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The Toronto Star: Life after Alteryx
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Big Data Analytics
Applicable Functions
- Sales & Marketing
- Business Operation
Services
- Data Science Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
The Toronto Star, a leading Canadian newspaper, was facing challenges in managing and analyzing its vast data resources. The company was using a variety of tools including MS Access, MapInfo Professional, and Tableau, but was struggling with data fear due to the potential for errors and the resulting legal implications. The company was also looking to improve its advertising targeting and circulation planning capabilities, and to support data-driven journalism. The existing tools were not providing the flexibility, speed, and ease of use that the company needed.
About The Customer
The Toronto Star is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper. It is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper on overall weekly circulation. The newspaper is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd., a division of Torstar Corporation. The Star (as it is commonly known) was first printed on Toronto World presses, and at its formation, The World owned a 51% interest in it as a silent partner. The Star covers a wide range of topics including news, politics, sports, entertainment, and more. The Star's primary areas of responsibility include advertising targeting support, circulation, editorial, and random requests.
The Solution
The Toronto Star adopted Alteryx Designer to manage and analyze its data. Alteryx Designer provided the company with the ability to handle all the file types it needed with ease. It also offered the flexibility of design, allowing different people to design differently, yet still effectively. The speed of Alteryx was another key advantage. The company also continued to use MapInfo Professional and Tableau, and started phasing out MS Access. The company also used Environics Analytics and a proprietary web-mapping solution.
Operational Impact
