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Oracle Fusion Applications, Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse (ADW), and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) are powerful technologies used by organizations across all industries to manage business data and gain critical insights for forward-thinking business decisions. However, connecting these applications can be challenging for non-developers. Building a reporting data warehouse and integrating Oracle Fusion Application data with various other sources requires technical skills that may not be available to software users without an extensive technical background. Oracle Fusion Applications Suite Oracle Fusion is a suite of Oracle applications built for comprehensive business tasks such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), customer experience (CX), and human capital management (HCM). Fusion Applications have many different modules catering to various aspects of business functionality. Modules include applications for financials, procurement, governance, risk and compliance (GRC), and supply chain management (SCM). By centralizing all Oracle Fusion Applications data to a data warehouse or database, users gain a comprehensive view across their entire organization, enabling them to make better business-critical decisions. Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse is a market-leading Oracle Database software optimized to deliver unbeatable performance for data warehouse workloads. Built-in adaptive machine learning eliminates manual labor for administrative management. Oracle Analytics Cloud empowers business analysts and consumers with modern, AI-powered, self-service analytics capabilities for data preparation, visualization, enterprise reporting, augmented analysis, and natural language processing/generation. Why Sesame Software is the Preferred Solution for Data Management with Oracle Fusion mixed with other sources to ADW? Sesame Software’s data management platform, Sesame Software, provides data movement for Oracle Fusion Applications and a wide variety of other  data sources , cloud applications, and databases. All data from connected sources can be moved to any data warehouse or analytical database, such as ADW and Autonomous Database (ADB). From there, easily connect OAC or any business intelligence tool for instant analysis of your business data. After setup, Sesame Software replicates all data to the destination of choice. The data transfer is seamless, with fault-tolerant architecture that replicates data with zero data loss. As new data becomes available, Sesame Software updates your data warehouse so your data is always fresh. Ease of Use Oracle Fusion and the other sources of choice can be extracted directly into ADW by configuring credentials for Oracle Fusion Applications, other sources, and the ADW database. There is no data modeling required. Custom fields will automatically be created in the database, and the entirety of the data can be extracted with just one job request. Sesame Software’s powerful solution allows users to leverage ADW as a single source of truth for their data. Vetted by OAC and ADW teams, Sesame Software is touted as the top data ingestion solution within the Oracle Partner Ecosystem. Sesame Software is ADW certified and you can learn more about how to create a connection to Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse using Sesame Software. Call to Action Watch the Oracle-sponsored  demo video  that shows how simple it is to move data from NetSuite to ADW using Sesame Software, and how you can instantly access OAC for advanced analytics. Watch the Oracle-sponsored demo video that shows how simple it is to move data from NetSuite to ADW using Sesame Software, and how you can instantly access OAC for advanced analytics.  Get Started You can request a demo with one of Sesame Software’s data experts or launch directly from the Oracle Cloud Marketplace today!  Original Source: Oracle Cloud Marketplace Blog Author: This blog is co-written with with Paul Hertzfeldt, OCI Strategic Partnership Development & Marketplace

How Data Blending Provides Clarity to Make and Save Money Every business has a myriad of data and data sources, even if just a folder of Excel spreadsheets and a CRM. These platforms and sources, such as your spreadsheets, web analytics, cloud apps, and more, all produce facts and figures that are pieces of your organization’s puzzle. Without seeing more than one piece at a time, it is nearly impossible to put that puzzle together correctly. So, how do business analysts see where to start? They have to have all the pieces at once. What is Data Blending? Data blending is the process of combining data from multiple sources into a single, actionable dataset. With additional information from a secondary data source combined with data from the primary source, you see everything in one view. The process allows organizations to gather insights from various sources and analyze them more deeply. While data work can be technical and tedious, many of these insights are most actionable in the hands of non-technical teams, such as finance and sales, to help build on successes and identify missteps of a business.  According to Forbes, data preparation accounts for 80% of the work of data scientists, and 76% of those view data preparation as the least enjoyable part of their work. Blending of data – a mashup of your sales data spreadsheets, web analytics, cloud apps, etc. – can improve the efficiency of this process, therefore speeding up the time it takes to get data into the hands of those that can best utilize it.  How is it Unique? As the quest to improve a business’ efficiency and increase revenue is not new, neither is the need for connecting and combining data. The process is similar to ETL in many ways, as it takes data from various sources to combine them. Data blending does differ in that it joins data for a specific use case at a specific time, where ETL merges and structures data into something like a data warehouse .  Data blending can also be associated with data integration . Blending data is different due to the requirement of data analysts to merge sources very quickly, too fast for data scientists to intervene effectively. Data blending may also be confused with data joining. While they are similar, data joining only works to combine from a single source, such as two SQL databases. Data blending makes it possible to bring data together from multiple tools. Simply put, blended data is helpful for:  Data analysis at various levels of granularity and detail  Working with different databases (i.e. Oracle, SQL, Excel, etc.) with differing dimensions or metrics Interpreting massive amounts of data  How to Blend Your Data Data can be combined in several ways, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. First, an organization must identify the sources to be used, and ensure the data is a clean, usable dataset.  