How a Company in Vancouver Solved a Problem Where a Company Spent More Than 30 Hours per Month Preparing Client Reports Manually Using Microsoft Foundry

In the bustling business scene of Vancouver, a mid-sized consulting firm was drowning in manual report preparation tasks that consumed over 30 hours every month.📊 Their critical client reporting process relied heavily on Microsoft Foundry, but the workflow was inefficient, error-prone, and time-consuming, delaying decisions and frustrating both employees and clients.

This case study explores how automation transformed their client report preparation process, significantly reducing manual workload and improving accuracy. We’ll walk through the challenges they faced, the approach RestFlow took to analyze and automate the workflow using powerful tools like n8n integrated with Microsoft Foundry and other cloud services, and share detailed technical insights into the automation architecture and workflow.

If you are a startup CTO, automation engineer, or operations specialist looking to optimize reporting processes or cut down on tedious manual work, this real-world Vancouver automation success story will provide valuable, step-by-step guidance backed by practical examples and data.

Along the way, don’t forget to Explore the Automation Template Marketplace and Create Your Free RestFlow Account to kickstart your automation journey.

The Problem: Manual Client Reporting Overloads Vancouver Consulting Firm

The client is a consulting services company specializing in market research and customer insights, based in Vancouver, Canada. Their finance and operations teams were responsible for preparing detailed client reports every month to track project milestones, billing, and KPIs.

Prior to automation, the process was heavily manual. Team members exported data from Microsoft Foundry’s business intelligence modules, cleaned and enriched data in Excel, compiled various client-specific metrics, and manually formatted reports. This repetitive task consumed over 30 hours monthly across multiple team members.

Key pain points included:

• Time Wasting: Over 30 hours spent on manual exports, data cleaning, and report assembly, delaying insights delivery.
• Errors: Manual copying and pasting caused data inconsistencies and mistakes that degraded report quality.
• Lack of Scalability: As client base grew, workload rose unsustainably.
• Visibility: No centralized dashboard or notifications for tracking report status or errors.

Consequently, report delivery times slipped, impacting client satisfaction and internal planning. The operations team needed a reliable, efficient way to automate report generation without sacrificing data accuracy or control.

Our Approach: RestFlow’s Automation Consulting and Design

RestFlow began by collaborating with the client’s operations, finance, and IT teams to map the entire reporting workflow. We conducted detailed discovery sessions to document data sources, processing steps, stakeholder interactions, and pain points.

We identified Microsoft Foundry as the core data source but recognized the need to integrate with additional tools including Google Sheets (for data transformations), Slack (for alerts), and the company CRM to enrich client metadata.

Given the complexity and need for a visual, maintainable orchestration layer, we proposed implementing a workflow using n8n—an open-source, scalable workflow automation tool suitable for complex multi-step business data processing.

Our high-level solution architecture included scheduled triggers to initiate reports, data extraction and validation from Foundry APIs, transformation steps using Google Sheets integration, dynamic report generation, and notifications via email and Slack.

This approach promised to reduce manual workload, improve accuracy, and enable easy future scaling to more clients and report types.

The Solution: Automation Architecture & Workflow

Architecture Overview

• Trigger: A scheduled cron job triggers the workflow monthly.
• Orchestration: n8n handles the workflow logic, data extraction, transformation, and notifications.
• Data Sources: Microsoft Foundry API for raw report data, Google Sheets for intermediate transformations.
• Integrations: Slack for alerting, Gmail for sending client-ready reports, CRM API to enrich client profile data.
• Outputs: PDF or Excel reports emailed to clients, notifications sent to internal Slack channels, and audit logs updated in Google Sheets.

End-to-End Workflow Walkthrough

1. Scheduled Cron Trigger: At 5 AM on the first of each month, n8n automatically starts the report preparation workflow.

2. Fetch Raw Data from Foundry: Using the Foundry REST API node, the latest raw project and billing data is extracted.

3. Validate and Clean Data: The workflow checks for missing or inconsistent data fields, correcting known formatting issues using data transformation nodes.

