German Popken - Microsoft BI Specialist

Q: Where is German based?

German is based in Colle Diana, Netherlands and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does German speak?

German speaks the following languages: German (Native), Dutch (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Italian (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does German have?

German has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, German has worked in at least 22 different roles and for 17 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 2 months . Note that German may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is German's latest experience?

German's most recent position is Microsoft BI Specialist at Helaba .

Q: What companies has German worked for in recent years?

In recent years, German has worked for Helaba and DB Netz AG .

Q: Which industries is German most experienced in?

German is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance , Professional Services , and Information Technology (IT) . German also has some experience in Insurance , Telecommunication , and Transportation and Logistics .

Q: Which business areas is German most experienced in?

German is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Project Management , and Business Intelligence . German also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA) , Product Development , and Research and Development (R&D) .

Q: Which industries has German worked in recently?

German has recently worked in industries like Banking and Finance and Transportation and Logistics .

Q: Which business areas has German worked in recently?

German has recently worked in business areas like Business Intelligence and Information Technology (IT) .

Recommended expert

Colle Diana, Netherlands

Experience

Jul 2022 - Present

3 years 8 months

Germany

Microsoft BI Specialist

Helaba

Ongoing development of new requirements for application systems in the area of credit risk and operational risk.
Maintenance, optimization, and development of modern frontends for existing applications.
Tools: SQL Server 2008 R2–2019, SQL, VBA, .NET Framework, C#, VB .NET, WPF, XAML, MVVM, Unity Container, Infragistics, Entity Framework, Jenkins, Visual Studio, SSIS, SSRS, Power BI, Power BI Server, SSAS, Python, DAX, R, Tortoise SVN, HP ALM, CA Harvest Software Change Manager, CMM, Redgate SQL Toolbelt, ITSM, Bitbucket, Jenkins.
Skills: credit & operational risk management, business information analysis, DWH design & development, ETL, object-oriented design & development, error analysis & resolution, data quality, database performance tuning, IT system management.

May 2022 - Sep 2024

2 years 5 months

Germany

Microsoft BI Specialist

DB Netz AG

The NeMo team designs, builds, and manages the network monitor data warehouse for Deutsche Bahn.
This DWH contains rail network data for planning, usage, and monitoring.
The DWH consists of separate data warehouses for staging, core, and marts, organized by year and topic.
The DWH is optimized for big data and connected to about 30 source systems.
Implementation of agile stories to add geographic image data to rail objects.
Implementation of a data mart with interfaces to source systems.
Refactoring and optimization of the interface to GFD-Z through pair programming.
Tools: SQL Server 2016/2019, SQL, C#, Visual Studio 2019, SSIS, Git, Gitlab, ReadyApi, Groovy, Python.
Skills: rail infrastructure, complex ETL for large datasets, testing.

Mar 2018 - Dec 2021

3 years 10 months

Germany

Microsoft BI Specialist

Helaba

Maintenance and optimization of a complex credit risk management system with over a million lines of code.
Implementation of a debug code trail for efficient error analysis and extension of backend and frontend functionality.
Work on MS Office integrations (Access, Excel, Word) using complex object-oriented design patterns.
Involvement in developing a new C# .NET frontend and complementary peripheral tools in VB .NET.
Designing and implementing databases and applications, including an HR reporting database based on SAP data.
Performing statistical analyses of operational risk data using Python and R scripts.
Tools: SQL Server 2008 R2–2019, SQL, VBA, .NET Framework, C#, VB .NET, WPF, XAML, MVVM, Unity Container, Infragistics, Entity Framework, Jenkins, Visual Studio, SSIS, SSRS, Power BI, Power BI Server, SSAS, Python, DAX, R, Tortoise SVN, HP ALM, CA Harvest Software Change Manager, CMM, Redgate SQL Toolbelt, ITSM, Bitbucket, Jenkins.
Skills: credit & operational risk management, business information analysis, DWH design & development, ETL, object-oriented design & development, error analysis & resolution, data quality, database performance tuning, IT system management.

Sep 2016 - Feb 2018

1 year 6 months

Netherlands

Business Information Analyst

Aegon

Analysis and documentation of the current situation to prepare for agile methods.
Led an analysis phase to gather business and data requirements for 4,000 data fields and 10,000 lines of SQL code.
Designed a relational data model and implemented a Data Vault model due to data quality issues.
Migrated SQL Server 2008 R2 to an Azure SQL DB instance with a four-layer DWH architecture (Landing Zone, Control Tables, Data Vault, Data Marts).
Developed a frontend solution with Power Apps for iPads.
Implemented the entire DWH architecture including SQL queries, SSIS packages, and SSRS reports.
Performed statistical analyses of source data using Python and R scripts.
Took on the Scrum Master role and technical leadership of a four-member team.
Tools: SQL Server 2008 R2, Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL DWH, Power BI, Power Apps, Azure Functions, SQL Server 2016, PowerShell, VSTS, Visual Studio, SSIS, SSRS, Python, R.
Skills: mortgages, business information analysis, DWH design & development, ETL, Agile Scrum.