Next, the data is compiled and loaded into a destination for storage, such as a data warehouse .  Third, data should be cleaned by correcting and deleting incorrect or unnecessary elements, and redesigning the dataset into a better format. As data blending is executed, it is difficult to track the sources of various data elements. In order to ensure the credibility of the information produced. It is important to keep a record of how the data set was blended.  How Blended Data Can Help  The results of data blending provides easy to consume data to an entire organization, including non-technical areas. For example, sales and marketing teams can see data from a CRM and a spreadsheet to gain insights on product profitability.  This clarity directly impacts the bottom line of the business, as efforts can be focused on what buyers’ interests, and what makes the most money. Seeing all the pieces together could provide a comparison of your advertising spend across platforms, and show your organic performance on search engines against your paid results. Knowing these could significantly reduce spending in these areas.  As a whole, data blending provides your organization with:  Rapid analysis Fewer data silos Efficiency  Saved time and resources for technical staff More revenue Conclusion These days, companies are gathering as much data in a week as they might have previously collected in an entire year, but a recent report found companies utilize less than 20% of it. As technology and business changes, so does the way your organization consumes data will evolve as well, especially so non-technical teams can easily access and utilize it.  Without being able to put this data to work, your team is wasting valuable time and resources. Data blending can eliminate data silos, speed up decision making, and provide clarity of focus. Not sure where to start? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

Sesame Software as a Building Block for the Future Data compliance is of utmost importance in today’s digital landscape. It ensures the responsible handling and protection of personal and sensitive information, fostering trust between organizations and customers. Prioritizing data compliance builds a secure digital ecosystem that respects privacy and upholds data integrity. Regulatory Compliance Data management is an essential aspect of modern businesses operating in a data-driven landscape. It involves adhering to rules, standards, and guidelines established by regulatory bodies to ensure the proper handling, protection, and privacy of sensitive data.  Data Management Compliance Data management compliance encompasses various aspects, including data storage, access control, data sharing, and data retention, all aimed at mitigating risks and maintaining the integrity of information.  Location-Based Compliance Furthermore, location-based compliance refers to the specific regulations and requirements associated with the geographic location or jurisdiction in which data is stored or processed. It entails understanding and complying with the unique legal and regulatory frameworks that govern data management practices in different regions, ensuring that businesses operate within the boundaries of local laws and safeguard the privacy rights of individuals. French E-Invoicing Mandates  France is implementing mandatory continuous transaction controls (CTCs) in 2024, which include e-invoicing and e-reporting. This move is part of a global effort to fight fraud, reduce costs, monitor economic activity, and increase efficiency. The new French framework involves a public platform and central directory to handle e-invoices and track their lifecycle. The rollout of these requirements will take place from July 2024 to January 2026. The government hopes that this extended timeline will give businesses enough time to prepare for the reform. However, companies should start preparing now. Key Dates: July 1st, 2024: All companies in France must accept e-invoices through the CTC system from their suppliers. The largest enterprises must issue e-invoices according to the CTC regime. January 1st, 2025: 8,000 mid-sized companies will be required to comply with the e-invoicing and e-reporting obligation. January 1st, 2026: All remaining medium and small companies will come under the mandate. These businesses face challenges in preparing for the mandate, as their current IT and manual processes may not be suitable.  A unified view of data is crucial for any organization, but these mandates mean there is much more to consider when looking at data management systems. Using Sesame Software can be helpful when considering these new mandates for several reasons: Seamless integration with existing systems. Sesame Software can integrate with existing IT systems and processes, making the transition to the new requirements smoother. It can connect with ERP systems, billing software, and other relevant applications, reducing manual effort and errors. Data management and reporting. Here, business intelligence platforms and products should be considered. Sesame Software’s data management capabilities allow businesses to handle large volumes of data. This includes data generated by e-invoicing and e-reporting. It can securely store and organize invoices and related data, ensuring compliance with data retention requirements. Additionally, using Sesame Software can aggregate information for reports required for tax compliance and auditing purposes. Scalability and adaptability. Sesame Software is designed to be scalable, accommodating the needs of businesses of all sizes. As the mandate expands to include different categories of companies over time, our solution can easily adapt without disrupting business operations. Monitoring and analytics. Sesame Software can provide near real-time monitoring and data analytics capabilities, enabling businesses to track the status of their e-invoices. It can generate insights into invoice processing times, payment statuses, and overall compliance metrics. These metrics empower businesses to optimize their processes and identify potential areas for improvement. As mentioned, the upcoming mandates in France are following the global trend that businesses should prepare for. Sesame Software is a valuable tool for businesses navigating the new e-invoicing and e-reporting mandates regardless of location. It offers a way to streamline compliance, integrate with existing systems, and attain insights for improved decision-making and efficiency.  Conclusion These days, companies are gathering as much data in a week as they might have previously collected in an entire year, but a recent report found companies utilize less than 20% of it. As technology and business change, so does the way your organization consumes data will evolve as well, especially so non-technical teams can easily access and utilize it.  Without being able to put this data to work, your team is wasting valuable time and resources. Data blending can eliminate data silos, speed up decision-making, and provide clarity of focus. Not sure where to start? We can help.  Schedule a demo  of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

