
Khalil Achach
Verified Expert in Engineering
Data Engineer and Developer
Elkton, MD, United States
Toptal member since November 7, 2023
Khalil is a senior data engineer with extensive experience in data extraction, analysis, and reporting. Holding a bachelor of science degree in computer science, he is proficient in a wide range of programming languages and has successfully built numerous applications throughout his career. Over the last 15 years, Khalil has worked at Comcast, honing his expertise in various data engineering technologies such as SQL, SQL/SSIS, Excel VBA, Databricks, Scala, and PySpark.
Portfolio
Experience
- Analysis - 20 years
- SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) - 15 years
- Excel VBA - 15 years
- T-SQL (Transact-SQL) - 15 years
- Microsoft SQL Server - 15 years
- VBScript - 12 years
- Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) - 6 years
- Visual Basic 6 (VB6) - 5 years
Availability
Preferred Environment
Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Excel VBA, Databricks, Scala, PySpark, Visual Basic 6 (VB6), Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET)
The most amazing...
...thing I've done was move dozens of SSIS packages and SQL store procedures to Databricks using Python, Scala, and SQL after two months of learning Databricks.
Work Experience
Excel Automation Specialist (via Toptal)
Howard Energy, Inc.
- Automated the input of pricing information into Excel. Utilized Excel VBA to integrate Excel with Outlook to generate Excel reports and send emails.
- Fetched data from the Outlook body and the attached files and transferred them to Excel using the required format.
- Maintained and updated customer information within the system as required. Collaborated closely with the client to understand and meet their specific automation needs.
SQL Server Developer
BK Resources Inc.
- Completed an unfinished project left by a former developer. The project involved rewriting VB code from scratch, utilizing VB.NET, SQL Server 2016, and stored procedures.
- Finalized programs for automated invoice rebating, generating formatted Excel reports, and added a "due day" variable for report customization.
- Optimized stored procedure parameters for enhanced performance and faster response times.
Senior Data Engineer
Comcast
- Undertook the migration of big data pipelines from on-premises platforms using T-SQL, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), and Apache Hive to cloud-based platforms, especially AWS and Databricks utilizing Scala and SQL.
- Designed ETL solutions for seamless data integration. These solutions were instrumental in cleaning and organizing raw data and preparing it for storage, data analytics, and machine learning (ML).
- Worked closely with customers and acted as a liaison between customers and the senior leadership team (SLT). I also took responsibility for building and maintaining the daily, weekly, and monthly dashboards for SLT analysis.
- Automated the data validation process for generating and distributing reports via email, Slack, or Microsoft Teams. Used diverse tools for the automation process, including SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SQL, Databricks, and Scala.
- Designed, developed, and deployed complex reports using Microsoft Visual Basic Script (VBScript) and Excel Visual Basic Application (VBA).
- Produced specifications documentation for daily, weekly, and monthly reports using Microsoft Visio.
Software Engineer
Bank of America
- Contributed to the organization and implementation of a conversion project involving the migration of all correspondence containing legacy MBNA text to Bank of America.
- Created reporting tools using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and OpenText HostExplorer to give upper management an overview of LVIS Letter Group's workflow.
- Built queries in Microsoft Access and created charts in Microsoft Excel to showcase the annual rollup data to upper management.
- Created and updated customer correspondence to become available across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico using Document Library Services (DLS) software within DDM Edit, Ver.6.4, for Windows by Document Sciences Corporation.
Programmer
Accenture
- Developed an application with Visual Basic 6 using a Microsoft Access database and Microsoft Excel report to track real-time results of mobile automation for 13,000 users.
- Created multiple Microsoft Excel macros and a Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) codebase using forms to expedite managers' access to the results of mobile automation projects.
- Collaborated with customer service to resolve customers' technical issues using the ManageNow ticketing software.
- Helped troubleshoot errors that could arise from software and hardware upgrades in the mobile automation projects.
System Analyst | Programmer
MassMutual
- Supported Andesa's system and production, which involved performing upgrades, conducting analysis, developing programs to meet business requirements, identifying and fixing errors, and implementing unit testing.
- Maintained desktop applications written in Visual Basic V4/5 and Microsoft Access/Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). I also converted some of these applications to ensure compliance with Windows 2000, which involved testing and certification.
- Developed a Microsoft Access application for an insurance company. The application creates a deposit system and allows users to search and print reports based on various criteria such as cash, check, customer, date, and amount.
- Served as a SCO UNIX Open Server 5.0.4 administrator, performing backups and data retrievals, setting up user accounts, and writing and using shell scripts for business-related functions.
Experience
Capacity Dashboard Report
One of my latest projects involved creating a capacity dashboard report to collect approximately 3,000 daily CSV files, each with a size of around 2KB, and extract relevant data from them. The collected data was then combined in a monthly Microsoft Excel file and pushed to the SQL Server for visualization using Tableau. This process led to significant savings in time and human resources, with the time to go from the dashboard to upper management being reduced from over 2 weeks to 2 hours.
COVID-19 Capacity Management
By analyzing and interpreting this data, I provided valuable insights that informed the senior leadership team and contributed to crucial decision-making processes. The daily reports I generated became an essential tool, saving the company valuable time and resources.
Cloud Migration Project
Because of my role in the project, I spearheaded the whole process comprising two steps. The first step involved using an API to collect raw data and then store it in an Amazon S3 bucket or a cloud database. The second step targeted the conversion of the SQL Server store procedure, and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) packages to Databricks using Scala, SQL, and PySpark. This new technology led to significant savings in time and money, with the monthly report that used to take 3 days to be ready then taking only around 4 hours.
Database Migration Specialist at PointClickCare
MY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Database migration: Executed the migration of databases, adhering strictly to PointClickCare's criteria to ensure data integrity and system compatibility.
• Automation: Developed and implemented automated jobs to streamline the migration process, enhancing efficiency and reducing manual intervention.
• Error debugging: Identified and resolved database errors, including primary key and foreign key constraints, to maintain relational database integrity and prevent data anomalies.
• Collaboration: Worked closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of new systems and databases, supporting the company's collaborative approach to technological transformation.
Education
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science
University of Montpellier - Montpelier, France
Associate's Degree in Computer Science
Institute of Seraing - Seraing, Belgium
Skills
Libraries/APIs
PySpark
Tools
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Turbo Pascal, Visual Studio, Power Query, Tableau, Microsoft Access, Excel 2010
Languages
Excel VBA, T-SQL (Transact-SQL), SQL, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), VBScript, Visual Basic 6 (VB6), Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET), Visual Basic, Scala, COBOL, Assembly, Python, Snowflake, ABAP, Pascal, C#
Paradigms
ETL, ETL Implementation & Design
Platforms
Windows, Databricks, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Windows XP, Windows Server 2000, Unix, MacOS
Storage
Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), SQL Stored Procedures, SQL Server 2012, Databases, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Apache Hive, Data Pipelines, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Database Migration, SQL Server 2016
Frameworks
Hadoop, Spark
Other
Microsoft Data Transformation Services (now SSIS), SSIS Custom Components, Excel Expert, Excel Macros, Excel 365, Analysis, Software Development, Computer Skills, Data Engineering, ETL Development, ETL Testing, Data Visualization, Data Analytics, Data Analysis, Performance Tuning, Unix Shell Scripting, Big Data, SAP R/3, Informatica, ETL Tools, APIs, JSON REST APIs, Data Migration
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