U.S. Army Europe saves more than $150,000 by automating database translation Customer: U.S. Army Europe Website: www.eur.army.mil “By using the Microsoft Translator API to automate SQL Customer Size: 29,000 soldiers Server data translation into English, we are able to Country or Region: Germany Industry: Military/public sector present senior leaders with universally usable data that Customer Profile supports better informed decisions.” U.S. Army Europe trains and leads Army Mark Hutcheson forces in 51 countries to support U.S. IT Specialist, U.S. Army Europe European Command and Headquarters, Department of the Army. Before migrating to Microsoft Dynamics CRM, U.S. Army Europe Benefits needed to translate portions of a SQL Server database used for ◼ Enhanced force protection ◼ Saved $150,500 in manual translation screening and hiring local nationals. Using the Microsoft costs ◼ Improved usability of data Translator API, Microsoft Visual C#, and the common language runtime (CLR) environment, engineers automated the translation Software and Services ◼ Microsoft Server Product Portfolio of select SQL Server data into English. As a result, the Army saved − Microsoft SQL Server 2012 about $150,500 (about 1,750 hours) in manual translation costs, ◼ Microsoft Dynamics CRM ◼ Microsoft Visual Studio avoided a seven-month delay, and maintained access to all of its − Microsoft Visual C# historical employment screening data. ◼ Technologies − Microsoft Translator API information was typically submitted in a − Transact SQL Business Needs U.S. Army Europe trains, equips, deploys, language other than English. and provides command and control of troops to enhance transatlantic security. To All of the application data was stored in a support that mission, it employs many local SQL Server database to be used for nationals for civilian jobs such as land- screening and hiring employees and scaping, food services, and maintenance. validating their access to the base once They apply for those jobs in their local hired. “This system provides a Europe-wide language through an online employment local national screening system, which is application. critical to supporting force protection,” says Mark Hutcheson, a civilian IT specialist for In the past, the application included fields U.S. Army Europe. For more information about other for applicants to enter a more lengthy Microsoft customer successes, please visit: description of the job they were applying By 2014 the database had hundreds of Microsoft.com/customers thousands of applications dating back 30 for along with their background and quali- years. At about that time, U.S. Army Europe fications. Most of the applicants came from surrounding European countries so that launched a project to migrate from a homegrown screening and human easily plug into the Microsoft Translator perspective is important for resources system to Microsoft Dynamics API,” says Lester. “SQL Server has a CLR identifying applicants who apply CRM. The goal was to streamline the environment that allows you to wrap .NET multiple times and may have been application process, provide more efficient code within SQL Server stored procedures. denied in the past. “When the data was analysis and reporting tools, and make Using Visual C# and SQL Server CLR, we in disparate languages, it created a layer more readily actionable data available to created a bridge between the Translator API of confusion,” says Hutcheson. “By using force leaders. and SQL Server to translate database the Microsoft Translator API to automate records natively with Transact SQL (TSQL).” SQL Server data translation into English, Before the migration, the non-English we are able to present senior leaders with information in the SQL Server database After discussing the idea with his Army universally usable data that supports needed to be translated to make it usable colleagues and members of the Microsoft for reporting and research. The challenge Translator team, Lester developed a proof better informed decisions.” was how to translate that data. of concept (POC) for the automated SQL Server translation tool. To maintain security, ◼ Saved $150,500 in manual translation “Manually translating those he designated text from just two columns costs. The U.S. Army Europe SQL Server of the database—including job titles, team estimated that manually translating thousands of records into background, and experience, but no the unstructured data stored in the English would be very labor personally identifiable information—to be database into English would have taken intensive and costly,” says translated. approximately 1,750 hours or 220 work days (about 7.3 months). That would have Hutcheson. “Leaving the data in The POC was approved quickly and Lester cost about $150,500 in salary and the native languages would spent less than 20 hours completing the benefits. In addition, manual translation code. He then released the translation tool limit the usability of the would have delayed the migration to to a test group of Army staffers stationed in Microsoft Dynamics CRM by more than Europe who simulated job applications database and would create seven months. entering non-English text. Several hundred security challenges.” rows of sample data were successfully The automated translation process was translated into English resulting in enthusi- fast and no additional cost was incurred. Fortunately, there was a third option astic approval from U.S. Army Europe. offered by Sam Lester, a Microsoft Premier The Microsoft Translator API was free Field Engineer who supports SQL Server The final version of the tool automatically because the volume of data translated applications for U.S. Army Europe. translated the several thousand records in was less than 2 million characters. In the historical database into English in just a addition, the Army already owned Solution few minutes. Once the translation was done, licenses for the products involved, and As planning for the Army’s Microsoft the team was able to automate database Lester’s time was included in the annual Dynamics CRM migration progressed, normalization to more efficiently organize Microsoft Premier Services contract. Lester focused on preparing the SQL Server the data and eliminate redundancies in database. He had started working with U.S. preparation for migrating to Microsoft ◼ Improved usability of data. By Army Europe in 2013 and was very familiar Dynamics CRM. translating all data prior to database with Microsoft Translator—a cloud-based normalization, all historical data was automatic translation service. Benefits normalized, not just the data that was By using the Microsoft Translator API to originally submitted in English. By Microsoft Translator technology powers create a SQL Server translation tool, U.S. automating the normalization process, translation features in many Microsoft Army Europe was able to expand the the CRM migration team saved roughly products, and provides a free (up to 2 usability of its local national screening 900 hours of manual effort. "When we million characters a month) public database, expedite translation, and save began, we had thousands of job titles in application programming interface (API) more than $150,000 in translation costs. several languages," says Lester. "After the that developers can use to incorporate automated translation process and automatic translation into their applications, ◼ Enhanced force protection. The ability normalization, we were able to condense websites, and tools. to accurately translate unstructured data the list down to a few dozen." into English enhances analysis and “Anyone who wants to incorporate reporting capabilities and the usability of language translation into their solution can data going back 30 years. The historical This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Document published June 2018. .