West Burton Energy Accelerates SAP Analytics With A Cloud-Based Data Platform
Energy
Enterprise

West Burton Energy Accelerates SAP Analytics With A Cloud-Based Data Platform

Technology used

SAP S/4HANA
Snowflake
Matillion ETL
Power BI

Solution

Designed and delivered a Snowflake-based analytics platform alongside a new SAP S/4HANA implementation. Established operational, financial, compliance, procurement, maintenance and health & safety reporting through a scalable SAP-to-cloud architecture.

Results

Delivered a six-month implementation on budget, providing baseline reporting and compliance capabilities for a newly independent energy business. Created the foundation for future commercial analytics, pricing intelligence and energy trading insights.

The Challenge
The Solution
The Results

The Challenge

Following its transition into an independent organisation, West Burton Energy needed to establish the technology foundations required to operate as a standalone business. At the heart of this transformation was a major SAP S/4HANA implementation designed to support core business operations and finance processes. While SAP S/4HANA would provide transactional capabilities, the organisation also needed a modern analytics environment capable of consolidating information across multiple business functions and delivering trusted operational and compliance reporting.

01
Creating A Reporting Foundation For A New Business: As a newly separated organisation, West Burton Energy required a baseline suite of financial and operational reports to support day-to-day management and governance requirements from day one.
02
Meeting Compliance And Governance Requirements: Risk, control and compliance reporting had to be delivered as part of the wider SAP programme to ensure the organisation could operate effectively from day one.
03
Creating Joined-Up Visibility Across Functions: West Burton Energy required insights spanning finance, procurement, plant maintenance and health & safety, but SAP alone could not provide the integrated analytical view needed across these domains.
Most SAP S/4HANA programmes deliver operational reporting. The real challenge is connecting processes, data and decisions across the business, and bringing in the external market intelligence that drives commercial outcomes. That's where this platform created real value.
Tom Bruce
Tom Bruce
Chief Innovation Officer
United Kingdom

The Solution

Snap Analytics partnered with West Burton Energy to build a modern cloud-based analytics platform that sat alongside its SAP S/4HANA implementation. Drawing on deep SAP expertise, proven accelerators and a structured delivery framework, the team rapidly established a reporting capability despite limited business stakeholder availability and ongoing dependencies on the wider ERP programme.

SAP-To-Cloud Data Platform Foundation
Snap designed and implemented a Snowflake-based analytics platform, creating a centralised reporting environment for operational and financial data generated by SAP S/4HANA.
Cross-Functional Operational Reporting
The solution provided reporting across key business domains including finance, procurement, plant maintenance, work orders, purchase orders and health & safety, delivering the joined-up visibility required by business leaders.
Accelerated SAP Data Modeling
Using predefined SAP data models, metadata accelerators and specialist SAP expertise, Snap rapidly transformed complex SAP structures into analytics-ready datasets. Cost centre and profit centre hierarchies were flattened and enriched to create meaningful reporting structures.
Specialist SAP Discovery And Design
Because internal stakeholders had limited capacity during the SAP implementation, Snap leveraged deep SAP knowledge to identify required source objects, map existing reports and define extraction requirements independently, reducing pressure on the client team.
Structured Agile Delivery
The project followed Snap's SAP-to-Cloud and ETL frameworks, combining structured discovery, design, development, testing and implementation phases with agile ceremonies including daily stand-ups, planning sessions, retrospectives and steering group governance.

The Results

The engagement successfully established West Burton Energy's core analytics capability during a critical period of organisational transformation. The platform delivered the reporting foundation required for governance and operational oversight while enabling future expansion into commercial and trading analytics.

Operational Reporting From Day One
Delivered baseline operational reporting across maintenance, procurement and core business processes to support the launch of a newly independent organisation.
Compliance And Risk Visibility
Implemented reporting capabilities that helped support governance, risk management and compliance requirements across the business.
Joined-Up Business Insights
Connected previously isolated operational processes to provide a more integrated view of organisational performance.
Faster SAP Analytics Delivery
Accelerators, predefined models and specialist SAP expertise reduced complexity and enabled rapid implementation of analytics capabilities.
Successful Delivery Despite Limited Stakeholder Availability
The project progressed effectively even while key client resources remained focused on the wider SAP transformation programme.
Delivered On Budget
The programme was completed within the agreed budget while managing dependencies on the wider SAP implementation timeline.
Foundation For Commercial Analytics Innovation
The platform subsequently enabled broader analytics initiatives, including commercial pricing, forecasting and energy trading intelligence using additional market and operational data sources.

West Burton Energy is a large UK energy generation business operating within the utilities sector. Following a significant corporate transition, West Burton Energy required modern operational systems, governance processes and analytics capabilities to support independent operations. In a highly regulated and data-intensive industry, trusted reporting, compliance visibility and commercially informed decision-making are critical to managing performance, operational risk and market participation.

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