Christopher Sindoni
415-350-3156
chris.sindoni@datamodeler.com
___________________________________________________________________
Objective
I am interested in a
contract position as a Database Architect, Data Modeler, or ETL Architect. My
preference is to be in the
Summary of Qualifications
Technical Skills
Experience
Gap, Inc. January 2008 – Present Database
Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Gap Inc. Direct is the largest online clothing retailer in the world. I was
involved in two CRM projects during this engagement. The first was designing an
Enterprise Master Data Management database for customer information through all
touch points – POS, online commerce, loyalty programs, employees, outbound
marketing, etc. The second was an enhancement to a Promotions Management and
Control application that extended online promotions into Gap physical stores.
Participation: I was the Data
Architect for the for the CRM group during this engagement. I was responsible
for development and ongoing change control of the data model for the
organization. Routine duties through the course of this engagement included:
Redwood Trust November 2006 – December 2007
Database Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Redwood Trust Invests in and securitizes residential and commercial real estate
loans and securities. Through its ownership of residential credit-enhancement
securities, Redwood credit-enhances $237 billion high-quality residential real
estate loans. Redwood credit-enhances approximately 10% of all jumbo
residential loans in the
Participation: This scope of
this engagement included a redesign of the star schema data model, defining a
new hardware architecture and physical database implementation, and re-architecting
the ETL process from a SQL/job based architecture to one using an ETL tool. The
existing data model had not been created using best practices and this resulted
in a business intelligence layer that had an unusually long and error prone
development cycle, poor data quality, and poor query performance. After
implementing a correct data model design the MicroStrategy report development
and qa cycles were cut by approximately 70%, and data quality and performance
were improved dramatically. The existing SQL based ETL process was very error
prone and was extremely difficult to understand, troubleshoot, and manage. The
new process resulted in dramatically improved data quality, system
manageability, and communication between the business and technical teams. The
technologies on this project included Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Microsoft
SSIS.
Gap, Inc. April 2004 – April 2007 Database
Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Gap Inc. Direct is the largest online clothing retailer in the world. Gap
implemented a large scale business process reengineering project for their
online division. This included replacement of online stores for all three Gap
brands (Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic), as well as the order management
system, promotions management system, content management system, data
warehousing system, web analytics system, network, security strategy,
integration tools, etc.
Participation: I was the
technical architect for the data warehouse portion of the project. I was
brought onto the project during the initial requirements phase and I assisted
the product manager and approximately 30 business partners in the requirements
definition. I designed the entire logical and physical data model with 500+
tables, set technical direction, and was the technical lead for the database,
ETL, and business intelligence development teams. I also did a considerable
amount of database tuning and hands on Oracle work. Prior to this project the
Gap had no data warehouse or reporting system for the online division of the
company. All reporting was done by pulling raw data into spreadsheets and
processing it manually. This project was implemented using an Oracle 9i RAC
database on Linux, a MicroStrategy 8 business intelligence platform, and a
combination of IBM/Ascential DataStage and Oracle PL/SQL for ETL. Later in the
project lifecycle the database was migrated to Oracle 10g on IBM AIX. Data
model subject areas included Sales, Returns, Shipments, Invoices, Taxes,
Inventory, Promotions, Price Changes, Products, Customers, and Web Analytics.
The database is currently 6 TB and is designed to grow to over 20 TB. The system
has a unique design that delivers reports that combine data from disparate
subject areas into a single report. Reporting users can, for example, make
decisions to accept or reject a price change by reading a single report that
contains Sales Velocity, Profit Margins, existing and upcoming Promotions,
deployed Content, and Inventory levels. Prior to the implementation of this
system users were unable to consolidate the information they required in order
to make informed pricing decisions in a timely manner.
Kanisa October 2003 - April 2004 Data Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Kanisa supplies software systems for tech support call centers and user self
help technical assistance. Part of the Kanisa product offering is an analytics
product that allows customers to measure the effectiveness of their tech
support, and take action to correct any gaps in tech support content or
training. My role on this project was to lead the design of a reporting
database that would fulfill the function of this analytics product, and to lead
the development of the ETL layer to populate this database. This project faced
some unique challenges - enormous data volumes (click stream data), deployment
on two different RDBMS platforms (Oracle 9i and SQL Server 2000), a short
development cycle with a tight budget, and a design requirement to supply an
end product that was generic enough to satisfy all Kanisa customers. Kanisa
customers include many of the big names in the technology sector - HP, Cisco,
Apple, Microsoft, Intuit, etc.