Microsoft Unleashes AI-Powered Search Microsoft has transformed its Bing search engine and Edge browser by introducing an AI-powered experience featuring ChatGPT capabilities. The aim is to provide users with better search results, more complete answers, a new chat experience, and the ability to generate content. Microsoft acknowledges that out of the 10 billion daily search queries, approximately half remain unanswered as people use search beyond its original intent. Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, highlights the significant impact of AI on search and software, and the launch of Bing and Edge powered by AI copilot and chat to enhance user experiences. AI-Powered Search Microsoft has incorporated AI technology into the new Bing search engine to enhance its capabilities for users. This includes: OpenAI model: Bing now runs on a more powerful next-generation OpenAI large language model, specifically customized for search capabilities. It builds upon the strengths and learnings from ChatGPT and GPT-3.5, offering greater speed, accuracy, and capability. Microsoft Prometheus model: The Prometheus model is a proprietary approach developed to effectively leverage the power of the OpenAI model. This combination aims to deliver more relevant, timely, and targeted search results. AI within the search algorithm: Microsoft has integrated its AI model into the core Bing search ranking engine, resulting in the most significant increase in relevance in two decades. Even basic search queries benefit from improved accuracy and relevance. Enhanced user experience: Microsoft has reimagined the user interaction with search, browser, and chat. Creating a unified experience unlocks new ways of engaging with the web. Microsoft attributes these new search experiences to its commitment to building Azure into a global AI supercomputer, leveraging the same infrastructure as OpenAI to train breakthrough models optimized for Bing. Your Copilot for the Web Microsoft describes the reimagined Bing and Edge browser as the user’s “copilot for the web” due to the unified experience it offers. This experience includes: Improved search: AI-powered search provides more relevant results for sports scores, stock prices, weather, and more. A new sidebar displays comprehensive answers when desired. Complete answers: Bing reviews results from across the web to find and summarize the specific answer users are seeking. New chat experience: Microsoft introduces a chat experience for complex searches, such as planning detailed trip itineraries. The chat function refines users’ searches until they find the desired answer. Content creation: Bing’s new search engine can generate content for users, such as email writing, job interview preparation, quiz creation, and more. Bing provides source citations, linking users to the referenced web content. Enhanced Microsoft Edge experience: Microsoft has updated its Edge browser with AI capabilities and a refreshed appearance. It introduces two new functionalities: chat and compose. The Edge Sidebar summarizes lengthy financial reports, allowing users to ask for comparisons to competing companies’ financials through the chat function. Edge can also assist in composing content, such as LinkedIn posts, by providing prompts. Additionally, it adapts the content’s tone based on the web page the user is viewing. Microsoft and OpenAI Microsoft recently extended its long-term partnership with OpenAI through a substantial investment aimed at accelerating AI breakthroughs. This partnership, which began in 2019, enables the sharing of AI technology with the world. The partnership extension ensures that Microsoft remains the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, deploys OpenAI models to its customer base, and increases investments in OpenAI’s independent AI research. Microsoft’s launch of Teams Premium incorporates OpenAI-powered features, provides customers with advanced meeting solutions, webinars, virtual appointments, meeting intelligence, and more. Google’s response to Microsoft’s ChatGPT activity is the release of its Generative AI chatbot called “Bard,” renowned for its storytelling capabilities. Conclusion In summary, Microsoft’s adoption of AI in Bing and Edge represents a game-changing advancement in search technology. The AI-powered capabilities, such as ChatGPT, provide users with more relevant results, complete answers, and a seamless chat experience. With a continued focus on AI research and collaboration with OpenAI, Microsoft is at the forefront of shaping the future of AI-powered experiences. Not sure where to start? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

Work smarter to find key to future success for your organization. Data is the lifeline of modern businesses, but it’s also a double-edged sword. On one hand, data has the potential to provide valuable insights and drive better decision-making. On the other hand, data is often messy, inconsistent, and unstructured, which makes it difficult to use. This is where data wrangling comes in. Data wrangling, also known as data munging, is the process of cleaning, transforming, and organizing raw data into a structured format that can be easily analyzed and used for business purposes. It’s a crucial step in the data analytics process, as it helps to ensure that data is accurate, consistent, and ready for analysis. The need for data wrangling arises from the fact that data is often collected from multiple sources, such as customer databases, social media, and website analytics, and it’s rarely in a format that can be easily analyzed. Data wrangling helps to standardize and clean this data, making it easier to use and increasing the chances of finding valuable insights. There are several data wrangling techniques that can be used to clean and transform data, such as: Removing duplicates and irrelevant data: This helps to reduce the size of your data set and improve the accuracy of your analysis. Filling in missing values: This helps to ensure that your data is complete and consistent. Handling outliers: Outliers can have a significant impact on your analysis, so it’s important to handle them appropriately. Converting data into a standardized format: This helps to ensure that data from different sources can be easily combined and analyzed. Removing errors and inconsistencies: This helps to improve the accuracy of your analysis and ensure that your results are trustworthy. With Sesame Software as your Swiss Army Knife for all things data management, moving data to one place for your further analysis is our specialty. Our solution helps combine structured and unstructured data retrieved from source systems, with the data warehouse of your choice as the final destination. Using SQL, data cleansing can be done in this process, speeding up your time to insights. Conclusion Data wrangling is an essential step in the data analytics process. It helps to clean, transform, and organize raw data, making it easier to use and increasing the chances of finding valuable insights. By investing in data wrangling, businesses can unlock the full potential of their data and drive better decision-making. Not sure where to start? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

