ARC Resources Ltd. (ARC) operates in the Montney region in Alberta and northeast British Columbia. As a responsible Canadian energy producer, the company is committed to safe and efficient operations, long-term profitability, and delivering leading environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. With recent growth from the business combination of ARC and Seven Generations Energy Limited, management of new data sources, applications, user types, and reporting was required.

A real-time, accessible, and unified view of data across facilities was crucial to meet these goals quickly and effectively. This unified data view would ensure real-time information and insights, and allow ARC to effectively and dynamically respond to changes and opportunities in their sector. The company also needed to maintain access to critical data assets while this work was underway.

TIBCO Spotfire analytics had already evolved into an important and valued tool for business users in operational areas. The main concern now was keeping data connectivity and a unified view as the company transitioned from on-premises to Microsoft Azure. If this connectivity had not been guaranteed, timely and accurate information for executive and operational levels would have been affected and the business impacted.

With guidance from TIBCO Gold Partner Cadeon, ARC determined the best option for its data access layer (DAL) architecture. This involved setting up and testing connectivity between its Spotfire environment, Azure Databricks (SQL endpoint and high concurrency cluster deployments), and Azure Synapse.

Among its areas of expertise in data and information management services, Cadeon has a well-established specialization in integrating the TIBCO and Microsoft suites. For example, by default, the Spotfire connector to Azure Databricks uses personal access token (PAT) authentication; however, ARC required Azure Active Directory (AAD). TIBCO’s Enterprise Architecture Group (EAG) was fundamental to meeting this need and worked with ARC to ensure AAD could be used for authentication.

Cadeon worked with ARC’s Data Analytics and IT Operations business teams, plus TIBCO’s Spotfire Enterprise Architecture Group, to develop the optimal transformation strategy. ARC can now quickly build new solutions that enhance its data system and offer improved collaboration across business units and facilities.

Migrating ARC from on-premises to a hybrid cloud for its data access layer and application infrastructure was transformational. With access to a unified data view, ARC continues to bring new facilities online with this unified approach.

As Phil Unger, president and CEO of Cadeon shared, “Cadeon is providing ARC with guidance and oversight as it manages the interconnectivity between Microsoft and TIBCO in a hybrid cloud environment. The success we’ve helped make possible for ARC is a great example of leveraging our experience and TIBCO technologies to achieve transformational results.”

ARC now has a defined and proven data architecture that is helping it move forward with managing and growing its data ecosystem.

Azure Databricks (SQL Endpoints) was chosen as the standard platform, supported by proven connectivity and performance with Spotfire software. This allowed ARC to disregard higher cost options, like Azure Synapse, proceed to design, and execute a data enablement plan that comprises data delivery as a self-service model and governance through training, best practices, and monitoring.

ARC had a strong working relationship with its technical partners for its TIBCO/Microsoft integration. It is now assessing new applications and tools for making critical decisions for its evolving data ecosystem.