Case study · Health
A data warehouse that makes general practice data ready to use
WAPHA's network of Primary Health Networks found Primary Sense data hard to use for consistent reporting. We built an Azure Synapse data warehouse that turns it into trusted, documented datasets.
Outcomes
- 3 layers bronze, silver and gold, refining raw Primary Sense data into analysis-ready datasets
- Pre-built Power BI dashboards, with documentation, training and support for PHNs
The challenge
WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) is part of the Australian Government's Primary Health Network (PHN) program, which aims to strengthen, improve and connect the primary care system. WAPHA operates Primary Health Insights, a data storage and analytics platform that supports a network of PHNs across Australia. It hosts Primary Sense, a tool for extracting, analysing and managing general practice data confidentially and safely.
Primary Sense collects rich, clinically relevant information. But without curated, structured, ready-to-use data, consistent analytics and reporting were hard, and PHNs could not unlock its full potential.
WAPHA needed a secure, reliable and scalable data warehouse on a familiar technology stack. It had to be cost-effective, handle the complexity and size of healthcare datasets, and make them easy for PHNs to access and use.
Our approach
We worked closely with Primary Health Insights stakeholders to understand the technical requirements and end users' pain points. We chose a medallion architecture for its balance of performance and maintainability, and Azure Synapse Analytics because PHNs already knew it, and for its integration and scalability. dbt (data build tool) brought modular, transparent transformation logic with full traceability. We delivered in an agile way, with regular demonstrations and feedback from PHN teams.
Raw Primary Sense data lands in a bronze layer, is transformed into clean, standardised datasets in a silver layer, and is enriched for analysis in a gold layer. Synapse Spark pools process large volumes of data, and dbt manages the transformations with version-controlled logic and full documentation. The final datasets are stored in Delta Parquet format and exposed through Synapse serverless SQL endpoints, so they work with existing reporting and analytics tools.
The platform came with pre-built Power BI dashboards, documentation, and a training and support package so PHNs could adopt it easily.
The outcome
The new platform significantly improved the speed and reliability of data availability for PHNs. Data analysts now work with structured, trusted datasets with clear lineage and documentation, which means faster reporting and better decisions.
The architecture is ready for growth in data volumes and user needs.
“Interfuze delivered a practical, high-quality data warehouse solution that transformed the way PHNs use Primary Sense data. Their deep understanding of Azure and commitment to knowledge transfer stood out. Working with Interfuze gave us confidence that our PHNs could take full control of their data and extract real value from it.”
Where to next
Related work
The partner
- Microsoft at Interfuze Azure, data, AI and Copilot