Guy is available for hire
Hire GuyGuy Meredith
Verified Expert in Engineering
Database Developer
Cape Town, South Africa
Toptal member since August 26, 2022
Bio
Guy is a Certified Data Management Professional with 39 years of experience analyzing, designing, and developing various business information solutions in diverse industries. He is particularly interested in all data-related aspects of the systems development lifecycle. Guy seeks opportunities where he can add value to an organization's data and information assets through data modeling and migration, database design, data profiling, in-depth data analysis, and data quality issue identification.
Portfolio
Woolworths South Africa
AWS IoT, ELT, Data Quality, Data Migration, SQL, APEX Code
SuperSonic (MTN)
Microsoft Dynamics 365, XrmToolBox, Microsoft SQL Server, Database Design...
Vodacom South Africa
Teradata, Oracle SQL Developer, Ab Initio, Metadata, Data Analysis...
Experience
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Oracle, Windows, Ab Initio, Microsoft SQL Server
The most amazing...
...data migration project I've architected is of 3.6 million customers, with complex product and contract structures, to a new single-customer-view CRM system.
Work Experience
Data Architect
2023 - PRESENT
Woolworths South Africa
- Led a team of data architects responsible for defining data migration requirements and metadata (including lineage) for source-to-AWS transfer.
- Developed a data quality monitoring database and system in AWS Redshift.
- Developed an Oracle Database and Apex front-end for recording and reviewing metadata.
- Wrote SQL to transfer data from AWS to pipe-delimited files for ingestion into a market demand forecasting system.
Technologies: AWS IoT, ELT, Data Quality, Data Migration, SQL, APEX Code
Data Migration Consultant
2021 - 2022
SuperSonic (MTN)
- Documented a data migration strategy to cater to migrating data from several source systems to a new target system.
- Modeled the data required to support the data migration from source to target.
- Set up the SQL Server staging, migration, and loading database to enable the data migration from source to target, along with tables to hold the source and target metadata, reference data, validation and transformation rules, and batch control data.
- Recorded data quality validation rules that can be generated dynamically in stored procedures and executed selectively for each migration run. The rules are held in tables and dynamically enabled rather than being hardcoded.
- Developed stored procedures and functions to enable the extraction, transformation, and loading of data from source systems into the files set up to import source data into the target system.
Technologies: Microsoft Dynamics 365, XrmToolBox, Microsoft SQL Server, Database Design, Data Analysis, Data Modeling, Data Migration, SQL, System Design, Data Governance, Microsoft Excel, Migration, ETL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Database Migration, Databases, Data Quality Analysis
Data Governance Consultant
2020 - 2022
Vodacom South Africa
- Created a business glossary by evaluating the Vodafone common information model versus the Vodacom enterprise data warehouse model, importing and refining the latter as it was locally defined, proven, and developed with business people.
- Developed a data catalog by importing technical metadata, such as tables, fields, and executables, and linking the metadata to the business terms from the glossary.
- Established workflows and graphs to ensure relevant parties were informed and held accountable for data quality issues in the metadata portal and that issues were also communicated to stakeholders.
- Set up the metadata portal to include information that enabled specific data governance requirements, including accountable party types such as data stewards and data owners and privacy act classifications such as GDPR.
- Wrote custom importers to import lineage metadata from sources that Ab Initio does not support, such as big data YAML config files.
- Configured the Ab Initio semantic discovery process to improve the automated matching of business terms to technical data elements.
- Conducted data modeling sessions to extract clear entity and attribute definitions for various business areas that had not already formed part of the imported data models, then added the model elements to the business glossary.
Technologies: Teradata, Oracle SQL Developer, Ab Initio, Metadata, Data Analysis, Data Modeling, SQL, Data Governance, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Excel, Databases, Data Quality Analysis
Data Modeler
2019 - 2020
The Foschini Group
- Facilitated data modeling sessions with resources allocated for understanding the intended approach to data assessment, the batch control requirements for data quality assessment runs, and the reporting requirements.
- Developed a data model to record data quality runs, rules, and run results.
- Generated test data to prove the model's correctness and enable the testing of reports and rule functionality, and created database views to facilitate easy reporting of data quality rule violations.
