Building an End-to-End Analytics Solution: ECommerce Dashboard on Google Cloud Platform

20 Jun 2025

Transforming loan data into actionable business insights through cloud-native analytics architecture

Project Overview

The ECommerce Analytics Dashboard represents a comprehensive data analytics solution built on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) for a fintech organization. This project demonstrates how modern cloud technologies can transform raw loan data into actionable business intelligence, enabling data-driven decision making across financial services operations.

Live Demo: https://kkebaara.github.io/DataAnalystPortfolio/index.html

Business Challenge

Financial institutions generate massive volumes of loan data across multiple systems and touchpoints. The challenge lies not in data collection, but in transforming this disparate information into coherent, actionable insights that can drive business strategy and risk management decisions.

Our client faced several critical challenges:

Technical Architecture

Cloud Infrastructure Stack

Data Storage: Google Cloud Storage for raw data ingestion and BigQuery for structured analytics

Data Processing: Advanced SQL transformations with Create Table As Select (CTAS) optimization

Visualization: Google Looker for interactive dashboard development

Performance Optimization: Materialized views and strategic data partitioning

Data Pipeline Architecture

The solution implements a modern Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) pipeline designed for scalability and real-time analytics:

-- Example CTAS optimization for loan performance analytics
CREATE TABLE `project.dataset.loan_performance_optimized` AS
SELECT 
  loan_id,
  borrower_id,
  loan_amount,
  interest_rate,
  loan_status,
  origination_date,
  risk_score,
  -- Performance metrics calculations
  CASE 
    WHEN payment_history_score >= 750 THEN 'Low Risk'
    WHEN payment_history_score >= 650 THEN 'Medium Risk'
    ELSE 'High Risk'
  END AS risk_category,
  
  -- Time-based aggregations for trend analysis
  DATE_TRUNC(origination_date, MONTH) as origination_month,
  
  -- Calculated fields for dashboard KPIs
  ROUND(loan_amount * interest_rate / 100, 2) as annual_interest_amount
  
FROM `project.dataset.raw_loan_data`
WHERE loan_status IS NOT NULL
  AND origination_date >= '2020-01-01'
CLUSTER BY loan_status, risk_category;

Key Features & Implementation

1. Data Integration and Transformation

Challenge: Loan data existed across multiple BigQuery datasets and Cloud Storage buckets with inconsistent schemas.

Solution: Developed a comprehensive data integration layer using advanced SQL transformations:

2. Performance Optimization with CTAS Tables

Challenge: Complex analytical queries taking minutes to execute, hindering interactive dashboard performance.

Solution: Strategic implementation of Create Table As Select (CTAS) optimization:

Performance Impact:

3. Interactive Looker Dashboards

Stakeholder-Centric Design: Created role-specific dashboards tailored to different organizational needs:

Executive Dashboard Features:

Risk Management Dashboard Features:

Operations Dashboard Features:

4. Advanced Interactive Features

Cross-Filtering Capabilities: Implemented dynamic filtering allowing users to drill down from portfolio-level metrics to individual loan analysis.

Automated Refresh: Configured scheduled data refreshes ensuring stakeholders always access current information.

Conditional Formatting: Applied visual indicators highlighting critical thresholds and alert conditions:

-- Example conditional logic for dashboard alerts
SELECT 
  loan_id,
  borrower_name,
  days_overdue,
  CASE 
    WHEN days_overdue >= 90 THEN 'Critical'
    WHEN days_overdue >= 30 THEN 'Warning'
    ELSE 'Normal'
  END as alert_status,
  -- Color coding for dashboard visualization
  CASE 
    WHEN days_overdue >= 90 THEN '#FF4444'  -- Red
    WHEN days_overdue >= 30 THEN '#FFA500'  -- Orange
    ELSE '#00AA00'                          -- Green
  END as status_color
FROM loan_monitoring_view
WHERE loan_status = 'Active';

Technical Implementation Deep Dive

Data Modeling Strategy

Dimensional Modeling: Implemented star schema architecture optimizing for analytical queries:

SQL Optimization Techniques

Advanced Query Patterns: Leveraged BigQuery’s analytical capabilities for complex business logic:

