Cut Mining Reporting Prep by 360 Hours Annually in Excel and Power BI

Situation

The MRM team needed a more dependable data pipeline to support Power BI reporting. In a safety-first environment, reporting needs to be repeatable and auditable, not dependent on heroic manual cleanup.

They were managing multiple Excel workbooks tied to different production streams. Each workflow required recurring imports and refresh steps, often with variations in source files, contractor data, and shift details. They also needed a reliable error-correcting step in the Reflex process and consistent CSV outputs to support Power BI reporting.

The result was a reporting pipeline that worked, but demanded daily attention, repeat troubleshooting, and careful coordination across workbooks.

Solution

With operations spread across a large footprint, reporting workflows have to tolerate variation in source files and still produce consistent outputs.  ProsperSpark started by mapping how the MRM team’s production reporting actually ran day to day across Daily Drilling, Daily Activities, Mucking, and Diamond Drilling. From there, we focused on one theme: reduce manual handling by making imports repeatable, predictable, and resilient to “real world” file variation. Instead of replacing the client’s tooling, we built enhancements inside the existing Excel-based reporting system so the team could keep their familiar workbooks while eliminating the steps that were slowing reporting down or causing rework.

We implemented automated production-data extraction and imports to support Power BI dashboard refresh needs, then standardized outputs so downstream reporting could rely on consistent structures. Where the workflow required additional reliability, we embedded logic directly into the process, including a post-import error-correction step for the Reflex workflow and one-click UMF CSV generation. Each automation component was tested against real month data, debugged, optimized, and delivered as updated workbooks with handoff support for future phases.

Best build callouts:

• Standardized production data imports and field mapping to reduce manual cleanup and refresh failures
• Automated UMF CSV output generation for downstream reporting
• Embedded error correction into the Reflex process to prevent recurring rework
• Designed Mucking imports to handle any number of day/night workbook files across multiple sources

Results

ProsperSpark delivered an updated set of Excel reporting workbooks that automated the highest-friction parts of daily production reporting. Across drilling, mucking, drilling activities, and diamond drilling, the new workflows replaced repeated manual imports and “fix it as you go” cleanup with standardized import logic, consistent mapping, and predictable outputs. That meant the reporting process could run faster, break less often, and be easier to support as source files and contractor formats changed over time.

The Diamond Drilling + Reflex workflow was stabilized by merging automation into the production workbook, then running an automated error-correction step after import and carrying forward required tabs. In parallel, Daily Drilling and Daily Activities were enhanced to support contractor imports and additional operational detail, and Mucking and Drilling Activities automations were built out to reliably pull key production fields and client-defined data elements. Testing and debugging were performed using real month datasets, then the team delivered updated workbooks and collected feedback for refinement on the Diamond Drilling Reflex automation.

Best outcome callouts:

• Delivered automated Daily Drilling + Daily Activities workflows, including contractor imports and automated contractor fields
• Added personnel details + shift hours into the automated import process
• Built Mucking automation to import BZN/INT data for day/night workbooks across any number of files
• Resumed and completed Drilling Activities automation, including consumables/materials and other client-defined elements
• Implemented Diamond Drilling + Reflex integration with post-import error correction and daily UMF CSV export