Technologies: Data Modeling, SQL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Databases
Data Quality Engineer
2018 - 2019
Vodacom South Africa
- Investigated the perceived data quality errors in the data ingested from various sources and established whether these were manifestations of real data quality issues or simply a lack of understanding of the underlying data structures.
- Developed a set of data governance criteria against which to evaluate the maturity of the big data environment.
- Built a data model to hold big data metadata comprising dataset, ETL process and execution, dataset and execution metrics, data quality rules, exception monitoring, and metadata auditing.
- Assessed the Ab Initio metadata hub and Cloudera Navigator tools regarding their suitability for holding big data metadata.
Technologies: Data Modeling, Data Quality Analysis, Data Analysis, Metadata, SQL, Data Governance, Databases
Data Migration Consultant
2014 - 2018
Vodacom South Africa
- Facilitated workshops with subject matter experts, including business users and systems analysts/developers, to understand existing data structures and content and to identify and define data migration rules.
- Designed and implemented a batch control database that could declare the different migration run objectives, such as live migration and simulation runs, and enable the migration steps for only the appropriate objectives.
- Conducted reconciliations after each migration event and produced presentations explaining every discrepancy encountered between legacy, staging, and target environments, for review and sign-off by business representatives and auditors.
- Analyzed source, staging, and target data to answer queries from testers during each migration event and to prove that data was migrated correctly.
- Examined legacy data and rules to establish which rules could be lifted or relaxed, how to alter the legacy data to increase migratable numbers, and what the implications and risks might be for altering such rules/data.
Technologies: Data Migration, Database Design, Data Analysis, Oracle SQL Developer, Data Modeling, Metadata, SQL, Microsoft Excel, Migration, ETL, Performance Tuning, Database Migration, Databases, Data Quality Analysis
Systems Architect
2010 - 2014
OLRAC SPS
- Analyzed and specified requirements for implementing the Olrac Electronic Logbook Solution, an electronic logging tool for recording and reporting a fishing vessel's fishing activities.
- Obtained national accreditation of the software against defined assessment criteria in the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands.
- Developed the data model and database to receive electronic reports from the Olfish software on board fishing vessels and forward these reports, as required, to various fishing authorities.
- Trained skippers and installation engineers in using the OlracDDL software and produced training material, including videos, for the different software versions.
Technologies: Data Modeling, Database Design, Systems Analysis, Microsoft SQL Server, Data Analysis, Data Migration, SQL, System Design, Migration, ETL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Databases
Consultant
2008 - 2010
Amberjack Systems Engineering
- Built a database and web-based system to record and report on fuel site inspections. This system receives data from mobile devices in XML format, then extracts and transforms it into database tables for analysis and viewing.
- Developed a data model and XML Schema for the electronic data transmission of fishing vessel log data from vessel to shore for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
- Created a database and web-based system that enabled clients to record their customers' invoices and relevant payment terms and send automated regular follow-up emails reminding customers of outstanding payments.
- Designed a data modeling training course and held training sessions for 72 systems development staff.
- Trained BPSA employees in using the business objects tool to extract meaningful business information from the various warehouses/universes available, with a particular focus on asset management data.
Technologies: Data Modeling, System Design, Microsoft SQL Server, Database Design, Data Analysis, SQL, Microsoft Excel, Migration, ETL, Performance Tuning, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Databases, Data Quality Analysis
Consultant
1990 - 2007
ViaData
- Created a policy file requesting system used by 70 departments in a prominent insurance company. This project won the 1991 Divisional and Organizational Quality Awards for its major use.
- Developed the back end of a data profiling and data migration solution to enable data migration between different databases and platforms.
- Designed and developed a data warehouse for an asset performance management system for BP Southern Africa.
- Built data models to support the recording and reporting of activities and catches made at sea by fishing vessels.
- Devised and developed a mechanism that enabled data transfers between an internet-based travel booking system and the accounting system where all transactions were recorded.
Technologies: Data Modeling, User Requirements, System Design, Microsoft SQL Server, Database Design, Data Analysis, Data Migration, SQL, Oracle SQL Developer, Data Governance, Microsoft Excel, Migration, ETL, Performance Tuning, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), Database Migration, Databases, Data Quality Analysis
Experience
Data Governance Program at Vodacom
Developed the business glossary and data catalog, established workflows and graphs for handling data quality issues, and set up the metadata portal to enable specific data governance requirements.