-- Portfolio risk analysis with window functions
WITH loan_risk_analysis AS (
  SELECT 
    loan_id,
    risk_score,
    loan_amount,
    -- Portfolio context for individual loans
    AVG(risk_score) OVER (
      PARTITION BY DATE_TRUNC(origination_date, QUARTER)
    ) as quarterly_avg_risk,
    
    -- Percentile ranking for comparative analysis
    PERCENT_RANK() OVER (
      ORDER BY risk_score
    ) as risk_percentile,
    
    -- Running totals for cumulative analysis
    SUM(loan_amount) OVER (
      ORDER BY origination_date 
      ROWS BETWEEN UNBOUNDED PRECEDING AND CURRENT ROW
    ) as cumulative_origination_amount
    
  FROM optimized_loan_data
)
SELECT * FROM loan_risk_analysis
WHERE risk_percentile >= 0.9;  -- Top 10% riskiest loans

Dashboard Performance Architecture

Caching Strategy: Implemented multi-tier caching for optimal user experience:

Business Impact & Results

Operational Efficiency Gains

Decision-Making Speed: Reduced time from data request to insight delivery from days to minutes.

Stakeholder Adoption: 95% of finance and risk management teams actively using dashboards for daily operations.

Data Accuracy: Eliminated manual reporting errors through automated data pipeline validation.

Financial Performance Insights

Key Metrics Delivered:

Strategic Business Value

Risk Management Enhancement: Real-time portfolio monitoring enabling proactive risk mitigation strategies.

Regulatory Compliance: Automated reporting capabilities supporting audit requirements and regulatory submissions.

Market Expansion: Data-driven insights informing geographic and demographic expansion strategies.

Technical Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Data Volume and Velocity

Problem: Processing millions of loan records with near real-time requirements.

Solution: Implemented streaming data pipeline with incremental refresh patterns and intelligent data partitioning strategies.

Challenge 2: Complex Business Logic

Problem: Financial calculations requiring precision and regulatory compliance.

Solution: Developed comprehensive data validation framework with automated testing and business rule verification.

Challenge 3: User Adoption and Training

Problem: Business users unfamiliar with self-service analytics tools.

Solution: Created role-based training programs and intuitive dashboard designs with guided navigation and contextual help.

Technical Lessons Learned

Cloud-Native Analytics Best Practices

Cost Optimization: Strategic use of BigQuery slots and storage classes reducing operational costs by 35%.

Security Implementation: Row-level security and field-level encryption ensuring compliance with financial data regulations.

Scalability Design: Architecture supporting 10x data volume growth without performance degradation.

Data Visualization Principles

Stakeholder-Centric Design: Dashboards tailored to specific business roles and decision-making processes.

Progressive Disclosure: Information hierarchy allowing users to drill from summary to detail level analysis.

Performance Optimization: Efficient chart rendering and data aggregation for responsive user experience.

Future Enhancements

Advanced Analytics Integration

Machine Learning Pipeline: Integration with Google Cloud AI for predictive risk modeling and automated loan approval optimization.

Real-Time Streaming: Implementation of Cloud Dataflow for real-time loan application processing and instant risk assessment.

Advanced Visualization: Integration with custom JavaScript visualizations for specialized financial analytics.

Expanded Data Sources

External Data Integration: Incorporation of credit bureau data, economic indicators, and market trends for enhanced risk modeling.

API Development: RESTful APIs enabling integration with loan origination systems and third-party financial tools.

Conclusion

The ECommerce Analytics Dashboard project demonstrates how modern cloud technologies can transform traditional financial data analysis. By leveraging Google Cloud Platform’s powerful analytics capabilities, we created a solution that not only improves operational efficiency but fundamentally changes how financial institutions approach data-driven decision making.

This project showcases the convergence of technical expertise and business acumen required for successful data analytics implementation in regulated industries. The combination of performance optimization, user-centric design, and robust data architecture creates a foundation for sustained business value and competitive advantage.

The success of this implementation validates the potential for cloud-native analytics to drive digital transformation in financial services, providing a roadmap for organizations seeking to modernize their data infrastructure and analytics capabilities.


This project demonstrates practical application of enterprise-grade data analytics solutions and highlights the importance of balancing technical performance with business usability in financial technology implementations.