Dec 2014 - Jun 2016

1 year 7 months

Netherlands

SQL Server Database Administrator

ING

Responsible for resolving infrastructure incidents in SQL Server, Windows Server, and Sybase ASE in the Master Control Room.
Developed reports to measure the performance of the SOS team.
Developed and implemented a time management application in Excel/Access/VBA.
Tools: SQL Server 2000 - 2012, HA Clusters, Windows Server 2000-2012, PowerShell, TSM, HPSC, Excel, Access, VBA, Sybase ASE, RHEL7, VMWare vSphere, Oracle 11, IIS, Citrix XenApp, SCOM, SCCM.

Dec 2013 - Jul 2014

8 months

Netherlands

Business Intelligence Analyst / BPM / QA Manager / Scrum Master

APG

Analyze and map department processes (technical, business and operational management) through workshops.
Detail program planning and lead requirements management for a new BI architecture.
Perform quality assurance of the portfolio for the APG reorganization and provide technical consulting for EPM implementations.
Design schedules in EPM and SAP CATS as well as reports in SAP BI and FICO.
Develop a portfolio KPI dashboard, a portfolio registry tool and a portfolio management annual cycle.
Introduce agile principles and the Scrum methodology in the BI team.
Tools: BI, ETL, data quality, Cognos, workshops, ITIL, ASL, Prince2, Scrum, Excel/VBA, VB.Net, SAP CATS, SAP BI, SAP FICO, PL/SQL.

Aug 2011 - Dec 2013

2 years 5 months

Netherlands

Project Manager / Implementation Specialist / QA Manager / Analyst

ABN AMRO

Lead the implementation of an Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution for the model management chain.
Create project charters, detailed plans and lead a team of three.
Configure MS Project Server, SharePoint, SQL Server and SSRS.
Manage stakeholders with internal audit and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB).
Develop a custom data warehouse (DWH) and over 100 management reports.
Conduct a situational analysis on risk model governance and report to the board.
Develop KPIs and a chain QA tool in MS Access and VBA.
Tools: MS EPM, MS Project Server, SharePoint 2010, SQL Server, SSRS, PL/SQL, Excel/VBA, MS Project/VBA, ARIS, Business Objects, Access.

Jan 2011 - Jun 2011

6 months

Netherlands

QA Manager / Configuration Manager

ABN AMRO

Implement issue, change, QA and configuration management for the MISTRAL data migration project.
Develop an MS Access application for project control and time tracking.
Tools: HP Quality Center (QC), MS Access/VBA, workshops, interviews.

Sep 2010 - Jan 2011

5 months

Netherlands

Technical Specialist / Requirements Manager

ABN AMRO

Create schedules for dry runs and final runs of the TIGA migration with about 5,000 records.
Develop a scheduling application with interfaces between MS Project, Excel and SharePoint.
Develop a QA control application for automated weekly input stream checks.
Train users and hand over documentation to IT management.
Tools: VBA, MS Project, SharePoint, Excel, Agile/Scrum.

Jun 2010 - Jul 2010

2 months

Netherlands

Application Developer / BIA-BPM

British American Tobacco

Analyze and document existing bonus processes and information flows for the outlet bonus system.
Redevelop the bonus application in Agile/Scrum style in collaboration with key users.
Provide system documentation and user training.
Tools: VBA, Excel, VB.Net, BIA/BPM.

Jan 2010 - Jun 2010

6 months

Netherlands

QA Manager / Technical Specialist

Fortis

Quality assurance and requirements management for the bank-wide rebranding program.
Visualizing plans using the MS Project interface with PowerPoint, Visio, and VBA.
Analyzing and fixing technical issues in the joint legal merger planning with ABN AMRO.
Developing an MS Project-Excel interface to provide basic plans.
Tools: VB.Net, MS Project/VBA, PowerPoint/VBA, Visio/VBA, Final Cut Pro, Photoshop.

Sep 2009 - Dec 2009

4 months

Netherlands

Technical Specialist

ABN AMRO

Developing a scheduling system for the TIR migration with a central MS Project and decentralized Excel usage.
Building an interface application in VB.NET and a QA control application.
Managing requirements and training users.
Tools: MS Project/VBA, VB.Net, Excel/VBA, Agile/Scrum.

Feb 2009 - Aug 2009

7 months

Netherlands

Various Internal Tasks

CGI

Setting up portfolio management for Achmea and advising Rabobank.
Instructing Clarity and Open Workbench.
Contributing to Lean Six Sigma training and bid management for Astellas/Primavera.