TESTIMONIAL
"I wanted to wish you au revoir and thank you for the incredible contribution that you have made to our Data Governance programme. When we started two years ago, we started from nothing; [...] now [the] lineage is implemented across the systems in scope, we have a functional glossary, data catalogue has almost been implemented[,] and quality is reported across data assets and tables. It has been an amazing project to have worked on[,] and the team deserves all the accolades it has been receiving.
Your contribution to the collective success has been immense. Your calm demeanour, work ethic, data governance knowledge[,] and data modelling experience [have] been invaluable in our data governance journey[,] and if you had not been part of the team[,] I do not believe we would have progressed as well as we have done. I would personally like to thank you for the contribution you have made[,] and I hope that we can work together in [the] future." – Program Manager, Vodacom South Africa
TESTIMONIAL
"I wanted to wish you au revoir and thank you for the incredible contribution that you have made to our Data Governance programme. When we started two years ago, we started from nothing; [...] now [the] lineage is implemented across the systems in scope, we have a functional glossary, data catalogue has almost been implemented[,] and quality is reported across data assets and tables. It has been an amazing project to have worked on[,] and the team deserves all the accolades it has been receiving.
Your contribution to the collective success has been immense. Your calm demeanour, work ethic, data governance knowledge[,] and data modelling experience [have] been invaluable in our data governance journey[,] and if you had not been part of the team[,] I do not believe we would have progressed as well as we have done. I would personally like to thank you for the contribution you have made[,] and I hope that we can work together in [the] future." – Program Manager, Vodacom South Africa
Data Model and XML Schema for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Developed an XML Schema for the ship-to-shore electronic data transmission of fishing vessel log data for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
I analyzed 22 existing paper-based fishing vessel activity logbooks for this project. I then combined diverse metadata from each logbook into a consolidated data model that catered to all fishing log data, regardless of fishing method. Finally, I developed an XML Schema to enable the transfer of data from vessel to shore.
I analyzed 22 existing paper-based fishing vessel activity logbooks for this project. I then combined diverse metadata from each logbook into a consolidated data model that catered to all fishing log data, regardless of fishing method. Finally, I developed an XML Schema to enable the transfer of data from vessel to shore.
Retail Site Inspection Database and Web Front-End
I developed a database and web-based system to record and report on Retail Site inspections and the results of those inspections. This system receives data from mobile devices in XML format, extracts it, and transforms it into database tables for analysis and viewing.
Education
1995 - 1996
Master of Commerce Degree in Information Systems
University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa
1991 - 1992
Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Information Systems with Honors
University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa
Certifications
AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT
Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP - Metadata
DAMA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT
Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) – Data Modeling and Design
DAMA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT
Certified Data Management Professional (CDMP) – Data Management Fundamentals
DAMA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
JULY 2015 - PRESENT
Ab Initio Intermediate Training Course
Ab Initio
NOVEMBER 1994 - PRESENT
Design and Generation Using Case 5.1
KSI Training
OCTOBER 1994 - PRESENT
Oracle SQL Plus and PL/SQL
KSI Training
DECEMBER 1990 - PRESENT
Diploma in Information Systems Project Management
Faculty Training Institute
JULY 1990 - PRESENT
Business Management Diploma
Executive Education
MARCH 1990 - PRESENT
Focus – Database Design and Advanced Techniques
Productivity Software
OCTOBER 1989 - PRESENT
Advanced Systems Design
SPL
MAY 1984 - PRESENT
Advanced Design Methodology
Computer Management Consultants (COMCON)
AUGUST 1983 - PRESENT
Cobol Programming
Computer Users Council (now Information Technology Users Council)
Skills
Tools
Microsoft Excel, Ab Initio, XrmToolBox
Languages
SQL, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), XML, APEX Code
Paradigms
Database Design, ETL
Storage
Database Migration, Databases, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle SQL Developer, Teradata, PostgreSQL
Platforms
Microsoft Dynamics 365, AWS IoT
Industry Expertise
Project Management
Other
Data Modeling, Data Migration, Data Analysis, Metadata, Data Quality Analysis, Migration, User Requirements, Systems Analysis, System Design, Data Governance, Performance Tuning, IT Project Management, Data Management, Information Systems, ELT, Data Quality
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