Microsoft Customer Solution

Retail Industry Case Study

Tesco Real-Time, Point-of-Sale Data

Infrastructure Handles 1500 Transactions a
Second

Overview
Country: United Kingdom
Industry: Retail
Customer Profile
Tesco, with 1,200 stores and almost
250,000 employees, is the U.K.s
largest supermarket chain, the national
leader in the food sector, and a global
player in retailing with outlets in
Ireland, Central Europe, and Asia.
Business Situation
Tesco needed a new retail data
infrastructure operating in real time, to
improve supply chain management,
and reduce unknown losses at check
outs in its U.K. supermarkets.
Solution
Sysrepublics Real Time Integrator
provides retailers with faster access to
critical business information, through
full use of accurate, detailed, point-ofsale (POS) information. It uses
Microsoft BizTalk Server and
Microsoft SQL ServerTM 2000.
Benefits
Single stream of data from stores.
Better informed management.
Captures details of every product
that passes through the tills
Data delivered in single, versatile
format.

SQL Server and BizTalk together have

proved that they can handle two terabytes of
POS dataequivalent to three weeks of sales
data. The solution is highly scalable and
enters data into SQL Server at up to 20,000
inserts a second.
Tesco Group, the U.K.s largest supermarket chain,
needed a new retail data infrastructure operating in
real-time, to improve supply chain management and
stock availability in its 1,200-plus stores. Sysrepublics
Real Time Integrator (RTI) provides retailers with faster
access to critical business information, through the
provision and use of accurate, detailed, point-of-sale
(POS) information. Sales data from individual store
databases will be routed to head office in XML to
Microsoft BizTalk Server and Microsoft SQL ServerTM
2000. Tescos head office will gain a single view of
supermarket sales data from all its stores, which was
previously unavailable in such detail or in such a timely
manner. The solution handles 1500 sales transactions a
second at peak times, which each have an average of
between 50 and 100 items. The first application for RTI
will be a pilot in 120 stores to reduce the number not on

Situation

We were confident
from experience
with other
customers that
Microsoft SQL
Server was equal to
the task. Tesco is
very happy with the
solution.
Nathan Smith, Business Development
Director, Sysrepublic

Tesco is the U.K.s largest

supermarket chain, the national
leader in the food sector, and a global
player in retailing with outlets in
Ireland, Central Europe, and Asia.
Over the past 78 years, as the
retailing market has changed, the
company has grown and developed,
responding to new opportunities and
pioneering many innovations,
including online sales. Tesco, with
1,200-plus stores and almost 250,000
employees, is described by many
analysts as the king of supermarkets
in the U.K. Apart from its familiar high
street supermarkets, it operates small
grocery stores under the Tesco Metro
brand name, big supermarkets
outside cities (Tesco Extra), and 24hour stores.
Point-of-sale (POS) data is the
lifeblood of any supply chain.
Supermarkets, especially, use this
information to understand and
anticipate customer behaviour,
manage stock in individual stores,
above all, the speedy availability and
accuracy of POS data makes a
fundamental difference to a retailers
competitiveness and the strength of
its supply chain.
Simon Alcock, Technical Specialist,
Tesco, says: Managing the supply
chain is critical for Tesco in
maintaining its leadership in the
industry. If customers cant find the
product they like on the supermarket
shelves, then they cant buy it. The
media has highlighted out of stocks
as an issue for some of our
competitors, this solution will help us
tackle the problem.

As the UKs most successful,

supermarket chain, Tesco is
constantly refining the way in which it
sources, analyses, and manages sales
data. In late 2003, Tesco began
working on a new real-time retail
infrastructure based on Microsoft
technologies and developed by
Sysrepublic, which specialises in retail
software products and consultancy.

Solution

Sysrepublics Real Time Integrator

(RTI) provides retailers with faster
access to critical business
information, through use of accurate,
detailed, POS information. RTI can
address issues, such as stock
availability, loss prevention, customer
service, in-store productivity, and
promotion tracking and through Web
Services initiate a series of responses
without needed manual intervention.
It is implemented using Microsoft
BizTalk Server, part of the Microsoft
Windows ServerTM System, and the
Microsoft .NET Framework for
development. Data from individual
stores is captured using the .NET
Framework and transmitted via XML
Web services through BizTalk Server,
and a single Microsoft SQL ServerTM
2000 database.
Within six months, using RTI, Tesco,
Microsoft, and Sysrepublic, have
successfully deployed a real-time
sales data infrastructure that will
deliver:
POS transaction feeds from more
than 1,200 stores.
A highly scalable interface that
accepts up to 1,500 baskets a
second.
Capacity for two terabytes of POS
data
Using minimal network bandwidth.