In the dynamic world of data management, migrating your information to a more advanced platform like Snowflake can revolutionize how you handle and analyze your data. However, this transition can be a complex task. This is where Sesame Software steps in, providing a seamless bridge to move your data from SQL to Snowflake. In this blog, we’ll explore how Sesame Software simplifies this process and helps you make the most out of your Snowflake environment. Why Migrate to Snowflake? Transitioning from conventional SQL databases to more sophisticated platforms like Snowflake frequently becomes a strategic necessity due to the array of challenges inherent in SQL. While SQL databases have served as veterans of data management, they can face limitations in handling large volumes of data, scalability, and performance under heavy workloads. Moreover, complex schema management can lead to inefficiencies, especially in diverse database environments.  As businesses increasingly require real-time analytics and seamless integration with cloud ecosystems, a more agile, scalable, and cost-effective solution becomes evident.  Snowflake, with its cloud-based architecture and unique data warehouse capabilities, emerges as an ideal choice, promising to revolutionize how businesses manage and analyze their data. Overall, there are a multitude of benefits that make it an attractive choice for businesses looking to optimize their data management. Scalability and Performance Snowflake’s architecture allows for virtually limitless scalability. It can handle massive volumes of data with ease. Snowflake’s unique multi-cluster architecture ensures consistently high performance, even under heavy workloads. Cost-Efficiency Snowflake’s pay-as-you-go pricing model means you only pay for the storage and computing resources you use. This eliminates the need for large upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure, making it a cost-effective option for businesses of all sizes. Seamless Integration with Cloud Ecosystem Snowflake is designed to work seamlessly with various cloud platforms, including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This compatibility ensures easy integration with other cloud-based services, enabling a comprehensive and cohesive cloud strategy. Challenges in Data Migration While migrating data to a platform like Snowflake offers numerous benefits, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges involved: Complex Data Schemas: Databases often have unique schemas, data types, and structures. Migrating data to a new platform requires careful consideration of these differences to ensure a smooth transition. Data Volume and Velocity: Handling large volumes of data and ensuring minimal downtime during migration can be a significant challenge, especially for businesses with real-time data processing requirements. Data Integrity and Consistency: Maintaining data integrity throughout the migration process is crucial. Any discrepancies or errors in the migrated data can lead to incorrect insights and decisions. Security and Compliance: Ensuring that sensitive data is securely transferred and stored in compliance with industry regulations is a top priority. This includes encryption during transit and at rest, as well as managing access controls. Downtime and Business Continuity: Minimizing downtime during the migration process is essential to ensure uninterrupted business operations. Careful planning and execution are required to avoid disruptions. Enter Sesame Software Sesame Software is a powerful data integration platform designed to streamline the process of moving data between various database systems, including SQL and cloud-based platforms like Snowflake. It acts as a bridge, facilitating seamless communication between different databases, thus ensuring that data flows accurately and securely. Move Data from SQL to Snowflake with Ease Migrating your data from traditional SQL databases to Snowflake is a strategic move toward harnessing the full potential of a cloud-based data warehousing solution. Sesame Software facilitates this shift by automating the conversion process, ensuring that your data smoothly and accurately transitions from SQL to Snowflake. This means you can focus on leveraging the power of Snowflake without getting bogged down in the intricacies of data migration. Sesame Software is the transitional solution you seek for a few key reasons: Automated Schema Conversion : One of the most significant challenges in data migration is dealing with different database schemas. Sesame Software automates the conversion process, ensuring that data is mapped correctly from SQL to Snowflake. Incremental Data Transfer : Sesame Software allows for incremental data transfer, which means only the updated or new records are moved, reducing the time and resources required for the migration. Data Validation and Integrity : Before and after migration, Sesame Software performs data validation checks to ensure that the data integrity is maintained throughout the process. Data Encryption and Security : Sesame Software employs robust encryption protocols to safeguard sensitive information during the migration process, providing peace of mind to businesses dealing with confidential data. Why Migration with Sesame Software to Snowflake Helps Save Time and Money Cost optimization is a critical concern for any organization, and data management is no exception. With Sesame Software, you’re not just migrating data, you’re optimizing your entire data pipeline. By automating schema conversions, minimizing unnecessary data transfers, and implementing incremental loading, Sesame Software ensures that you’re making the most efficient use of your Snowflake resources. This means you’re not only saving time but also valuable financial resources. Embrace the Future of Your Data Management Journey Migrating your data from SQL to Snowflake is a pivotal step towards a more robust and scalable data management solution. With Sesame Software, you’re not just making the move, you’re optimizing, streamlining, and saving. Your data is the lifeblood of your organization, and it deserves to be managed with the best tools available. Embrace the future of data management with Snowflake and Sesame Software, and take your data handling capabilities to new heights. Not sure where to start? Ready to unlock the full potential of Snowflake? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

