Pawprint is an advocate for environmental responsibility and provides businesses and their employees with the tools to make sustainable choices at work and at home. Their innovative platform helps track carbon footprints and sustainability actions, measure progress, and drive tangible climate action.
Data was supposed to be Pawprint’s strength, but instead, it felt like a tangled mess. Seeing this as more than a tech issue, Pawprint partnered with Revolgy to transform their data dashboard into a viable product.
The struggle for accurate data
Before partnering with Revolgy, Pawprint’s existing data insights tool lacked accuracy and confidence among users, to the point where people were not using the tool and relied on client dashboard data to build their own insights. The dashboard was confusing, and the high cost of AWS Quicksight and Sagemaker made justifying its value difficult.
“Our data felt like a tangled mess holding us back. We couldn’t confidently guide businesses on their sustainability journeys without reliable insights. It was frustrating and slowed down our progress.”
— Gavin Cummings, Principal Backend Engineer at Pawprint
Pawprint’s main challenges:
- Ensuring confidence in data insights
- Enabling the tech team to manage datasets from the existing AWS database
- Integrating with Google Workspace tools for identity provisioning and reporting in Google Sheets
- Lowering the overall cost of data analytics
Preparing to migrate to a scalable and sustainable solution
The migration strategy revolved around creating a scalable solution for accurate data insights on the Google Cloud Platform. The challenge was revamping the existing data analytics infrastructure to ensure a single “source of truth” and integrating Google Workspace tools for improved usability.
“We knew inaccurate data was hindering Pawprint’s impact, so we wanted to give them a platform that wouldn’t hold them back — something flexible, affordable, and user-friendly. Moving them to Google Cloud Platform wasn’t just about the tech, rather, it was about building a foundation for their future success in fighting climate change.”
— Lukáš Richtera, Solution Architect at Revolgy
Revolgy’s solution involved a strategic change of the data platform from AWS RDS and Quicksight to Google BigQuery and Looker Studio. The design included exporting key data tables from Amazon RDS to S3 buckets, and subsequent daily incremental exports to BigQuery. Revolgy employed the WRITE_APPEND option to optimize data transfer, ensuring only changed files were migrated.
However, redesigning Pawprint’s data dashboard wasn’t just about setting up BigQuery and Looker Studio — it was a full transformation.
The initial phase involved setting up a robust infrastructure, including establishing a tailored BigQuery environment and integrating Looker Studio. This laid the foundation for a scalable and efficient data analytics platform.
Subsequently, we carried out a seamless Data Transfer Service setup, orchestrating the replication of crucial data from S3 buckets to BigQuery. Simultaneously, we synchronized Looker Studio, enhancing the accessibility and visualization of data insights.
Enhanced data confidence and reduced costs
With the new design, Pawprint would witness a significant improvement in the accuracy and reliability of its data insights. The new infrastructure streamlined processes, allowing teams to focus on their core functions. The integration with Google Workspace tools, particularly Google Sheets, enhanced usability and accessibility.
Pawprint now boasts accurate, reliable data, eliminating previous inaccuracies and inconsistencies, and their team can efficiently create insightful reports and dashboards. Pawprint would be able to significantly reduce its data analytics expenses by leveraging free-tier GCP resources and cost-effective tools like Looker Studio.
“Revolgy wasn’t just another vendor; they were true partners. They understood our mission and worked tirelessly to find a solution that fit our business needs. Now, our data is rock-solid, and we can tell people exactly how much carbon they’re saving. This empowers users to take real action and makes a tangible difference.”
— Jeanette Bromage, Head of Technology at Pawprint
Pawprint’s journey
Established in 2019, Pawprint is on a mission to fight climate change and reshape the business landscape. Their app equips the users with the tools to embrace low-carbon life at home, work, and beyond while fostering communication for businesses to create impactful climate initiatives. Pawprint thrives on the challenge of driving behavioral change for decarbonization.
Summary
With the adoption of the Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace tools, Pawprint’s data has been significantly improved, going from unreliable to accurate. This transformation empowers Pawprint to better guide businesses and individuals towards sustainable practices, potentially leading to a positive impact on the environment.
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