Participation: Lead data
modeler (logical and physical) and lead database software developer. I lead the
logical and physical database design efforts on both Oracle and SQL Server
platforms. ERWin was the design tool I chose to use. I set the architecture and
software standards for all stored procedures and led the development effort of
the ETL tasks to move data from a raw data staging area into the star schema
reporting database. ETL tasks were done using PL/SQL and T-SQL. In addition to
leading other developers I wrote approximately 20,000 lines of stored procedure
code on this project. I also set direction and standards for the report
developers and directed the query tuning and optimization efforts.
Intel October 2002 - October 2003 Data
Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
This was a large project to replace a legacy software system in the Intel mask
operations group. A mask is a glass plate with a chip design etched onto it.
These glass plates are used in the chip making process much like a photo
negative is used to print a photograph. The system is used to manage all
aspects of the mask manufacturing process. This was a high visibility, very
complex, and high risk project. A data mistake during the masking stage of the
process is extremely costly to Intel. Mistakes have the potential to cost over
$100 Million if they get into production.
Participation: Directed all
aspects of the data implementation of strategic proprietary business processes.
This involved overseeing logical and physical data modeling and stored
procedure programming of 15 developers. This project implementation was started
without a lead data architect and had run into major trouble. I was brought in
as a data architecture expert in order to fix numerous database design problems
while keeping the project on schedule. This meant setting design and coding
standards, centralizing data modeling decisions, implementing code review and
mentoring processes, and leading the database development efforts of 15
developers. Much of this work was hands on as many of the developers were not
database experts. I drove major changes to the data model in order to implement
a fully normalized design in order to enforce the hyper critical data
consistency requirements. Over the course of the project I identified and
eliminated over 100 logical data model flaws that had the potential for
extremely costly data inconsistencies. In addition to this I directed efforts
to identify and eliminate all poorly performing queries. The application
environment was Microsoft .Net and is written in C#. Using this new technology
also presented unique problem solving challenges.
Hewlet Packard April 2002 - October 2002 Database Development Lead
Project Summary and Goals:
Implement data model and stored procedure improvements to the database used for
world wide customer support of HP business customers. Redesign the data model
to support a multi-language site navigation model. The database used is SQL
Server, and the application server platform is BEA WebLogic.
Participation: Lead database
position. Led database efforts on a team of seven developers in all aspects of
database architecture, data modeling, and stored procedure programming. This
was a hands on role where I wrote approximately 40% of all database stored
procedure code. This included identifying areas for logical data model
improvements and rewriting existing T-SQL stored procedures with the primary
goal of improving system performance.
Smith and Hawken December 2001 - April 2002 Database Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Project #1: Implement a data warehouse for analysis of click stream and sales
data from the Smith and Hawken on-line store.
Project #2: Improve search
functionality in the on-line store database. Improve multi-word search results,
implement fuzzy search, and sectioning search features. The search technology
used was Oracle Text.
Participation: Project #1:
Designed and implemented a reporting data model to meet existing and future
anticipated reporting requirements. The data model was based on a star schema
design (dimensional data warehouse) and had fact tables for click stream and sales
data. I also designed and directed the implementation of a new means of data
collection for this database. This is a unique approach that collects click
stream data from the application server’s servlet pipeline. This enabled
reporting on many metrics that are impossible with traditional approaches using
web and application server logs, but are critical to effective management of an
on-line store. I also wrote all ETL procedures in Oralce PL/SQL.
Project#2: Completely
redesigned and implemented product search functionality using Oralce Text. This
included changing the indexing strategy, modifying the database search tables,
completely rewriting the PL/SQL stored procedures and shell scripts used to
rebuild search tables and indexes, and rewrite the SQL queries statements used
by the web application. I also recommended changes to the content included in
search in order to target results more accurately.
