Case StudyUnpicking legacy logic complexity for Frazer-Nash
Rapid growth at Frazer-Nash Consultancy exposed unreliable data. Outdated legacy code and the complex web of structures made it hard to find a single source of truth. By carefully unpicking the legacy logic we enabled their analysts to harness new, cloud-based tools more effectively, delivering clean, reliable data that would guide the organisation’s future.
About our client
Frazer-Nash Consultancy has a strong heritage in engineering dating back to the 1920s, originally known for designing specialist racing cars. Over the years, they have expanded their work into complex engineering solutions.
Today, Frazer-Nash helps their clients develop systems engineering and technology to make lives safe, secure, sustainable and affordable. In 20 years, the team has grown from about 200 to over 1,500 people, now serving energy, defence and transport.
Clouded vision
Since implementing a cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in 2020, the team at Frazer-Nash rapidly adopted several different cloud-based technologies. Much of the architecture was implemented on the fly, and layers of legacy code built up over time. Critical data was trapped in outdated systems that were difficult to maintain or scale.
Managing legacy logic is tricky. Outdated or siloed systems often hold essential data for daily operations, audits and decisions, so replacing them feels risky. Contracts, like being tied to a specific platform, can make rebuilding or migrating seem impossible.
But access to reliable data for rich, meaningful reports is essential. Especially for a company like Frazer-Nash. Without this capability, they had to rely on manual data extraction to understand performance. This can be a time-consuming, often inaccurate, unsustainable nightmare.
Changes in personnel and priorities also presented challenges. Since all the data structures were being built and managed internally, it became more difficult for the team to manage when a key individual was asked to shift their focus from data architecture to reporting dashboards.
“Things were breaking and not working. We didn’t make the progress that we wanted to make. We didn’t have the resources available, we could only do so much. We were struggling.”
Jason Batten – Business Solutions Lead
Tied in data-knots
It became clear that Frazer-Nash had to reset their fundamentals. The data analyst team needed to build on solid foundations.
As Data Analyst Adam Horne says, “As soon as you bring in big data sets, running millions and millions and millions of rows of data, which we eventually did, it just wasn’t optimised for this. It kept crashing.” A full reset was called for. This involved:
• An impartial health check of the current data architecture
• Planning and guidance based on industry best practices
• Implementation of a new Microsoft-based architecture
• Training internal analysts to manage and extend the system independently
Using our Dataworks Methodology, we unpicked Frazer-Nash’s legacy code and restructured it within the Microsoft stack. The Assured Way provided a secure and scalable environment to uncover, migrate and safeguard their data. It meant we could make progress quickly, without compromising stability.
The rebuild that made reporting easy
Messy data is our bread and butter. Once we understood what mattered most, we got to work.
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One truth for all. We fixed every report to the same trusted data set.
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Modern home for the numbers. Data now lives in Microsoft Data Lake and Azure Synapse.
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Old reports, new feed. We re‑connected their existing reports so nothing went dark.
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Proved it first. Pilot reports passed the test, then went live.
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Solid base. A dedicated SQL Server and a serverless SQL pool keep Power BI steady.
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Results on show. Two live dashboards let the team see the difference right away.
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Friendly views. A semantic model turns raw tables into plain‑language slices.
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Updates on autopilot. Azure Data Factory refreshes the data without manual effort.
From data crisis to data confidence
“A lot of confidence was being lost in our systems and our service, which isn’t obviously a comfortable place to be. We were being challenged on the availability and accuracy of our data. With Assured’s support, we’ve flipped that on its head. Confidence and capabilities have grown thanks to the new systems we have in place.”
“ADF was a huge one for us because we never pipelined correctly into the system. Being able to do that ourselves is a massive win… It becomes an infinite figure eight- constantly completing incremental refreshes, building, adding value, iterating, and then feeding back to enhance reporting. It brings the business more insights”
Frazer-Nash remain at the forefront of innovative, cutting-edge technologies and get new levels of flexibility in managing their data.
Raw data is far more accessible than before. There’s a robust environment where data can be manipulated and business logic can be applied. They now have the confidence and expertise to achieve their data and reporting goals.
- Data that bends, not breaks. Raw tables sit in a sturdy lakehouse, so analysts can shape and query without hitting walls.
- One glance, one fix. Azure Data Factory maps every pipeline; if something fails, the team sees where and patches it fast.
- Test, then go live. A safe dev space lets analysts trial changes and run incremental refreshes before they hit production. Reports stay quick and up to date.
- More horsepower. A dedicated SQL database lifts overall speed and opens data that was once out of reach.
- Visibility for everyone. Dashboards draw from the same source, so no one is guessing.
- Skills in‑house. Weekly knowledge‑transfer sessions turned analysts into budding data engineers; they now build and extend the platform on their own.
“With the talent and professionalism Assured have, you know that you’re in safe hands. We now have a ‘North Star’, one single source of truth. We didn’t have that before. They also always made time for us when we needed them. You can’t knock that. When you’re working with a partner, you need that support and time. With others, you might get, ‘I’m on another client’s project’ or ‘I’m too busy right now’. Assured would always make time for us.”
Finally, data you can trust
Get data engineering as a service (experts who feel like part of your team). We unpick legacy code and simplify the rules. Then we rebuild in a modern setup that fits how you work. Your data becomes clear and manageable.
Get cleaner data