Further flexibility for extension

using the .NET Framework.

Nathan Smith, Business Development

Director, Sysrepublic, says: There
was a good deal of initial skepticism
at Tesco that SQL Server could handle
as many as 1200 sales transactions a
second at peak times. The
transactions include an average of
between 50 and 100 items, customer
information, and discounts. But, we
were confident from experience with
other customers that Microsoft SQL
Server was equal to the task. Tesco is
very happy with the solution.

Benefits
Single Version of Real-Time
Supermarket Sales Data
Tesco will use Sysrepublics RTI with
BizTalk and SQL Server to give its
head office management team a
single view of supermarket sales data
from all its 12,000 plus stores. Alcock
says: The solution gives us one
version of the truth. Before we
considered adopting RTI we relied on
several different databases.
Even when we integrated the
databases, and, for example analysis
showed that one was flawed, we
could not work out which one was
faulty. We will now have one
database, with links to our loyalty
scheme Clubcard, and will improve
customer relationship management
(CRM) throughout our stores.
Resilient and Reliable Data
Infrastructure
The proof of concept for RTI showed
that Microsoft technologies provide a
resilient and reliable data
infrastructure. Alcock says: SQL

Server and BizTalk have proved that

they can handle two terabytes of POS
dataequivalent to three weeks of
sales. The solution is highly scalable
and inputs data into SQL Server at up
to 20,000 inserts a second. Any
skepticism we may have had about
SQL Server and its suitability for the
enterprise no longer exists.
Efficiency Gains from Improved
Supply Chain Management
The biggest long-term benefit of RTI
using highly scalable Microsoft
technologies is that it accelerates the
supply chain, reduces out of stocks,
and helps to retain customer loyalty.
Smith says: With a reliable, scalable
platform, Tesco will minimise IT
management costs. The real-time, upto-date metrics give managers a view
of individual store performance,
giving them the information to take
corrective action where required
much more quickly. Importantly, with
the basics in place, it provides a
strong base for other real-time
applications, including labour
monitoring, and inventory
management.

For More Information

For more information about
Microsoft products or
and
services,
services,
call
call
the Microsoft UK
Sales
Contact
Information
Centre on
Center 010100.
08706
at (800) To
426-9400.
access In
Canada, callvia
information
thethe
Microsoft
World Wide
Canada
Web,
Information
go
to:
Centre at (877) 5682495. Customers who are deaf or
www.microsoft.com/uk
hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft
textmore
For
telephone
information
(TTY/TDD)
about
services
Tesco
at (800) 892-5234
products
and services,
in the
visit
United
the Web
States
site
at:or (905) 568-9641 in Canada.
Outside the 50 United States and
www.tesco.com
Canada, please contact your local
Microsoft subsidiary. To access
information using the World Wide
Web, go to: www.microsoft.com

About Microsofts Smarter

Retailing Initiative

Microsoft Windows Server

System

The Microsoft Smarter Retailing

Initiative helps retailers win today by
leveraging current investments, and
win tomorrow by easing delivery of
new retail experiences. Consisting of
Smarter Shopping, Smarter Selling
and Smarter Operations, the Smarter
Retailing Initiative is designed to close
the loop between the retailers
strategy, the in-store execution and
familiar technologies already in the
consumers hands.

Microsoft Windows Server SystemTM

is a comprehensive, integrated, and
interoperable server infrastructure
that helps reduce the complexity and
costs of building, deploying,
connecting, and operating agile
business solutions. Windows Server
System helps customers create new
value for their business through the
strategic use of their IT assets. With
the Windows ServerTM operating
system as its foundation, Windows
Server System delivers dependable
infrastructure for data management
and analysis; enterprise integration;
customer, partner, and employee
portals; business process automation;
communications and collaboration;
and core IT operations including
security, deployment, and systems
management. For more information
about Windows Server System, go to:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsser

versystem

More information can be found at:

www.microsoft.com/smartretail

For more information about

Sysrepublic products and services,
visit the Web site at:
www.sysrepublic.com
For more information about Tesco
products and services, visit the Web
site at: www.tesco.com

Software and Services

2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This case study is for informational purposes only.
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IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, Windows,
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Document published December,
March, 20052004

Products
Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000
Microsoft SQL Server 2000
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Enterprise Edition

Technologies
Microsoft .NET Framework

Partners

Sysrepublic