Introduction
Investec is a global banking and wealth management group focused on delivering data-driven insight across its business. As part of a wider strategic move toward Cloud readiness and a consistent enterprise-wide data architecture, the organisation selected WhereScape to streamline data acquisition, accelerate delivery, and lay the groundwork for a global data warehouse modernisation initiative.
Pre-WhereScape Challenges
- Unscalable manual pipelines: Traditional hand-coded data pipelines slowed onboarding, especially with many new systems entering the ecosystem.
- Fragmented documentation: Developers struggled to maintain reliable, up-to-date records of all modelling and transformation work.
- Cloud readiness concerns: Every new asset needed to be portable to Microsoft’s cloud platform, requiring consistent standards and repeatable processes.
- Modelling shift requirements: The move from Dimensional Modelling to Data Vault 2.0 required agility, governance, and confidence in model design.
- Complex data landscape: Structured and unstructured sources needed a standardised ingestion process and the ability to link multiple applications seamlessly.
Why WhereScape?
Investec needed an automation platform that accelerated data acquisition, enforced modelling standards, reduced repetitive work and generated trusted documentation instantly. WhereScape offered a way to design, build, and deploy models rapidly while allowing architects and analysts to stay in full control. The platform aligned well with Investec’s cloud ambitions and its long-term strategy for Data Vault 2.0 adoption.
The Solution
Adopting Automated Data Acquisition
WhereScape RED allowed Investec to automate away repetitive development tasks, eliminating hours of manual scripting and accelerating the consolidation of new systems.
Model Design With Full Transparency
With WhereScape 3D, analysts could visualise, explore, and validate data models before build time, ensuring alignment with business rules and cloud portability standards.
Hands-On Evaluation With Test Drive
A WhereScape ‘Test Drive’ event enabled Investec’s data team to build a fully documented data mart in hours, demonstrating that automation amplified developer productivity without reducing their control.
Proof of Concept Demonstrating Speed
Two senior WhereScape architects delivered four complex use cases across two applications, complete with Data Vaults and full documentation, in just 1.5 days; proving the dramatic reduction in lead time.
“ It took the architects a day and a half to solve all four use cases. They built two Data Vaults on the host application data, linked the two applications together and documented the whole process. This was impressive by any standard. After that it was an easy process to get all the documents signed. ”
– Daniel Seymore, Head of BI, Investec, South Africa
Results
🚀 Accelerated Development Cycles
- Repetitive hand-coding replaced by automated build processes.
- Developers gained time to focus on modelling, optimisation, and value-add tasks.
- New applications now onboarded in one week: 5x faster than before.
🚀 Improved Code Quality and Governance
- Standardised templates ensure consistent structures across the ecosystem.
- Documentation is generated instantly and kept up to date.
- Architectural changes and refactoring now require far less effort.
🚀 Faster Iteration and Testing
- Automation enables rapid experimentation with multiple approaches.
- Refactoring, once time consuming, is now quick and straightforward.
- Multiple test cycles can be run in short timeframes, improving quality.
🚀 Foundation for a Global Cloud Migration
- WhereScape is now central to Investec’s ODP (One Data Platform) initiative.
- Azure Synapse migration supported by Data Vault 2.0 architecture.
- A single framework now underpins modelling across all regions.
Modernising for the Cloud
Investec’s long-term vision involves building a unified, cloud-ready data ecosystem capable of supporting advanced analytics, decision sciences, and eventually artificial intelligence. By adopting WhereScape early in the journey, the organisation established a repeatable, automated foundation that supports consistent delivery across teams and geographies.
Scaling With Confidence
As new systems, applications, and business services are introduced, the data team can apply consistent governance and proven modelling practices. WhereScape’s automated documentation is particularly impactful in highly regulated environments like banking, where transparency and auditability are essential.
A Partnership Approach
Investec credits both Slipstream Data (BI experts) and WhereScape for their collaborative support throughout onboarding; including remote setup during COVID and the development of templates and drivers tailored to Investec’s environment. This partnership has helped the organisation accelerate transformation at a critical time.
“Automation enables us to quickly change the approach if we need to. In the past it took a long time to unwind a development, refactor and move to another approach. With WhereScape it is much simpler and quicker. It really helps to test out multiple iterations in a short time. We now onboard new applications in a week, which is 5x faster than before WhereScape.”
– Daniel Seymore, Head of BI, Investec, South Africa