The Sharper Image July 2000 - December 2001 Database
Architect
Project Summary and Goals:
Project #1: Lead a team of four developers in the implementation of a second
generation auction site. Lead the development effort of the integration of the
auction and on-line store databases.
Project #2: Ongoing Oracle
database support for on-line store and on-line auction sites. This is an
extension of a project listed below under “Intel”. Ongoing application design
enhancements and database performance improvements.
Participation: Responsible
for all business requirements analysis, data modeling, and leading database
implementation efforts for the on-line store and auction databases. Defined
data flows and system architecture to meet business requirements and seamlessly
integrate the on-line store with the on-line auction. Lead implementation
of physical database objects and tuning
SQL queries. Defined software architecture to manage user registration and
sign-in processes across two different application server platforms. Served as the
project technical lead and technical liaison to the management team on an
auction implementation project. Wrote custom data conversion programs in Java.
Defined application interface design and application server data cache for
optimum database performance. Tuned all SQL queries as required. Also had
responsibility for all ongoing data model design decisions and database
implementation strategies for any new business requirements.
PeoplePC March 2001 - October 2001 Lead Data Modeler
Position: Lead Data Modeler
– complete enterprise database redesign
Project Summary and Goals:
Complete redesign of an existing enterprise database used for on-line
business-to-business and business-to-consumer services. Logical data model,
physical data model, and stored procedures. Provide data modeling mentoring to
database developers and programmers.
Participation: Responsible
for leading all aspects of a redesign of legacy database applications. I gave
technical direction to approximately 15 developers involved in this project.
This included setting modeling and programming standards, code review
procedures, code release procedures, query tuning, and all database development
efforts. The legacy database was designed by application programmers and web
developers with various disciplines. Virtually every design rule in the book
was violated and data integrity issues came up constantly. This entire legacy
design was scrapped in favor of a complete custom redesign. I lead this
redesign effort. This involved implementing correct standards and training
application programmers on correct data modeling practices. The redesign was a
highly normalized (fourth and fifth normal forms) database used for on-line
transaction processing. Main subject areas included customers, products, orders,
logistics, client specific pricing, content delivery, and billing. Also worked
with DBA staff to optimize database queries and application interfaces.
Intel October 1999 -
December 2000 Data architect, Business
Analyst
Project Summary and Goals:
Various web projects for outside clients: Second Generation On-line store for
The Sharper Image – complete site redesign, integrate with existing business
systems to support the brick and mortar and catalog sales, add customer
personalization features, deploy multi-language site on a single system; Portal
Site for the People’s Republic of China; Web based business management system
for Free Trade Zones in China; Web based teaching community for teachers and
education professionals.
Participation: Lead all
aspects of the data implementation during the full project life cycle of The
Sharper Image on-line store project. Got involved with the project at the
business requirements analysis phase. Worked with Sharper Image senior
management to develop business requirements documentation, define high level
data flows, and supplied technical solutions to specific business requirements.
Led all database development efforts on a team of 12 developers. Led
development effort of the logical and physical data models to meet the needs
for The Sharper Image’s unique business requirements. Led development of a
comprehensive normalized data model to meet the needs of delivering real-time
content to the sharperimage.com website. Defined system and software
architectures to support business requirements. Defined database system
architecture for hot standby databases and geographically load balanced
databases, selected hardware, defined physical server architecture for optimum
database performance (using modified Oracle OFA), lead implementation efforts
of database objects and PL/SQL code to enforce business rules and application
logic, lead analysis and tuning of SQL queries for optimum response time.
Optimized Oracle memory management for optimum performance under loads
experienced in production environment. Wrote custom Java programs for importing
users and product information from legacy web database and file system sources.
On other projects defined logical and physical data models and consulted on
data architectures to support business requirements. Acted as mentor to junior
data modelers, DBAs, and programmers on other projects done by the group.
Distilled Images January 2000 - July 2000 Data Modeler, Business Analyst
Project Summary and Goals:
Implement web based business-to-business and business-to-consumer commerce
system. Implement a unique business model which enabled businesses with
marketable photographic images to sell those images to consumers. Prints were
created by Distilled Images on an on-demand basis eliminating the need for
product inventory.
