In order toimprove the reporting and communication of its statistics to the various business units<\/strong>, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), through the Strategy and Architecture Mission of its Information Systems Directorate (DSI), has decided to implement a data visualization tool: DigDash Enterprise.<\/p>\n A look back at the solution\u2019s deployment, featuring an interview with Sandrine Lorenzi, \u201cBI\u201d (Business Intelligence) Project Manager in the Strategy and Architecture Division of the IT Department at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe have deployed DigDash Enterprise to visualize visa statistics. We need to track the number of visas requested, granted, and denied in order to analyze them. Thanks to the graphical reports, we can view the geographic distribution and trends over the years. Until now, everything was managed using spreadsheets. We still use spreadsheets extensively, but we\u2019ve also implemented maps and charts. This provides business unitswith concrete data to support their<\/strong> decision-making.\u201d <\/p>\n We also use DigDash to compile a list of international students in France and map their distribution. This allows us to assess the appeal of campuses, degree programs, and institutions\u2026 and it helps us measure France\u2019s appeal abroad. <\/p>\n Finally, we use this tool within the IT department for our budgeting. This allows us to track expenses, current and upcoming projects, and the remaining budget\u2026 It helps us manage our budget more effectively. <\/p>\n “In total, we have more than fifty<\/strong> DigDash users<\/strong> across our various projects.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Until now, we had an expensive ‘business intelligence’ tool that was no longer up to date. In addition, the Interministerial Directorate for Information and Communication Systems (DINSIC) encourages ministries to adopt open-source tools. To ensure we have software tailored to our business needs, we therefore decided to begin the process of selecting a new \u201cBI\u201d solution.\u201d <\/p>\n We selected the community edition of Pentaho, an open-source business intelligence solution. This community edition did not offer advanced features for interactive and intuitive data visualization. To address this need, after searching in vain for an open-source tool, we ultimately chose <\/p>\n We chose DigDash because it\u2019s a French software provider<\/strong> and it met our needs. DigDash\u2019s real strength is that it allows us to create dynamic tables and is very easy to use. This means that different business units can easily access it and create their own reports. The solution is accessible anywhere as long as we have access to our intranet. Our users can access it even while traveling, whether in France or abroad. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another important factor for us is the size of the company. DigDash is an SME, which allows us to get to know our point of contact well and maintain a close relationship with our partner. In addition, the solution is listed by the UGAP public procurement agency<\/strong>, which was a key factor in our decision.\u201d <\/p>\n An opportunity to review the processes and work methods of the various professions<\/p>\n \u201cThe rollout of DigDash was very quick and very simple<\/strong>. We were able to install it ourselves in no time. Changing tools requires organizational changes. Business units must therefore adopt new ways of working, and support is necessary. To that end, we\u2019re organizing training sessions to introduce the tool and its features. So far, our employees have responded very positively.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n Overall, users find the tool easier to use than what we had before. It also allows us to replace Excel and get a better overview of all the metrics. Every time we hold a training session on the solution, we receive very positive feedback from our employees. <\/p>\nMapping visa applications, France’s appeal to international students, and IT department budget management<\/h2>\n
Key selection criteria: French software provider, web technology, usability, cloud and on-premises deployment, responsiveness, and UGAP compliance<\/h2>\n
A data visualization tool “Made in France”<\/h3>\n
A community-based team<\/h3>\n