Unleashing the Power of SQL for the Northwind Traders Executive Dashboard |SQL, Tableau|

Introduction:

For the Maven Northwind Traders challenge I will be working as a BI Developer to help turn raw data into meaning insights for enhanced business strategy. For this role, I have been tasked with providing a high-level executive dashboard for executives to strategically make informed business decisions. The dashboard will enable executives to visually see the company's performance as it relates to sales trends, product performance, customer sales, and shipping costs.

A different approach will be taken for this project in that all acquired insights from the data will be gathered by running SQL queries.

Methodology:

1. Data Collection: The Northwind Traders data is downloaded from the Maven Analytics website as a CSV file. The file is a multiple table data structure consisting of 2985 records and 28 fields.
2. Data Cleaning/Preparation/Analysis: A major portion this projects involves analyzing the data by running a series of SQL queries using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. Each of the CSV files were transformed into database tables in which information was extracted from the raw data utilizing SQL queries. A total eight queries will be ran. The resulting table will then be converted into an Excel file.
3. Data Visualization: The Excel files created by running the SQL queries will be connected to a Tableau workbook in which each of the Excel files will be used to create a chart. Each of the charts will be modified on separate sheets. The background color of dark blue will be chosen as to represent the dark color of the blue sees. Various charts including line charts, pie charts, maps, and bar graphs will be used to help visualize information provided by the data. A color schema of green/gold will be utilized as to avoid excessive color clutter.
4. **Insights: Sales Trends: **Revenue is highest during the first quarter (January - March), abating during the second and third quarter. Sales pick back up again in the fourth quarter. Product Performance: Over 51k of various products are sold. The product associated with the most sales is Côte de Blaye, which is of the beverage category and has the highest sales revenue of all products at $141k. Coming in at second is Thüringer Rostbratwurst, of the Meat and Poultry category at over $80k in revenue. Not all categories result in high revenue. The top product in the condiments category, vegie-spread results in only $16.7k in revenue. Key Customers: There are 89 purchasing customers spread out over 21 countries. Customers in the following three countries; United States, Germany, and Brazil, with revenue at over $245k coming from customers in the United States and over $230k from customers in Germany. Shipping Costs: United Package is the company with the highest shipping cost at $28.2K and Speedy Express with the lowest at $16.2K.
5. Recommendations: Knowing sales trends and that revenue is highest during the first and fourth quarter, knowing which products generate the most revenue could potentially help add customers helping to bolster revenue during the second and third quarters. Holiday themed campaigns to strengthen sales during peak times of the year could also help to increase revenue during this time of the year. Understanding which products a customer is likely to purchase can also help in customer retention.