Approach
Every system feeds one store. Every report reads from it.
No dashboard or alert reads a source system directly. Data moves into one central store first, so every number has one definition and one audit trail.
Reference architecture
From scattered systems to one Pulse
Common options shown in each layer. We pick the integration platform and data store that fit your size, stack and budget: Make and PostgreSQL by default, Power Automate and Azure SQL or Fabric for Microsoft shops, BigQuery or Snowflake for high volume. Systems without a ready-made app, such as Oracle Siebel, connect through their APIs.
The method
What happens in each step
Assess
Stakeholder interviews, a system inventory with API access and owners, 90 days of sample data, and a 1–5 maturity score in six areas.
Map
A lead-to-cash flow showing each step, the system of record and every handoff, plus a metrics catalog with one definition per KPI.
Integrate
Make scenarios with retries, idempotent upserts and a run log, loading 12–24 months of history into the data store.
Report
The Pulse and role dashboards, released only after monthly totals reconcile to each source within 1%.
Control
Audit rules tested by forcing each condition once, routed to named owners, with escalation and a monthly exception report.
Enable
Process documents, job descriptions and job aids tied to the flow, the KPIs and the alerts each role receives.
Audit controls
Starter controls, tuned to your thresholds
| ID | When this happens | Who hears | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYS-01 | A finance or order sync fails after 3 retries | Systems Creation, then your sponsor | Critical |
| SYS-02 | A source has not refreshed in 26 hours | Systems Creation | Critical |
| FIN-01 | An invoice passes 60 days, or one over $25K passes 30 | Controller, then CFO | Warning |
| FIN-03 | A deal is won but not invoiced within 5 days | Controller | Warning |
| FIN-02 | A payment is over 2× the vendor’s 12-month average | Owner | Critical |
| SAL-02 | A discount exceeds approval limits | VP Sales | Critical |
| OPS-01 | A job’s cost passes 90% of estimate before completion | Operations manager | Warning |
| SVC-01 | A ticket is 2 hours from its SLA with no response | Service manager | Warning |
The data store
Managed PostgreSQL, in your account
It handles the cross-system joins a Pulse needs, every dashboard tool connects to it, and it costs little at this scale. We host it where you already work: Azure for Microsoft 365 and Power BI shops, Supabase or Neon for most others, and BigQuery for marketing-heavy or high-volume companies.
Rules we hold on every build
- No number goes on a dashboard until it reconciles to its source
- Every automation has error handling, a run log and an owner
- Credentials stay in your accounts; we use service accounts with MFA
- You own the data store, the automations and the dashboards