Sellafield enhances HR reporting, data visualisation and SAP test data accuracy 

Manual reporting challenges and growing workforce data demands

Sellafield began their SAP HR journey in 2015 with the implementation of ECC on-premises. At the time, reporting posed significant challenges. Most reports were created manually using SAP tools, and exported to Excel, where teams relied on VLOOKUPs and pivot tables to analyse data, resulting in a manual and error-prone process.

The volume of spreadsheets and manual data manipulation made reporting inefficient and unsustainable. Meanwhile, increasing demands from the company’s leaders for workforce insights placed further pressure on HR to deliver timely, comprehensive reports, limiting the organisation’s ability to make data-driven decisions.

The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted gaps in talent visibility, severely impacting Sellafield’s ability to maintain operational efficiency.

Payroll testing was another major challenge. The teams had to manually input large volumes of test data into their QA systems, a process that could take hours – or even days – and was highly susceptible to human error. Moreover, test scenarios were difficult to replicate, complicating subsequent testing cycles.

Enabling reliable reporting and testing through automation

To address their reporting challenges, Sellafield Ltd implemented EPI-USE Labs' Query Manager. This allowed the automation and standardisation of HR reporting processes, significantly improving both efficiency and data accuracy. Reports that previously required hours of manual work could be generated quickly and consistently, and with reduced risk of errors.

Query Manager was selected in part due to its ability to integrate with other systems, including Microsoft Power BI. Sellafield configured the solution to feed data directly into Power BI, supporting a fully automated reporting workflow across platforms. Sellafield is also using Query Manager’s scheduling feature to extract data on a nightly basis, which has given them the scope to extract a lot more data, and ultimately to run queries interactively.

To support payroll testing, Sellafield implemented Object Sync, part of the EPI-USE Labs’ Data Sync Manager (DSM) Suite. This allowed Production data to be securely copied into their QA system. This eliminated the need for manual test data entry, significantly reduced testing times and improved repeatability across test cycles.

Improved decision-making through accurate and accessible data

Query Manager has helped Sellafield to achieve their goal of being a more data-driven organisation, enabling better-informed decision making and supporting strategic workforce planning.

Security remains a top priority for Sellafield, and because Query Manager respects SAP authorisations, access to sensitive data is properly controlled, ensuring only the right people see the right information.

Today, all line managers at Sellafield access workforce data via Power BI, fed directly from Query Manager. This shift has eliminated the need for manual data handling, moving from 70-80% manual effort to a fully automated process for extracting, transforming, and loading data.

Much of this data focus has centred on talent management, helping Sellafield monitor attrition. This access to data also influenced strategy; based on insights gained from these reports, Sellafield recruited a Head of Attrition. Embracing a data-driven approach has revealed the critical value of data, leading to continued investment in analytics capabilities.

EPI-USE Labs’ Object Sync also provided more confidence in payroll testing by providing accurate data, ensuring tests are reliable and reflective of real scenarios.

About Sellafield Ltd

Sellafield Ltd (Sellafield) is a British nuclear decommissioning Site Licence Company (SLC) controlled by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA); a UK government body set up specifically to deal with the nuclear legacy under the Energy Act 2004.

Sellafield’s main aim is to manage the decommissioning of the Sellafield Ltd facility in Cumbria, England, on behalf of the NDA. The company employs more than 12,000 employees and around 17,500 contractors, and its focus is to deliver accelerated nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes. It is also involved in nuclear fuel production and reprocessing, and international nuclear decommissioning and transportation.