This month’s data & integration hero is Jasper Wijmans, Data Engineer at Enable U.
I convert data into information for our customers. I enable them to create insightful dashboards that show, at a glance, things like the financial status of their company. To do that, you need a data model—structured around facts and dimensions—into which you can put data from different data sources. That is called a relational model. A relational model is based on a logical model, like the Municipal Data Model.
But the data in different source systems is often modeled in a different way. I make sure the data gets transformed so it fits into the right data model. That process is called ETL (Extract/Transform/Load), or ELT (Extract/Load/Transform). The exact steps depend on where the data is stored—for example, in our Scamander Data Management Platform. Depending on the customer’s needs or questions, I give advice on how to approach this process, demonstrate it to their team, or handle the process myself. There are quite a few steps to take. Sometimes the focus is on unlocking the data, and other times more on building the dashboard. In any case— the work is nicely varied.
I joined Scamander – now part of Enable U – in 2018 as a trainee, along with three others. During the traineeship, we got guest lectures from Scamander colleagues about different processes and tools. It was fun, practical, and we learned a lot. Soon after, I started working at VodafoneZiggo. I was thrown in at the deep end there. It was quite difficult at first —everything was new and I had to figure things out on my own. But it turned out really well; I gradually got a good grip on things and learned a lot.
After that, I was part of the Scamander Data Management Platform team, supporting several municipalities with various activities. This was followed by a long and wonderful time at VolkerWessels, working in a team with a couple of colleagues—including my dad. That is when I really started working with him. During COVID, we worked from the home office at my dad’s place. That office used to be my bedroom.
After my studies in Tilburg—or actually, even during my studies—I started working at a sports data company. I was on the “allsports” team, which means we collected live data from all sports except football. For example, we tracked tennis matches game by game. The exact details depended on what the client needed. I also got to go on some great international trips with that company, like to the Olympic Games in Kazakhstan and Sochi. My job was to make sure the sports results—like those from the Olympics—were correctly entered into the database.
Over time, I noticed some colleagues running SQL queries on the database. That really caught my interest. My dad was already working at Scamander, and when I told him, things moved quickly—I got the opportunity to start as a trainee. That is how I entered the world of data and business intelligence. And a fun fact: I met my wife at that previous employer. When I knew I would be leaving the company for Scamander, I finally asked her out. Fast forward seven years—we’ve got a grown-up house, a marriage, and a beautiful son.
My favorite part of the job is solving puzzles. Like figuring out how to structure a data model the right way or getting the data into the target system. I love digging into something and fixing problems—or rather, as I see it, challenges. Trying again, trying a different approach, and most of all: not giving up. And when it finally works, I am really super happy. For example: I once had to unlock data from a source system—a financial system that turned out to work very differently than I expected. After some serious puzzling, it finally clicked. That was such a great moment, especially knowing the client could now access their data the right way.
Just working with it – that is really the best way to learn. But I also take online courses, and I have earned several Microsoft certifications that way. I regularly attend events like the (Big) Data Expo and Data Intelligence Day (by Databricks). And sparring with colleagues during projects— together you know so much more than on your own. That is why I really enjoy the Guilds at Scamander. Working on something concrete within your field together with a number of colleagues. I joined the Data Engineering Guild, and recently we worked on capturing, storing, and reporting telemetry data from an F1 game. Super fun and very hands-on!
Scamander has not been part of Enable U for very long, so I can tell you most about Scamander. It is a great company with short lines of communication—you can find anyone quickly. It is clear and manageable; I know everybody who works there and what my colleagues do. It really feels like a family business—and that is not just because my dad works here. 😉
My first impression of the Enable U colleagues is that they are really nice people. The ski trip we had together was a great way to quickly get to know everyone. I had a great time and felt right at home. I am looking forward to lots of joint projects.
First of all, I have a wonderful 1,5-year-old son, Fausto. And if all goes well, we will welcome our second child in October.
Apart from that, I am a huge fan of sports—both watching and doing. At home we follow all kinds of sports: cycling, tennis, biathlon. My wife is just as crazy about sports as I am. I love to go to Ajax, I have been an Ajax season ticket holder for about 12 years now—and I am not giving that up anytime soon! It is also a social thing: we go with a group of seven friends.
Besides watching, I love doing sports myself—like cycling. In early June, I am going to participate in the Alpe d’HuZes. For my sister. We are travelling to France with the whole family, and most of us are participating. My wife and dad will be hiking up the mountain. It is going to be a really special week. And thank you so much for supporting us financially! If anyone would still like to donate personally, you can do so here: https://www.opgevenisgeenoptie.nl/fundraisers/teamtessa
Make sure you enjoy your work—that is really important. And stay active, sports are great for both body and mind!
