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Why Mirion Technologies Trusts Atlas for Data Migration

insightsoftware -
February 1, 2018

insightsoftware is a global provider of reporting, analytics, and performance management solutions, empowering organizations to unlock business data and transform the way finance and data teams operate.

Mirion Technologies is no stranger to reporting. As a top player in the radiation detection and protection field, Mirion Technologies built its business on reporting and monitoring key numbers and levels. This information is vital to keeping individuals safe and ensuring that instruments and equipment are working properly for the safety of those operating them. Mirion Technologies offers services around the world from 13 operating facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia.

For their own data, Mirion Technologies relies on Microsoft Dynamics AX. Using Microsoft Dynamics AX, Mirion is able to organize, analyze, and store their data to keep their business running smoothly. One area of particular importance is the ability to import and export data from other sources to Microsoft Dynamics AX.

Microsoft Dynamics AX’s data import/export framework—or DIXF—as currently designed only handles specific data fields. As Mirion Technologies dug into using DIXF, they discovered that in order to get all the required data in their reports, they had to request customizations from a partner. This seemed like the ideal solution… until they realized how often they needed to add customizations.

That all added up, and sometimes caused some trouble.

“We’d need this item version added to this template, so they’d add it and I’d be able to load the data,” said Sally Hirst, Director of Business Engineering at Mirion Technologies. “But now I have this other field and we need to modify that one to do something. And then we’d find out that fields were dropping off because the partner might not have updated the most recent version of the report.”

If this story sounds all too familiar to you too, there is a better way. Mirion Technologies can attest.

Custom Detailing Costs

DIXF is a terrific, user-friendly tool. But challenges grow when companies need customization to meet their business data specifications. Customizations are available at a cost, but contain their own sets of challenges. If DIXF doesn’t recognize your custom field, you need to programmatically add it in. Since the majority of users will customize their Microsoft Dynamics AX, the likelihood of then needing a customized DIXF is high.

Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Everything is Easier with Excel

What if we told you that you could easily migrate customized data into Microsoft Dynamics AX and the only tool you’d need is Microsoft Excel?

That’s right: Excel.

Atlas for Microsoft Dynamics is a complete reporting and uploading application that allows you to compile and report data all in Excel. Atlas allows easy uploads, using data that you specify in Excel. No need to call IT or other partners to create or modify reports with new fields. If you can put it into a spreadsheet, Atlas can use it.

“Atlas saved me a ton of money on customizations by making it easy to add any fields as we went along,” remarked Hirst. “It made the process of loading data so much easier. It’s great for everything you want to add.”

Plus, Atlas is easy to use. Anyone who can use Excel can use Atlas. It’s that simple. When Mirion Technologies opened a new location in Finland, employees quickly picked up on how report writing worked, easily tweaking reports to match the specific requirements for their international location. When Mirion’s corporate headquarters moved to Microsoft Dynamics AX, they could no longer use the COGNOS report they had set for SSRS. What could have been a time-consuming process to replicate the report through customized DIXF reporting was instead a simple recreation using Atlas and Excel.

If You Build it, They Will Come: Atlas for Data Migration

With Atlas, users have access to the information they need, the way they need it, whenever they need it. Uploading new records is as easy as putting information into an Excel spreadsheet; match custom fields and ensure the right data gets uploaded the right way the first time.

What could Atlas do for your current upload and data migration processes? Boot up Excel and let’s find out!