In today’s dynamic business landscape, where operations are intricately linked to the digital realm, the thought of losing your company’s data can be extremely nerve-wracking. Reliance on digital information has soared to unprecedented heights, bringing about both convenience and accountability. Yet, within this intricate business-technology relationship, uncertainties and significant disruptions are inevitable.  Organizations are faced with a pivotal decision-making process, seeking the most effective route to safeguard their crucial data. Businesses essentially have three distinct options to navigate this. The first involves the ambitious choice to construct an in-house recovery plan or tool, tailor-made to their specific needs and infrastructure. On the flip side, there’s the option to leverage the expertise of third-party providers, entrusting the responsibility of data protection to seasoned, out of organization, professionals. Lastly, businesses can opt for a more integrated approach by relying on the inherent protection features in the programs and platforms they already use. Each avenue comes with its unique set of pros and cons, presenting businesses with a spectrum of choices as they embark on the journey of ensuring robust business recovery. Crafting In-House Resilience Creating an in-house recovery tool or plan is a challenging undertaking that requires extensive time and resources. While it offers unparalleled customization, the process involves meticulous planning, design, testing, and implementation. Developing such a tool demands a high level of expertise and a commitment to staying updated with technological advancements. Even after design and deployment, continuous monitoring and updates are crucial to ensure the tool remains relevant and effective in the evolving landscape of data recovery and business resilience. If seeking external business recovery providers feels overwhelming, building an internal tool from scratch presents its own set of complexities. Opting for a Safer Path: Business Recovery Tools Countless online resources offer guidance on recovering lost business data. However, utilizing business recovery tools is unquestionably a much safer alternative than a do-it-yourself endeavor for physical data recovery. It’s akin to having a superhero for your business data, swooping in to salvage crucial information with just a few clicks. Nevertheless, similar to any hero, business recovery tools come with their own set of risks. Understanding the Potential Pitfalls. While the digital sphere boasts various dependable business recovery programs, it is prudent to approach them with caution. Here’s why: Overconfidence is a Pitfall. Merely possessing a cutting-edge business recovery tool doesn’t automatically make you an expert. It’s easy to get carried away and unintentionally overwrite the very data you’re trying to recover. Proceed with caution and invest time in understanding the tool’s functionalities. Compatibility Challenges. Not all business recovery tools are created equal, and compatibility issues may arise. Ensure that the tool is suitable for your specific business storage device and file system to avoid further complications. Concealed Costs and In-Platform Purchases. Some business recovery tools may initially appear free, but be wary of hidden costs and in-app purchases. Scrutinize the fine print and comprehend the tool’s limitations before committing to the recovery process. Security Concerns. The act of recovering business data involves delving into the depths of your digital business life. Ensure that the chosen business recovery tool prioritizes security, safeguarding sensitive business information from prying eyes or potential breaches. Helpful Advice for Navigating Business Recovery So, should you trust business recovery tools? Absolutely, but with a sprinkle of caution. Start by considering the following when starting to navigate search for a business recovery tool: Conduct Thorough Research. Before entrusting your business data to any tool, delve into reviews, forums, and user experiences. A quick online search can offer valuable insights into the effectiveness and reliability of different business recovery programs. Backup Before Implementation. Prior to initiating a business recovery mission, consider creating a backup of your current business data. This precautionary step ensures that even if things don’t go as planned, you have a safety net to fall back on. Stay Within Your Business Comfort Zone. Resist the urge to play the digital hero if you’re uncertain about the tool’s functionalities. Stick to the basics, follow the instructions diligently, and avoid making hasty decisions that could exacerbate the situation. Perhaps one of the safest strategies in one’s search is to opt for a streamlined approach with a third-party solution like Sesame Software for Salesforce. Unlike the complexities of in-house development or potential hidden costs from existing platforms, Sesame Software ensures a hassle-free experience in backing up and recovering all Salesforce data, from contacts and leads to opportunities and custom objects. Offering swift point-in-time recovery at various data levels, it stands as a proven solution to safeguard critical business data. Quick deployment, coupled with transparent pricing without hidden costs based on data loss, makes Sesame Software a reliable choice for securing your business information. Trusting business recovery tools is a rational and often successful solution to the challenges of lost business data. However, it’s crucial to exercise caution. As you navigate the digital business landscape armed with your chosen recovery tools, tread carefully, and remember that a little prudence can go a long way in safeguarding your business’s digital assets. Happy recovering! Still Trying To Figure Out Where To Start? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

