A key objective of OCS Data program is to provide suppliers with important supply chain and/or market information, such as unit sales and warehouse inventory levels, to help facilitate their product forecasting and enable greater fulfillment service levels.
With Level 1 access, OCS suppliers will be able to interface with OCS’s IT systems to gain insight into their products’ sales performance across Ontario.
With a Level 2 Data subscription, OCS suppliers will be able to access data pertaining to their competitors’ products to help determine relative market share and explore market opportunities. Data attributes include an inventory snap shot and data on unit/dollar sales at a SKU level – with various ways to filter and visualize data.
How do I enroll in the OCS Data Program?
As part of your supplier onboarding process, please contact us at dataprogram@ocs.ca to enroll in the Sale of Data program.
What are the key differences between Levels 1 and 2 of my subscription?
Both levels provide you with your own inventory and sales information. However, Level 2 provides you with your competitors’ sales information as well.
How do I receive access to the data to which I have subscribed?
The OCS Data Program is administered using Power BI, a Microsoft platform. You will include detailed login and access instructions in your onboarding email.
How is the Data Portal different from the Vendor Portal?
As a supplier to the OCS, you will be given access to our internal IT systems where you can view your Purchase Orders and invoices – this portal is colloquially known as the Vendor Portal, and can be found on the header of this web page. The Data Portal is administered via Power BI and is separate from the Vendor Portal.
How many accounts will I receive as part of the Data Program? Can I have multiple accounts?
For the time being, each supplier will receive only 1 account.
I currently use Power BI within my own organization – can you simply share the data from the OCS Data Program with my organization’s account?
At the moment, this feature is not supported.
Can I change subscription tiers?
You may upgrade from Level 1 to Level 2 at any time, but changing from Level 2 to Level 1 will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.