4. Enrich Data with CRM Info: For each client ID, the CRM API is queried to pull additional metadata (contact information, account manager).

5. Data Loading into Google Sheets: The cleaned dataset is uploaded to a dedicated Google Sheet for tabular processing and formula-based KPIs.

6. Generate Reports: After calculation, the Google Sheet triggers an Apps Script to export a PDF report for each client.

7. Send Reports by Email: The workflow sends personalized emails with PDF attachments to the respective client contacts via Gmail SMTP.

8. Slack Notifications and Logging: Success or failure notifications, along with summary metrics, are posted to dedicated Slack channels for transparency.

9. Error Queue Handling: Any records with issues are logged to a fallback Google Sheet and flagged for manual review.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🔍

Trigger Node: Monthly Scheduler

This node uses n8n’s built-in cron scheduler set to trigger at 5 AM on the first day of every month.
It kicks off the entire workflow.
Key configuration includes cron expression: 0 5 1 * *.

Data Extraction Node: Microsoft Foundry API

Configured with the company’s API credentials stored securely in n8n credentials manager.
The HTTP Request node calls Foundry’s REST endpoint /clientReports/data.
Headers include OAuth token.
Outputs raw JSON data including project IDs, billing amounts, and dates.
Example JSON path to extract billing info: $.reports[*].billingDetails.

Data Validation Node: Function Node

A JavaScript function node verifies mandatory fields aren’t empty, such as client ID and report date.
If validation fails, that record is routed to the error handling branch.
The node adds fields like validationStatus: ‘passed’ or ‘failed’.

CRM Enrichment Node: HTTP Request to CRM API

For each valid client ID, this node fetches detailed client contact info.
Uses CRM API token with read-only scope.
Matches contacts by email address.
Data fields mapped include clientName, accountManagerEmail.

Google Sheets Node: Data Upload & Processing

The dataset is updated into a pre-formatted Google Sheet workbook via n8n’s Google Sheets integration.
Key ranges configured: Sheet1!A1:H100.
Formulas in the sheet automatically compute KPIs like monthly revenue and outstanding tasks.

Report Generation Node: Apps Script Trigger

This node triggers a Google Apps Script bound to the Sheet that exports individual client reports as PDFs.
Reports are named dynamically using client ID and month.
Output URLs or file blobs are fed back into n8n for emailing.

Notification Node: Gmail Send Email

Uses Gmail SMTP credentials.
Email template includes personalized greetings, report attachments, and links to dashboards.
Variables are injected using n8n expressions such as {{$json[“clientName”]}}.

Alert Node: Slack Notification

Posts success/failure messages to a dedicated #client-reports Slack channel.
Includes summary: number of reports generated, time elapsed.
Errors include links to error logs.
Uses Slack Bot Token with permissions limited to the reporting channel.

Error Handling Node: Google Sheets Fallback

Stores failed records in a “Report Errors” sheet visible to the validation team.
Ensures no data is lost and allows manual correction.
Combined with Slack alerts for immediate visibility.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling and Retries

Each node in the workflow has built-in error catchers.
Failed API calls retry with an exponential backoff (initial delay 1 minute, up to 3 attempts).
Errors trigger fallback branches that store problematic entries and notify the team immediately.

Logging and Observability

n8n logs all run executions with detailed input/output data accessible via the UI.
Summary reports sent to Slack include metrics on failed vs successful reports.
Audit records are stored in Google Sheets with timestamps.

Alerting

Slack notifications and optional email alerts inform the operations team of failures or threshold breaches (e.g., report generation taking longer than 10 minutes).

Idempotency and Deduplication

Workflow ensures the same report is not sent twice for the same month/client by tracking report IDs in a persistent Google Sheet ledger.
Records are checked before email dispatch.

