Sep 2023 - Nov 2023

Integrating SAS Viya in Azure: A Retail Industry Breakthrough

Cloud Architect, DevOps Engineer
2 min read

Company Description

The client, Intersport FR, is a leading sporting goods retailer in France. With a large number of stores and a growing e-commerce presence, the company requires powerful and scalable analytics platforms to make data-driven decisions and optimize business operations.

Project Description

In this project, a modern analytics platform based on SAS Viya was implemented within a Microsoft Azure Cloud environment. The main focus was on enhancing data analytics capabilities through cloud-native solutions. The environment was deployed fully containerized on Kubernetes, with infrastructure and deployments automated using Terraform and Azure DevOps. In addition to architectural planning, special emphasis was placed on integrating third-party tools, ensuring seamless data source connectivity, and implementing secure identity management via Azure Entra ID.

Team Size

The project was delivered by an agile team of experts, consisting of:

  • 1 Cloud Architect: Responsible for designing the scalable and secure Azure cloud architecture.
  • 2 DevOps Engineers: In charge of Kubernetes deployments, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform), and building CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps).
  • 1 Data Engineer / SAS Specialist: Focused on data source connectivity and SAS Viya integration.

Tools & Technologies

Microsoft Azure Kubernetes SAS Viya Terraform Azure DevOps Azure Entra ID Azure Key Vault Azure Monitor

Project Task

The primary tasks included:

  • Azure Cloud Infrastructure: Designing and implementing a scalable and secure cloud architecture.
  • Kubernetes Deployment: Managing the SAS Viya deployment in a containerized environment.
  • Integration Management: Handling the integration of third-party tools and services.
  • Data Source Connectivity: Ensuring seamless data source connection and management.
  • Identity Management: Implementing secure identity management using Azure Entra ID.

Results / Achievements

The project led to the following successful outcomes:

  • Enhanced Analytics: Advanced data analytics capabilities for retail operations powered by SAS Viya.
  • Scalable Infrastructure: A robust cloud architecture supporting growing data needs.
  • Streamlined Operations: Automated workflows (CI/CD, IaC) improving operational efficiency.
  • Security Improvements: Enhanced security and compliance measures through Azure Key Vault and Entra ID.
  • Data-Driven Decisions: Better decision-making enabled by a centralized, highly available analytics platform.