Black Friday: Pulling Insights from the dark to enable real time intelligence

Dufrain’s BI specialists collaborated closely with the client’s data department to design and deliver their first ever live performance dashboard,  built to scale beyond a single event. Starting with exploratory analysis within SQL Server, we identified and modelled the most relevant data points, creating a user-friendly and reusable dataset with robust business logic.

We then designed a tailored reporting layer focused on what mattered most to each audience:

• Headline KPIs for senior leadership to track platform success.

• Failure alerts for support teams to act on immediately.

• Performance metrics for engineers to monitor system load in real time.

.

The resulting dashboard provided a live, hour-by-hour view of platform performance and was displayed across the client’s headquarters throughout the Black Friday period

The new reporting solution transformed how the client approached Black Friday. For the first time, they could monitor system resilience live, evidence platform performance despite significant demand growth, and quickly identify and resolve issues as they emerged.

The insights generated on the day were presented to the board, enabling the data team to confidently demonstrate success, responsiveness, and value. Beyond Black Friday, the solution has become a core business intelligence asset — a scalable, audience-focused tool that continues to deliver insight, support data-driven decision-making, and showcase the power of BI across the organisation.