Security and Data Protection

• API keys and OAuth tokens are stored securely using n8n’s credential manager with restricted access.
• All connections use TLS encryption.
• Personal Identifiable Information (PII) such as client emails is handled according to company policies; only required fields are processed.
• Access control is enforced to restrict workflow changes to authorized engineers.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

This workflow is designed to scale as client volume grows:

• Queueing: Using delayed triggers and concurrency limits in n8n prevents API overload.
• Batching: Data extraction and report generation process clients in batches of 20 to optimize API calls.
• Webhook vs Polling: Scheduled batch triggers reduce the need for inefficient polling.
• Modular Workflows: The workflow is split into reusable subflows—data extraction, validation, notification—that can be extended or replaced independently.
• Versioning: n8n’s workflow version control combined with staging environments supports safe production updates.
• Managed Hosting: RestFlow’s cloud-hosted n8n instances ensure uptime, auto-scaling, and 24/7 monitoring.

Comparisons: Best Tools & Techniques for Reporting Automation

Automation Platform	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Free open-source, Paid cloud plans from $20/mo	Highly customizable, workflow visual editor, advanced error handling, self-hosting option	Requires more technical skills to set up
Make (Integromat)	Starts at $9/mo	Intuitive drag-and-drop, good app ecosystem	Less flexible for complex logic, limited long-term control
Zapier	Free limited tier, paid from $20/mo	Large app directory, easy for beginners	Limited multi-step workflows, less suited for complex reporting

Integration Trigger Method	Latency	Resource Use	Scalability
Webhooks	Low latency (near real-time)	Efficient (event-driven)	High scalability with proper concurrency handling
Polling	Higher latency (interval dependent)	Resource intensive (repeated calls)	Limited by API rate limits and server capacity

Storage Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
Google Sheets	Free up to quotas	Easy integration, spreadsheet formulas, user-friendly	Limited to spreadsheet size, concurrency issues for large datasets
SQL Database	Variable (cloud DB costs)	Scalable, robust querying, secure	Requires more setup and maintenance

Results & Business Impact

After implementation, the client experienced transformative benefits:

• Time Savings: Reduced monthly manual report preparation from 30+ hours to under 2 hours, a 93% decrease in labor time. [Source: internal client data]
• Improved Accuracy: Error rates in reports dropped from 15% to near zero due to elimination of manual copy-pasting.
• Faster SLA Compliance: Reports delivered 3 days earlier on average, enabling proactive client engagement.
• Enhanced Visibility: Operations team gained real-time dashboard and Slack alerts, improving transparency and responsiveness.
• Scalability: The workflow now supports a 40% increase in client volume without additional staffing.

This shift dramatically improved team morale by freeing staff from tedious tasks and allowed them to focus on higher-value analysis and client consultation.

Pilot Phase & Ongoing Maintenance Disclaimer

As with all complex automation projects, the solution underwent a rigorous pilot phase over one month. During this phase, the workflow was closely monitored with controlled datasets to identify and fix edge cases, fine-tune error handling, and verify data integrity.

Minor bugs related to API rate limits and data formatting were resolved collaboratively with the client’s IT and operations teams.

After successful pilot completion, RestFlow assumed responsibility for managed hosting, continuous monitoring, updating integrations with evolving APIs, and ensuring uptime.

This partnership model ensures long-term stability and adaptability as client needs evolve, with RestFlow as a trusted Automation-as-a-Service partner.

Conclusion

This case study highlights how automation dramatically transformed a Vancouver consulting firm’s client report preparation, cutting down a 30+ hour manual monthly process to just a couple of hours, while enhancing accuracy and timeliness.

By leveraging n8n’s powerful orchestration capabilities integrated with Microsoft Foundry, Google Sheets, Slack, and Gmail, RestFlow delivered a robust, secure, and scalable Automation-as-a-Service solution.

The step-by-step process—from discovery, architecture design, implementation, error handling, to maintenance—demonstrates best practices for any startup CTO, automation engineer, or operations specialist seeking to streamline complex business processes.

RestFlow remains a committed partner, offering end-to-end services including design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and ongoing maintenance, ensuring your automation workflows stay reliable as your business evolves.

If you’re ready to reduce manual effort and unlock operational efficiency, Explore the Automation Template Marketplace or Create Your Free RestFlow Account today and start building your future-ready automation.