Education
At the end of 2006 I graduated in the study of Human&Informatics. The study was based on projects, teamwork and practical assignments. In a period of 8 weeks we had to achieve certain goals. Even the theoretical courses we faced as a project, with lectures on request. We developed a lot of internet applications like web shops and administration systems. During the study my attention was drawn by all the aspects of data (e.g. registration, storage, modelling, presentation), user experience and how it could benefit for the business user. I learned to program, but above all I learned to talk to the end user and understand the needs, challenges and what IT could bring them. I see it as the interpreter between two totally different languages, business and IT. I dreamed about having my own business, but first I wanted to get more experienced in the (new) business world.
First job
My first job was as a Functional Test engineer in 2006. I wasn’t graduated yet. I felt deeply unhappy and to grow internal was very difficult. After talking to some external consultants I got enthusiastic. To work for different customers for a given period and to be in control over your own career, that is my future.
Business Intelligence Consultant
I started at Logica (now CGI), in Groningen, on March 2007 with a Masterclass Business Intelligence. In an intensive 6 weeks program, with CIBIT Business Intelligence courses, Dimensional Modeling, SAS and several soft skill courses, we were crammed as a Business Intelligence expert. My first (and only) assignment was at PostNL as SAS consultant and lasted 3 years. It was the perfect environment to boost my skills. I introduced and implemented SAS DI Studio, created a SAS Portal framework with HTML, JavaScript, CSS and Stored Procedures and automated the standard period report delivery.
Pre-sales Business Intelligence
My next step was Amsterdam in 2010 and started at Pecoma Business Technology (now QNH). Their main focus was Microsoft SQL Server. After some small projects, mostly internal, the sales team needed pre-sales support. I wrote a whitepaper and it was exactly what they needed. A customer meeting was the next step. After the meeting I knew it, this is my new future. The feeling was mutual. From that moment I did all the pre-sales work, alongside the consulting projects.
Solution Manager Business Intelligence
In 2011 I started at Conspect Consulting & ICT in Almere. Conspect was in a transition from a hiring firm to a solution provider. With my former sales manager I built a Business Intelligence unit from scratch. We started with 3 consultants, including me, and created the fundament: Focus on platform (Microsoft SQL Server and later on SAS), top consultants, delivering quality, data warehouse automation and software partner alliances. We grew steady. In nearly 3 years to 12 persons. I became Solution Manager for the unit, responsible for the product, marketing, knowledge, R&D and pre-sales. On assignments my role was primarly SAS- or Business Intelligence architect/developer and responsible for configuring SAS environments (SAS BI/DI and Visual Analytics), setting up Business Intelligence architectures, Data Vault modelling, ETL- and report development. I became an allround consultant.
My company
In 2014 I started my company RONVANBRAAM. I am a great fan of simplicity, discussion and the whiteboard. With models, flows, lists and metadata you can capture all documentation. Don’t write documents if you don’t have to. I am an agile developer by nature, realized it only a few years ago. With all my customers I discussed the development cycle and it always led to an agile method, because we became more in control and capable of delivering rapidly. Even when business requirements change. My customers are working with great pleasure and really good results. They manage to deliver the business information rapidly, adequately and accurately!