Junior Tagne gives us a glimpse behind the scenes of the making of relevanC's DataHub.

5 min read

Briefly introduce yourself and explain your role in building the relevanC DataHub.

My name is Junior Tagne, and I've been a data engineer on the data team for over two years. I've made a significant contribution to the development of the relevanC DataHub.

The relevanC DataHub is a centralised data platform designed to consolidate diverse data from the Casino Group and its subsidiaries. Currently housing over 60 terabytes of data, it serves as a single source of truth for customer, transactional, logistical, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) data. This strategic tool accelerates data-driven innovation within the organisation.

My mission is to ensure that the DataHub's data is standardised, harmonised, and accessible to all teams that rely on it for their projects. Working closely with the product manager and users, I oversee the accuracy of technical specifications, code performance, and the rigour of unit tests in order to guarantee data reliability. The goal of this mission is to make high-quality data accessible to teams, enabling more accurate insights and successful personalised advertising campaigns.

To further enrich the DataHub and create more value for the group's teams, we've identified a need to include data from a wider variety of sources, particularly those related to purchases, store inventory, warehouse inventory, and new promotional instruments (NIP). The objective is to allow the AMC teams, the group's purchasing centre, to fully focus on their core business. I am leading this integration from a technical standpoint in collaboration with the head of data and the product manager, with the support of the data engineering team.

What was the inspiration for the data hub and what business advantage does it bring to the Casino Group?

The DataHub was inspired by the need to consolidate diverse data sources in support of innovation. By bringing together data from various channels, such as the group's brands and partners, the DataHub provides a 360-degree view of the group's business, which helps us better optimise our operations.

The Group, its brands, and relevanC all benefit from the DataHub:

1. Improved decision-making: By providing a single source of truth, the DataHub ensures that all teams have access to reliable and up-to-date information, leading to more informed and efficient decision-making.
   
   
2. Operational efficiency: Centralising data reduces redundancies and streamlines data management processes, allowing teams to focus on their core activities without being burdened by data inconsistencies.
   
   
3. Accelerated innovation: The DataHub enables the development of sophisticated tools, such as personalised recommendation platforms and analyses, which can improve the customer experience and optimise commercial operations.
   
   
4. Strategic insights: Thanks to better data integration, the Casino Group can more accurately identify market trends and customer preferences, allowing for more targeted and successful marketing campaigns.
   
   
5. Data accessibility: Ensuring that data is standardised, harmonised, and easily accessible to all relevant teams improves collaboration and fosters more consistent strategies across the organisation.

The DataHub not only streamlines data management but also stimulates innovation and offers strategic advantages, positioning the Casino Group for sustained growth.

What measures do you take to ensure the security of personal data and comply with GDPR regulations?

To protect the personal data of our customers and fully comply with GDPR, each customer record is associated with a unique anonymised identifier as soon as it enters our system. Our data platform was designed from the outset with this key feature in mind. This allows us to guarantee the confidentiality of the information processed, as no personally identifiable data is used in our algorithms and transaction tables. Additionally, we have implemented rigorous security measures to protect the data.

Access to our data platform is strictly controlled and limited to authorised personnel. We also use the best Google Cloud tools for their reliability and security to protect data from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration. Thanks to this approach combining anonymisation, access control, and high-performance security tools, we are able to process our customers' data responsibly, innovatively, and in full compliance with GDPR.

What innovative approaches has the DataHub developed to maintain efficient data collection and analysis while respecting consumer privacy?

We have implemented a strategy focused on the intelligent use of customer data that is collected ethically and transparently, with the explicit consent of consumers when they join the Group’s loyalty programs. This data, collected in strict compliance with GDPR, is then anonymised before being integrated into our DataHub.
Data privacy is at the heart of our approach, as it is essential to gain and strengthen consumer trust. By protecting personal information, we not only comply with the law but also foster customer loyalty.

Our DataHub addresses these concerns by logically separating personal data from the anonymised data used by our services. Personal data is thus strictly protected, and access is limited, assuring consumers of the brands that their sensitive information is secure. Once anonymized, this data is analyzed by relevanC for various applications: Insights: We provide detailed and personalised analyses of purchasing behaviours, product preferences, and market trends, allowing brands to improve their offer and marketing strategy.

As regards retail media, we implement targeted and effective advertising campaigns based on anonymised data to maximise the impact of marketing actions.

Business Operations Management: We help brands optimise their operations by identifying potential areas for improvement in terms of inventory management, merchandising, or pricing strategy. This approach not only guarantees respect for consumer privacy but also efficiently uses data to generate value for our partners and their customers.
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Can you explain the journey of the DataHub from its initial conception to its successful launch?

The creation of the DataHub happened several key stages:

• Data collection and exploitation from brands: Collecting data from brands and identifying the most suitable formats for optimal exploitation by business teams.
  
  
• Architecture and technical design: We are designing a scalable and resilient architecture with cloud technologies (Google BigQuery, Cloud Composer, Dataproc) to optimise scalability and performance.
  
  
• Technological connections and integration: Establishing connections between products and technological solutions with internal teams and our partners, facilitating integration and collaboration.
  
  
• Continuous innovation and optimization: Constant search for new features, detection of anomalies, exploration of new uses, and proactive adjustments to maintain the level of the DataHub.

What were the main challenges and milestones along the way?

We encountered several challenges. Building a DataHub required regular updates and impeccable data quality. Managing errors in pipelines and catching up on data were major challenges. We also sought to optimise our time by creating more stable and higher-performing solutions, reducing bugs. Another condition was to remain compliant with GDPR, handling data from multiple sources while protecting personal information. Performance and scalability were also critical, requiring judicious technical choices. Finally, cost optimisation on Google Cloud was essential to avoid excessive spending.