D3: Do it right, do it fast, do it once

Minimizing Risks and Errors in Bicycle Axle Recommendations

// case study

Summary

Objective
Optimize the integrity and accuracy of data updates to enhance the precision of bicycle axle recommendations
Industry
Retail
Stack
AWS, Lambda, S3, ElasticCache, PHP, WordPress, Python

Context

The Robert Axle Project, a company specializing in high-quality aftermarket bicycle axles, faced a challenge when updating backend data through a custom 3rd party WordPress plugin. The process had no error handling or notifications in place, leading to inaccessible data and difficulty verifying new data uploads. The client sought a reliable solution to minimize errors and streamline the process of updating and validating data.

Strategy

Enfuse provided two staff engineers to modernize the Robert Axle Project’s existing infrastructure. The following steps were taken:

  1. Upgraded AWS Lambda functions with error catching, logging, and integration with AWS CloudWatch for better visibility and monitoring.
  2. Implemented AWS SNS with log levels to notify the Robert Axle Project staff immediately in case of platform issues.
  3. Added custom validation filters to the initial inventory document upload, ensuring data compliance with schema standards before ingestion.
  4. Implemented client management with AWS Lambdas, allowing clients to upload their fitment data through a Lambda function, which then stores the data in an S3 bucket and makes it available on the website.
  5. Provided comprehensive documentation to enable the Robert Axle Project to troubleshoot and resolve issues independently.

Results

The Robert Axle Project experienced several positive outcomes as a result of this project:

  1. The client’s website function for determining new axles is consistently available without errors, improving user experience.
  2. Errors are likely to be encountered before data transformations due to the added validation, minimizing the risk of issues during data ingestion.
  3. Immediate notifications are sent to the appropriate staff when an error occurs, ensuring prompt resolution.
  4. Custom fitments can be uploaded through a custom WordPress plugin with error handling and staff notifications in place.
  5. The client no longer has to worry about interrupted website user experiences or data upload concerns, freeing up staff engineers’ time for further application development.
  6. The client especially appreciated the documentation provided by Enfuse, which empowers them to fix their own problems independently.