What is Salesforce Backup and Restore? Salesforce Backup and Restore, earlier known as Data Recovery Service, is a paid service to help customers recover their lost data and can be useful for customers who don’t have an alternative backup strategy. This service enables customers to create backup copies of Salesforce data natively, set retention policies for those copies, restore the data back into Salesforce organizations, and audit who is using these functions. Salesforce Backup and Restore encrypts all your backup data. This is done while it’s both stored (at rest), and while it’s being transferred (in transit). Salesforce Backup and Restore simplifies data protection for Salesforce administrators by automatically generating daily backups of your Salesforce data. These backups are stored in the same region as your primary data for accessibility. How Does Salesforce Backup Data? Salesforce keeps a backup copy of your data to support its disaster recovery plan (i.e., in case of failure on their part). However, Salesforce explicitly recommends using a third-party solution in the event of data loss.  Salesforce also provides a few native backup options to restore your data at no additional cost. These options include: Data Export Service . With this service, you can perform manual or scheduled .CSV exports of your data weekly or monthly using the Salesforce UI. Data Loader. This application allows you to perform mass data operations, like import, export, or delete, in Salesforce. While this gives you greater control over the data you are importing/exporting, the process is manual and can be time-consuming. Report Export . This method is one of the simplest ways to export your Salesforce data via the reports interface manually. Recycle Bin. You can retrieve accidentally deleted data from the recycle bin for only 15 days. Then, your data is automatically purged and deleted from their system. What are the Limitations of Using Salesforce Backup and Recovery Solution? Complete data recovery is not guaranteed The recovery process can take up to six to eight weeks to complete after you raise the support request The recovered files don’t include metadata Data deleted more than three months ago is not recoverable unless a third-party backup solution is used The recovered data is sent to you in CSV files, which requires manual re-upload (after resolving import errors) into Salesforce The service costs $10,000 per recovery Is Salesforce Backup and Restore Enterprise Ready?  At its debut, it is fine for organizations that aren’t heavily reliant on Salesforce. However, this just isn’t enough for the scale and demands of enterprises. Salesforce Backup and Restore has limitations that make it unsuitable for enterprise customers. For one, it stores the backup copies in a separate data center from the primary system. Unfortunately, they are regionally co-located, so an outage in that region will disable both the backup and the primary system. Most importantly, the backups are only taken daily. Most enterprises want backups of mission-critical data to be no older than 15 minutes. Essentially, it’s baseline recovery. Sure, it’s a start. But if you use Salesforce as a mission-critical application, this won’t cut it as a complete disaster recovery service. No Substitute for Dedicated Protection Even with the recent reinstatement, Salesforce still recommends third-party solutions for complete data protection. For Salesforce customers, dedicated solutions pick up where native tools leave off. These offer robust backup, long-term retention, and granular restoration capabilities to safeguard Cloud data from deletion, corruption, and attack. Here’s how dedicated protection stands apart: Performance . Dedicated solutions offer purpose-built protection. Dedicated solutions automate backups, keep data in isolated and unchangeable locations, and enable instant data recovery – optimizing business continuity for your organization. While Salesforce Backup and Restore provides basic controls for data recovery, it is costly and takes a long time to complete. Salesforce’s data export options are manual and labor-intensive. Control . Today’s admins and IT professionals require control and autonomy. While Salesforce offers a feature-rich and highly available platform, it does not deliver the thorough capabilities admins demand. Dedicated solutions extend beyond native capabilities to help users protect, preserve, and rapidly recover data with ease. Admins benefit from self-service options. These include immutable backup copies separate from source data, sandbox seeding for accelerated development and testing, rapid data recovery controls, granular restores, and more. Ease of Use . Administrators, architects, and developers solicit tools that make their life easier. Whether granularly restoring records, populating sandbox environments, or protecting multiple production orgs, they need data protection that doesn’t feel cumbersome. With dedicated solutions, today’s businesses get the confidence to know their data is always secure, available, and recoverable – without hassle. Coverage . Data protection doesn’t just end with Salesforce. Businesses need complete coverage across endpoints, SaaS apps, on-prem, and cloud environments. Industry-leading backup and recovery solutions can secure the entire organization for complete end-to-end protection through a single pane of glass. Why Choose Sesame Software Sesame Software’s solution provides comprehensive backup and recovery that minimizes data loss, supports regulatory compliance, and builds business resiliency. Sesame Software’s key benefits include: Simple implementation . With Sesame Software, it takes only minutes from log in to the start your first backup. Although we have an excellent support team available to help whenever needed, most customers can expect to be self-sufficient.  Independent application . Sesame Software stores your backups completely outside of Salesforce, guaranteeing data access even during a Salesforce outage. Automated backups . Sesame Software automates the entire backup process, eliminating the burden of manual backups for you. Once customers configure the solution to backup an environment, Sesame Software takes care of the rest. Backup retention . Sesame Software backs up data throughout the day and is always available for fast point-in-time, granular restoration – whether it’s one record, a complex hierarchy of data, or the whole org. Sesame Software performs an incremental backup of Salesforce data throughout the day – not just once a day. This keeps every record’s version at the time of synchronization. Sesame Software stores data in a secure relational database, not flat files. In Conclusion Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, Sesame Software helps customers attain Recovery Time Objectives. By backing up Salesforce data and attachments daily, Sesame Software minimizes the amount of data your organization will lose, as well as the time it will take to recover. Protecting Salesforce data and applications may seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Sesame Software is here to help! Take the first step towards complete data protection and start your free trial today!