Participation: Initially
consulted on technical feasibility and recommended the approach to
implementation based on funding schedules. Led a group of four other
developers. Analyzed the business process and workflow from the corporate
business plan, led the data modeling, architecture, and database implementation
efforts. Defined the computing platforms, system and CORBA based software
architecture which fulfilled the need for a real-time order processing API into
the Distilled Images system. Managed three developers who wrote Pl/SQL code,
Java application code, and user interface code.
TimeShift March 1997 - October 1999
Database Architect/Programmer
Project Summary and Goals:
Implement custom data warehouse for reporting phone call billing, customer
acquisition, and system performance information. Implement a real-time billing
system based on Portal Infranet with an Oracle back end. Design custom database
driven fraud controls and integrate them with the billing database. Design
database interfaces to allow TimeShift customer service representatives real
time web access to information in the Infranet/Oracle billing system. Develop
strategy to implement real time database replication from west coast to east
coast.
Participation: Involved as a
hands on database architect and technical lead during the full life cycle of
this project. Lead all database efforts on a team of 15 developers. Designed
and lead implementation of data warehouse databases for billing, customer
acquisition, and system performance databases. Designed OLTP databases for
conference calling, real-time fraud prevention, and customer service. Defined
software and hardware architecture to support business requirements, projected
customer growth, and real-time processing requirements. Tuned Oracle queries,
stored procedures, and application interfaces to optimize system performance.
Implemented Oracle OFA to support performance requirements. Interfaced with
management to define all business processes relating to the company’s core
software applications. Developed data model to support real-time fraud
prevention, conference calling, and real-time phone call billing, and ODS for
billing, customer acquisition, and system performance. Redesigned flawed data
replication strategy.
Intel September 1996 - March 1997 Database Architect/
Project Summary and Goals:
Implement web based business-to-business and system to automate Intel marketing
programs targeted to small businesses in emerging markets. Implement OLTP and
data warehouse databases to support business requirements. This system had to
support multiple languages from a single database and single computing
platform.
Participation: Responsible
for leading the entire life cycle of database design and implementation of
transaction processing and data warehouse databases. Led all database
development efforts of five developers. Designed and implemented the logical
and physical data models, lead development efforts of stored procedures,
triggers, and SQL queries. Developed a design that allowed Intel to implemented
four independent marketing territories into a single database without impacting
divisional operations. Led design and implementation efforts of an ODS and ETL
tasks. Led development of software interfaces to the enterprise SAP system.
Designed support for National Language Support (NLS) support for Asian languages
with double byte character sets, designed application level security. Wrote
custom data conversion programs for each divisional database using
Western Digital May 1996 - January 1997 Data Modeler – Contract
Project Summary and Goals:
Design, develop, and implement a database to support a client server system
that automated the management and reporting of work flow processes in Western
Digital’s Advanced Manufacturing Engineering group.
Participation: Responsible
for the entire database during the entire life cycle of the project. Interfaced
with design managers, designers, and system users. Did the logical and physical
data model with ERWin. Implemented the database and managed it through turnover
to production personnel. Tuned all database queries. Worked with DBA staff to
implement physical architecture that met Intel standards and sill optimized
database performance. Programmed some custom front end forms with
The Ticket Machine November 1992 - April 1996 CTO, Co-founder
Summary: Start-up company
that built the worlds first self-service entertainment ticketing system.
Job function: Conceived,
developed and implemented the world’s first automated event ticket distribution
system via client server multimedia kiosks. Responsible for the hardware and
software architecture of the entire system. Responsible for all technology
decisions and company technology direction. Managed six programmers doing
custom program development and system implementation. Multimedia kiosks are
Windows based, connected to a central UNIX database server via a Pacific Bell
frame relay network. Back end based on Oracle 7.0.
Westech Automation September 1988 - October 1992 Systems Engineer
Summary: Systems integrator
and distributor of factory automation hardware and software.
Job function: Designed and
implemented custom Factory Automation solutions. These systems were process
control systems for both continuous and discrete manufacturing processes, and
SCADA systems. My duties included functional specification development, system
design, implementation, start-up and training.
Education
May 1984
Bachelor of Science
Chemical Engineering