporting and added pressure to the same system used for operational work.
Separate ETL process
The team configured data replication from the cloud ERP to a fast server and prepared a stable layer for Power BI analytics.
Power BI without ERP overload
Dashboards started working from the prepared data environment, while ERP continued to serve as the main operational system.
12 Dashboards That Accelerated
Data Workflows
During the first stage, Cobit Solutions implemented 12 Power BI dashboards for Grosh. They helped
move key reporting from ERP into a modern BI format, reduce manual Excel work, and give users
faster access to daily analytics. Because of data confidentiality, we cannot show Grosh’s actual
dashboards. Below are examples of how similar analytics can look for your business.
Deep Dive into Each Department’s Tasks
The solution was developed in constant dialogue with the client’s team. Working meetings brought together representatives from different departments — sometimes 15–20 people or more. They asked detailed questions, reviewed interim results, and explained how they actually worked with data. The client-side coordinator involved the right specialists, so new ideas could be discussed immediately, assessed for business value, and added to the project.
Data Workflow Review
We mapped how teams use exported Excel reports and which steps they still handle manually.
Department Workshops
Specialists from different teams discussed complex questions and clarified metric logic.
Priority Alignment
Together, we chose which reports and features to build first and what would help each team most.
Gradual Development
We shared interim versions, gathered feedback, and updated dashboard logic right away.
Report Consolidation
Separate reports were combined into dashboards, while Excel work moved to Power BI.
Testing and Launch
Dashboards were published as they became ready, so the team could use them right away.
This format helped move reporting to Power BI and create a solution that reflected real requests from the teams.
Rollout with Training and Support
After the first stage was completed, the Cobit Solutions team trained Grosh employees to work with the new analytics system. The sessions focused on:
- working with dashboards;
- using data analysis features;
- managing access rights through RLS.
This helped the client’s team move to full-scale work with the new analytics system without constant involvement from developers.
The successful completion of the first stage became the starting point for further cooperation on new BI solutions.
10M+ rows per minute and a new level
of analytics
After the implementation, Grosh users received faster access to reports, while the ERP system was
no longer used as the main layer for analytical workload. Power BI became a dedicated analytics environment and the foundation for further analytics development.
Reports generate 40+ times faster
____
Reports that used to take hours now open in Power BI within minutes.
90% of reports run in Power BI
____
Analytics data was prepared separately, and reports were built in Power BI.
12 Power BI dashboards implemented
____
Key reports of the first stage were transferred to a modern format.
Unified data model for 3 systems
____
ABM Cloud, OpenStore, and Excel were combined into one analytics system.
15+ manual Excel actions automated
____
Part of the work after Excel export was automated in Power BI.
Scalable Platform for 100+ Stores
____
The new architecture expands business analytics capabilities.
Ready to speed up corporate analytics?
Is your ERP overloaded with reporting requests while your team still spends time preparing Excel files? Cobit Solutions can help you move analytics to Power BI without replacing your core business system.
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What Moving Analytics to Power BI Showed
This case shows that a large business does not always need to replace its core operational system to get faster analytics. ABM Cloud can remain the system for daily operations, while reports, filters, analytical views, and management dashboards work in a dedicated Power BI environment.
The work with Power BI involved teams from procurement, sales, production, marketing, finance and economics, as well as software technologies and automation. Data access was configured by role: each team works with the reports and metrics it needs for its specific tasks.
❝Client note: “Your colleagues respond very actively to all our comments and questions, and this is very good. The more our team works with Power BI, the more ideas appear about which metrics, filters, and reports can still be added.”
- Want to stop waiting for slow reports? Let’s discuss how to implement new analytics for your company.
Why organizations are choosing our
Power BI implementation services
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