For technical NetSuite users, ensuring optimal performance is an ongoing battle. Data management bottlenecks can quickly become a drag on efficiency, hindering reporting, scalability, and overall user experience. This blog post dives into how Sesame Software’s data can empower you to overcome these challenges and unlock the full potential of your NetSuite investment. Common NetSuite Performance Pain Points NetSuite offers a powerful platform for managing various aspects of your business. However, as your data volume grows and reporting needs become more complex, you may encounter several roadblocks: Slow Reporting & Data Silos: NetSuite data can become fragmented across modules and integrations, leading to cumbersome report generation and limited visibility into key metrics. Scalability Challenges: The native reporting capabilities of NetSuite can struggle with ever-increasing data volumes, impacting overall system performance. Cloud vs. On-Premise Considerations: Choosing between managing an on-premise data warehouse or leveraging the cloud can significantly impact performance and resource allocation for your technical team. Time & Effort Drain: Manual data extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) processes can consume valuable time, taking away from core data analysis tasks. How Sesame Software Optimizes NetSuite Performance Sesame Software integrates seamlessly with NetSuite, providing a comprehensive approach to optimizing performance. Here’s how: Data Warehousing Integration: Establishes a dedicated data warehouse to house your NetSuite data. This offloads reporting tasks from NetSuite, ensuring faster report generation and improved system performance. Scalability & Flexibility: The platform is built to scale with your data volume. You can handle massive datasets without sacrificing query speeds or reporting efficiency. Cloud-Agnostic Approach: Whether you leverage an on-premise or cloud-based data warehouse, our solution adapts to your existing infrastructure. This empowers you to choose the deployment option that best aligns with your technical strategy. Automated Data Management: Automates the entire data replication process, eliminating manual data manipulation and minimizing the risk of human error. This frees up your technical team to focus on higher-value activities. Measurable Benefits for NetSuite Users While specific performance metrics may vary depending on your unique setup, Sesame Software’s solutions offer several potential benefits: Significantly Faster Reporting: By offloading reporting to a dedicated data warehouse, users can expect a dramatic reduction in report generation times. Improved Data Accuracy & Consistency: Automation minimizes the risk of errors during data extraction and transformation, ensuring consistent, reliable data across your organization. Enhanced Scalability: Sesame Software empowers you to handle growing data volumes without sacrificing performance or introducing bottlenecks within NetSuite. Increased Team Efficiency: By automating data management tasks, technical teams are freed up to dedicate more time to strategic analysis and development projects. Real-World Example: Enhanced Workflow & Reporting at Esquire Sesame Software’s success stories showcase the tangible benefits for technical users. For instance, the Esquire case study demonstrates how Sesame Software facilitated efficient nationwide reporting by integrating CRM and ERP data, streamlining workflows for the company. Conclusion NetSuite offers a powerful business management platform, but data management challenges can hinder its full potential. Sesame Software provides a comprehensive approach to optimizing NetSuite data replication, offering scalability, automation, and a cloud-agnostic approach. By integrating seamlessly with NetSuite, Sesame Software empowers technical users to overcome common performance bottlenecks and unlock the true value of their data. Still Trying To Figure Out Where To Start? We can help. Schedule a demo of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

The explosion of data in today’s cloud-driven world presents both opportunities and challenges. Businesses need robust solutions to store, process, and analyze this data to gain valuable insights. Here at Sesame Software, we understand the importance of choosing the right data platform for your specific needs. This blog dives into three prominent data storage options: data warehouses, data lakes, and the emerging data lakehouse. We’ll explore their functionalities, strengths, and weaknesses to help you make an informed decision. The Structured Haven: Data Warehouses A data warehouse is a centralized repository designed for structured business data. Think of it as a well-organized library, where information from various sources is meticulously categorized and formatted according to a predefined schema. This structured approach allows for efficient querying and analysis, making data warehouses ideal for: Business Analysts and Non-Technical Users: Data warehouses cater to users who need readily available, high-quality data for tasks like generating reports, building dashboards, and creating visualizations. Fast Queries and Optimized Performance: The structured nature of data warehouses enables lightning-fast queries and smooth processing, ensuring quick access to valuable insights. Structured Data However, data warehouses have limitations: Costly for Unstructured Data: Maintaining a data warehouse for vast amounts of raw or unstructured data can be expensive. Limited Processing Power: Data warehouses might not be the best fit for complex data processing tasks like machine learning and advanced analytics. Popular cloud data warehouse solutions include Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, and Snowflake. The Unstructured Reservoir: Data Lakes Data lakes offer a more flexible alternative to data warehouses. They function as a central storage repository for data in its native format – structured, semi-structured, or raw/unstructured. Unlike data warehouses, data lakes employ a “schema-on-read” approach, meaning the structure of the data is determined when it’s accessed, not beforehand. This flexibility allows data lakes to handle: Unstructured Data Massive Volumes of Data: Data lakes excel at storing vast amounts of data, regardless of its structure, making them ideal for organizations generating massive datasets. Machine Learning and Advanced Analytics: Data scientists leverage data lakes to process raw data for tasks like machine learning, user profiling, and predictive analytics. However, data lakes come with their own challenges: Data Quality Issues: The lack of a predefined schema can lead to data quality concerns, requiring additional cleaning and management efforts. Query Performance Challenges: Querying unstructured data in a data lake can be complex and time-consuming compared to a structured data warehouse. Popular data lake storage solutions include Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Microsoft Azure Data Lake Storage. The Hybrid Hero: Data Lakehouses Data lakehouses represent a cutting-edge approach that merges the strengths of data warehouses and data lakes. They offer: Structured and Unstructured Data Storage: Like data lakes, data lakehouses can store a variety of data formats. Improved Query Performance: Data lakehouses leverage indexing and data compaction techniques to improve query performance over traditional data lakes. Schema Support and Data Governance: Data lakehouses offer optional schema definitions and support for ACID transactions, facilitating data governance and regulatory compliance. Reduced Data Duplication: Data lakehouses eliminate the need to store processed data in separate systems, minimizing storage costs. However, data lakehouses are a relatively new technology, and their implementation might require specialized expertise. Choosing the Right Platform: Sesame Software Can Help The ideal data storage solution depends on your specific needs. Sesame Software empowers you to navigate this complex decision-making process. We offer a range of data management solutions that seamlessly connect with data warehouses, data lakes, and data lakehouses. Still Trying To Figure Out Where To Start? We can help.  Schedule a demo  of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

