Etihad Airways Enhances Financial Operations with Databricks Genie Technology
With the implementation of Databricks' Genie technology, Etihad Airways is empowering its finance team to transition from traditional reporting to actionable insights, significantly improving data accessibility and analysis.
Key Facts
- Etihad consolidated 80% of data into a single lakehouse, enhancing AI readiness and efficiency.
- Genie Agents cut analysis time from hours to 2 minutes, revealing significant operational improvements.
- Demand for data products exceeds supply, indicating a competitive edge in data-driven decision-making.
- Governance via Unity Catalog protects sensitive data, reducing vulnerabilities in financial reporting.
- Training 66 users in 6 months shows strategic investment in user empowerment and analytics culture.
Summary
Summary
Etihad Airways aimed to enhance its finance analytics by breaking down data silos and empowering users with AI tools. The challenge was to consolidate disparate data sources and improve reporting capabilities. By implementing the Azure Databricks Data + AI Platform and deploying Genie Agents, the finance team significantly reduced analysis time from hours to just 2 minutes.
Background
Etihad Airways is a major airline based in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to the deployment, the finance team faced challenges with data spread across various tools and duplicated in silos. Reporting relied heavily on legacy business intelligence tools and robotic process automation, which limited the effectiveness of data analysis.
Challenge
The specific problem was the lack of a unified data model and the inefficiency of existing reporting methods. The finance team needed a solution that would allow them to access and analyze data quickly and effectively, moving beyond static dashboards to actionable insights.
Solution
Etihad built its lakehouse on the Azure Databricks Data + AI Platform, consolidating over 80% of company data into reusable data products. The finance team focused on establishing a solid data model, governance, and semantics. They then created AI/BI dashboards and Genie Agents for business users, starting with a dashboard that itemized approximately 10,000 food items from various caterers.
Results
The implementation of the Genie Agent and AI/BI dashboard enabled teams to analyze cost drivers and compare prices across cabin classes and routes in just 2 minutes, a process that previously took hours. Within six months, 66 users were actively utilizing the platform, and demand for data products began to outpace supply.
Key Insights
Organizations can significantly enhance their analytics capabilities by consolidating data into a single platform, enabling faster decision-making. Training users and establishing strong governance are crucial for successful adoption of new tools.
Customer Testimonial
“A Genie Agent and AI/BI Dashboard covering roughly 10,000 food items from hundreds of caterers allows users to ask what’s driving costs and compare prices across cabin classes and routes.” — Etihad Airways Finance Team
Entities Mentioned
Companies
Products
Technologies
Key Concepts
Definitions
- Genie Agents
- Genie Agents are AI-driven tools that allow business users to analyze data and generate insights quickly, reducing the time needed for complex analysis.
- lakehouse
- A lakehouse is a unified data platform that combines the benefits of data lakes and data warehouses, allowing for efficient data management and analytics.
- data governance
- Data governance refers to the management of data availability, usability, integrity, and security within an organization.
- Unity Catalog
- Unity Catalog is a feature in Databricks that provides centralized governance for data and AI assets across various workspaces.
- RPA bots
- Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bots are software tools that automate repetitive tasks, often used to move data between systems.
Use Cases
- →Catering analysis for cost comparison
- →Metadata exploration across the company
- →Fleet contract analysis using RAG application
- →Rapid prototyping of dashboards
- →User training for data product utilization
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of Genie Agents?
Genie Agents are designed to empower business users by providing quick access to data insights, enabling them to perform analyses that previously took hours in just a couple of minutes.
How does Etihad Airways ensure data governance?
Etihad Airways utilizes Unity Catalog to enforce attribute- and role-based access controls, ensuring that sensitive data is protected and only accessible to authorized users.
What challenges did Etihad face before implementing Genie?
Before Genie, Etihad faced significant challenges with data being spread across various tools and silos, which hindered effective reporting and analysis in their finance department.
How has the adoption of Genie Agents impacted analysis time?
The adoption of Genie Agents has drastically reduced analysis time, allowing users to complete complex cost comparisons in just 2 minutes instead of several hours.
What training did Etihad provide for users?
Etihad invested in training for business users to ensure they could effectively utilize the new data products, leading to a significant increase in active users within a short period.