What is commingled data?

Today, businesses generate gigabytes of data daily, so consolidating information from multiple sources is essential for effective data management. Without commingling data, your team risks making decisions based on incomplete or outdated information. With commingled data, cros functional teams like financial professionals, branch managers, sales managers and the exec team, can work together seamlessly, accessing insights about their work to optimize operations, plan budgets, and forecast performance.

For example, the following case study on Phocas customer Serfac shows that when customer data and sales trends are consolidated into a single platform, sales managers can easily identify opportunities to increase revenue, while CFOs gain clarity on profitability. By centralizing data, you can make smarter, faster decisions and align your team around shared goals.

"Our directors, managers, and sales team, use Phocas on a daily basis. It has reached deeply into our sales process in a short space of time."

Ian Brady, Systems manager at Serfac

The methodology behind commingled data involves integrating information from various providers, such as ERP systems, CRM platforms, and external market data, into a centralized shared infrastructure. This can include:

• Sensitive data like customer payment information and employee details.
• Personal data, including names, email addresses, or even personally identifiable information (PII) like a social security number.

When consolidating multiple data sources, ensuring data security, data privacy, and data protection is critical. A security policy that safeguards your commingled data against unauthorized access or a potential data breach is essential. Companies also need to comply with privacy laws like GDPR to protect sensitive information and maintain trust with customers.

Phocas prioritizes information security at every step, from secure system connections to robust role-based access controls. Whether you’re managing employee performance data or forecasting next year’s budgets, your information is handled with care to meet compliance standards and safeguard your business against risk.

For financial professionals, commingled data transforms how you approach budgets, financial reports, and forecasts. Instead of manually wrangling data from complex Excel sheets, you gain instant access to a consolidated, user-friendly platform. This shift allows you to focus on high-value tasks like scenario planning and long-term strategy.

Phocas FP&A tools empower you to create dynamic financial reports that reflect your actual performance in real time. Whether analyzing sales by branch or reviewing consolidated income statements/profit and loss, balance sheet and cashflow statements, commingled data helps you identify trends and act on insights faster.

While commingling delivers clear benefits, there are challenges to consider. For example, ensuring data privacy for personally identifiable information like customer or employee records is a growing concern, especially with increasing privacy laws. Additionally, poorly managed data can lead to duplication or inaccuracies that undermine decision-making.

With Phocas, these challenges are mitigated through streamlined data management practices and built-in safeguards. The Phocas platform ensures all data is consolidated correctly and provides detailed audits so you can track where your data comes from and how it’s used.

Phocas customers in manufacturing, retail, and wholesale distribution often cite commingled data as a game-changer for their operations. By bringing together disparate sources of information, they can identify patterns, manage risks, and uncover growth opportunities. For instance:

• A distributor can combine customer data and sales performance to personalize offers and increase loyalty.
• A manufacturing CFO can use commingled operational and financial data to monitor production costs in real time, improving forecasting accuracy.

Phocas is designed to simplify the complexities of commingling data for businesses in wholesale distribution, retail, and manufacturing. With our platform, you can securely consolidate types of data from across your systems, ensuring accuracy and accessibility. As a business enabler, Phocas helps your team work smarter, not harder, so you can focus on growing your business.

Our easy-to-use software ensures that everyone—from CFOs to branch managers—can feel confident making data-driven decisions without worrying about unauthorized access or data breaches. By removing the roadblocks of manual processes, we give you the tools to run your business day-to-day and better plan your financial future.