In today’s data-driven world, seamless data movement is crucial for businesses of all sizes. Data replication, the process of copying data from one system to another, unlocks valuable insights and facilitates streamlined workflows. But before embarking on a data replication project, it’s essential to ask the right questions to ensure a successful outcome. At Sesame Software, we understand the complexities of data replication and are dedicated to providing a user-friendly and comprehensive solution. Here are the top five key questions to ask before diving into your data replication project, along with how Sesame Software can help navigate them: 1. What’s the Data Journey? You need to identify the source and destination of the data replication. Are you moving data between cloud applications, on-premise databases, or a combination of both? Sesame Software supports a wide range of data sources and destinations, ensuring a smooth data flow regardless of its origin or target. 2. What Gets Replicated, and How Often? Pinpointing the specific data points you need to replicate and the desired frequency is crucial. Sesame Software allows you to define granular replication rules, ensuring only the relevant data is transferred at your preferred intervals, minimizing unnecessary data movement and optimizing resource usage. 3. Defining Success: It’s Not Just About Speed What defines a successful data replication project? Is it data accuracy, timeliness, or completeness? Sesame Software offers robust data validation and error handling capabilities. Additionally, scheduling options allow you to prioritize data updates based on your business needs. 4. Security & Compliance: A Top Priority Data security is paramount. Sesame Software prioritizes data protection throughout the replication process. We offer industry-standard encryption methods and access controls to ensure your data remains secure. Additionally, our platform can be configured to comply with specific data privacy regulations relevant to your industry. 5. When Things Go Wrong: Have a Backup Plan (for your source data) Even the best-laid plans can encounter hiccups. What happens if the data replication process encounters errors or disruptions? While Sesame Software focuses on ensuring a smooth and successful replication process, it’s always a good practice to have a general backup plan in place for your source data. Sesame Software offers data backup while also integrating seamlessly with various backup solutions, ensuring your source data remains protected according to your existing disaster recovery protocols. Budget and Timeline Considerations Discussing budget and timeline expectations upfront is crucial for any project. Sesame Software offers a transparent and scalable pricing structure, ensuring your solution aligns with your resources. Additionally, our user-friendly interface and pre-built connectors streamline the setup process, minimizing project timelines. Bonus: And for Salesforce users, we’ve got you covered! In addition to seamless replication, Sesame Software offers a robust data recovery solution specifically for Salesforce data. This added layer of protection ensures peace of mind, knowing you can recover your valuable Salesforce data in case of accidental deletion or unforeseen circumstances. Ready to Simplify Your Data Replication? By addressing these key questions and partnering with Sesame Software, you can embark on a data replication journey with confidence. Our comprehensive solution empowers businesses to overcome complexities and unlock the full potential of their data. Still Trying To Figure Out Where To Start? We can help.  Schedule a demo  of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.

Salesforce empowers businesses with a robust data management system, but replicating formula fields during replication projects can be a pitfall. Here at Sesame Software, we advocate for a smarter approach that optimizes performance and simplifies your data journey. Why Replicating Formula Fields is a Double-Edged Sword Formula fields are dynamic calculations based on existing data within Salesforce. While convenient, replicating them introduces unnecessary complexity and potential issues. Performance Drain: Every formula field update triggers a recalculation, potentially slowing down your Salesforce instance, especially with large datasets. Maintenance Woes: If the underlying formula logic changes, you’ll need to update all replicated instances, increasing the risk of inconsistencies and errors. Data Discrepancies: Replicated fields might not update simultaneously with the original formula, leading to temporary discrepancies and inaccurate data. Limited Functionality: Replicated fields cannot be restored or used for automation tools like workflows and validation rules, reducing their overall usefulness. The Smarter Solution: Leverage the Original Formula Instead of replicating formula fields, consider these alternatives: Reference the Original Formula: When replicating data, simply reference the original formula field in your target location (reports, dashboards, etc.). Sesame Software’s robust data mapping capabilities make this process seamless. Create a Custom Field (if necessary): If you require a persistent value based on the formula, create a custom field in Salesforce populated by a workflow rule or Apex trigger upon record creation or update. This allows you to specifically exclude those fields from replication, speeding up your replication process. Sesame Software Streamlines Your Data Replication Journey Sesame Software empowers you to manage your Salesforce data efficiently. Our platform offers: Seamless Data Mapping: Easily reference existing and newly created Salesforce fields in your replication tasks. Granular Control: Define and schedule data replication based on your specific needs, minimizing unnecessary data movement. Data Validation and Error Handling: Ensure data integrity throughout the replication process with robust validation and error handling features. Focus on What Matters: By avoiding unnecessary formula field replication, you can focus on optimizing performance, minimizing maintenance overhead, and ensuring data accuracy within Salesforce. Still Trying To Figure Out Where To Start? We can help.  Schedule a demo  of Sesame Software today to discuss how we can help create a unified view of your data by bringing it all to one place with instant connections to on-premise or cloud enterprise applications or databases.