Database Consultant

Job Title: Senior Consultant / Lead Engineer / Solution Architect

Location: London, UK (Hybrid-3days/week)

Duration: 12 Months

Job Description:

1. Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Lead Oracle Analytics & Python Reporting Modernisation Architect to modernise a legacy Microsoft Access reporting solution that connects to Oracle databases, feeds local Access data stores, executes Access queries/macros/VBA, and produces business reports. The resource must be able to assess the current Access application and build a replacement using Oracle Analytics Server (OAS), BI Publisher, Oracle SQL/PLSQL, and Python-based automation where appropriate.

2. Current State and Target Options

Option Architecture Best Fit Key Deliverables

Option 1 Oracle DB OAS BI Publisher Users Enterprise reporting, dashboards, scheduling, governed access OAS dashboards, BI Publisher reports, data models, schedules

Option 2 Oracle DB Python Excel/PDF/CSV Email/SharePoint Replacing Access macros and producing the same report outputs Python reporting framework, Excel templates, batch automation

Option 3 Oracle DB Python ETL Oracle tables/views OAS Complex transformations before analytics/reporting Python ETL jobs, staging tables/views, OAS reports

Option 4 Oracle DB Python Flask/FastAPI portal Self-service reports User-driven parameterised execution without Access desktop Web UI, API layer, report downloads, authentication pattern

3. Primary Responsibilities

Discovery & Assessment

Inventory Access databases (.mdb/.accdb), linked tables, pass-through queries, local tables, forms, reports, macros and VBA modules.

Document current report execution process, data refresh steps, schedules, outputs, distribution lists and manual dependencies.

Identify Oracle database objects used by the Access solution and map them to target OAS/Python components.

Assess migration complexity and recommend the right target option: OAS-only, Python-only, Python + OAS, or Python web portal.

Oracle Database Engineering

Develop and tune Oracle SQL, views, materialised views, PL/SQL packages and stored procedures for reporting workloads.

Convert Access SQL/VBA business logic into Oracle SQL, PL/SQL or Python transformations.

Analyse execution plans, AWR/ASH evidence, TEMP/PGA usage and parallel execution behaviour for high-volume reports.

Implement secure database connectivity, service accounts, least-privilege access and production deployment controls.

OAS & BI Publisher Development

Build OAS analyses, dashboards, prompts, filters and drill-down reporting where interactive analytics are required.

Create BI Publisher data models, layouts, Excel/PDF/CSV outputs, bursting, scheduling and job management.

Migrate Access reports into governed OAS/BI Publisher assets with parameterised execution and standardised output formats.

Configure security models aligned with enterprise roles, groups, folders and report access requirements.

Python Reporting & Automation

Design Python jobs to extract Oracle data, apply transformations, validate results and generate Excel/PDF/CSV outputs.

Use Python libraries such as oracledb/cx_Oracle, pandas, SQLAlchemy, openpyxl, XlsxWriter and NumPy.

Implement robust logging, exception handling, audit trails, restartability and data reconciliation checks.

Automate execution using enterprise schedulers such as Control-M, Autosys, Windows Task Scheduler or equivalent.

Testing, Deployment & Support

Create unit, system, regression and parallel-run test evidence comparing Access output with the new platform output.

Prepare implementation plans, rollback plans, production validation steps and operational support runbooks.

Provide knowledge transfer to application support, database, reporting and business operations teams.

Support post-implementation stabilisation, defect remediation and performance tuning.

4. Required Skills

Microsoft Access databases linked Oracle tables, pass-through queries, macros, VBA, forms and reports to reverse engineer the existing application accurately.

Oracle Database Oracle SQL, PL/SQL, views, materialised views, performance tuning, execution plans to rebuild report logic close to the data and optimise large workloads.

OAS / OBIEE OAS dashboards, analyses, repository/subject area concepts, prompts, filters, security to deliver governed enterprise analytics and self-service reporting.

BI Publisher Data models, RTF/Excel templates, bursting, scheduling, PDF/Excel/CSV outputs to replace scheduled Access reports and standardise enterprise output.

Python Python 3.x, pandas, oracledb/cx_Oracle, SQLAlchemy, openpyxl, XlsxWriter, logging frameworks to replace macros, automate extraction/transformation and generate report packs.

DevOps & Release Git, Azure DevOps/GitHub, CI/CD concepts, deployment documentation, environment management to make the solution maintainable rather than desktop dependent.

5. Experience Profile

8+ years of Oracle database development and SQL performance tuning experience.

5+ years of OAS/OBIEE and BI Publisher development experience.

5+ years of Python development for data/reporting automation.

3+ years of Microsoft Access/VBA migration or legacy reporting modernisation experience.

Experience working in financial services or another controlled enterprise environment is strongly preferred.

Ability to work independently with business, DBA, infrastructure, security and reporting teams.

6. Expected Deliverables

Current-state Access assessment and object inventory

Report and data lineage mapping from Access to Oracle/OAS/Python

Target-state architecture and migration strategy

Converted Oracle SQL/PLSQL objects and performance tuning notes

OAS dashboards, BI Publisher reports and schedules where applicable

Python automation framework with configuration, logging and error handling

Reconciliation evidence between legacy Access output and new output

Implementation, rollback and production validation plan

Operational runbook and support handover document

Knowledge transfer material for support teams and business users