Aug 2006 - Jan 2009

2 years 6 months

Netherlands

QA Manager / Program Office Lead / Application Developer

ING

Reorganizing and leading the program office for ING-TANGO Business Banking.
Handling QA management, requirements, and dependency management for the Call2ING call center program.
Developing a thermometer application to display program progress.
Implementing a weekly QA check cycle and resolving over 100 QA issues.
Tools: Prince2, VB.Net, MS Project/VBA, Excel/VBA, Clarity, Access/VBA.

Feb 2006 - Aug 2007

1 year 7 months

Leeuwarden, Netherlands

Project Manager / Technical Specialist / Functional Manager

Friesland Bank

Leading the technical installation and migration of project data for an in-house EPM setup.
Functional manager for the hosted EPM solution and support for the 1st and 2nd line helpdesks.
Delivering MS Project and EPM training for project managers.
Developing billing reports and custom queries based on the EPM database.
Improving resource management processes and creating a project quality system.
Tools: Project Server, SharePoint Server, SQL Server, SSRS, PL/SQL, Excel/VBA, MS Project/VBA, Access/VBA.

Apr 2005 - Feb 2006

11 months

Netherlands

Program Manager

ALD / Société Générale

Responsible for overall project management, resource management, and risk management for the Vulcan NL pilot project.
Led the program office and conducted situation and problem analyses.
Temporarily led the reporting project outsourced to India.
Reorganized the central program and subprojects in a structured way.
Tools: Agile/Scrum, Prince2, Managing Successful Programs (MSP).

Oct 2004 - Mar 2005

6 months

Netherlands

Program Office Lead / QA Manager

ING

Set up a program office for a mortgage management program.
Led a team of four and implemented a reporting cycle.
Quality assurance to resolve technical and organizational issues.
Tools: Business Objects, Agile/Scrum, Prince2, MS Project, RUP, UML.

Jan 2003 - Sep 2004

1 year 9 months

Netherlands

IT Project Manager

AGIS

Represented AGIS at the cooperation organization VECOZO to develop national data exchange standards.
Project management for implementing Exonet SOAP services.
Implemented change and release management for the Poseidon claims processing system.
Led the development of a new web portal including package selection (IBM WebSphere / Bea WebLogic).
Configured the WebLogic server and set up SOAP services for the DB2/Cobol backend.
Tools: Agile/Scrum, Prince2, DB2, Cobol, Tuxedo, UniFace, Bea WebLogic, Java, Clarity.

Sep 2001 - Dec 2002

1 year 4 months

Netherlands

IT Project Manager

AGIS

Responsible for package selection and requirements management for a PM tool.
Performed Clarity configuration within Oracle and worked as a Clarity trainer.
Tools: Clarity/Niku Workbench, Oracle, PL/SQL.

Mar 2001 - Jun 2001

4 months

Netherlands

IT Project Manager

AGIS

Created a project management manual to professionalize the IT department.
Trained project managers and staff.
Performed quality assurance for all IT projects.
Tools: Prince2, Agile/Scrum, Workshops.

Nov 2000 - Mar 2001

5 months

Netherlands

Project Manager

CMG / ENECO

Project management for a ten-person team implementing changes to the ENECO GIS.
Delivered the project on time and within budget under a fixed-price contract.
Tools: UML, RUP, SmallWorld, Magik, Unix, VB6, Prince2.

Jan 2000 - Nov 2000

11 months

Netherlands

Application Developer / Technical Specialist

CMG / KPN

Performed situational and process analysis for a technical management system (TORCAD).
Implemented and configured MicroStation.
Developed additional functionalities and migrated existing data.
Documented the system and trained users and administrators.
Tools: BIA/BPM, Intergraph MicroStation, VB6, BOBOCAD.

Dec 1997 - Jan 2000

2 years 2 months

Netherlands

Application Developer / Tester / Functional Manager

CMG / KPN

Programming and database design for a sales management system (Leistung '97/'98).
Designed functional specifications, test cases, and executed automated tests.
Led the testing project and carried out a nationwide rollout.
Served as functional manager and provided helpdesk support.
Tools: MS Access, VB6, SQL Server, PL/SQL, Testframe, Oracle, C++.

Sep 1997 - Dec 1997

4 months

Netherlands

Application Developer

CMG / NUON

Programmed and tested modules for a GIS gas network management project.
Tools: VB, SmallWorld, Magik, Unix, Emacs.

Jul 1994 - Jul 1997

3 years 1 month

Netherlands

R&D Project Manager

Intomart

Analyzed and documented market research processes for ISO 9001 certification.
Conducted secondary research on European funding opportunities and created a corresponding manual.
Developed a mobile GIS/GPS system to measure outdoor advertising reach.
Programmed GPS and data collection devices and established mathematical algorithms for route planning.
Conducted statistical analysis of displacement data.
Tools: ISO 9001, MapInfo, dBase, VB, Delphi, Clipper, SPSS, GPS, MATLAB.

Jul 1993 - Jul 1994

1 year 1 month

Netherlands

Project Manager / Application Developer / Information Analyst

Freelancer

Design and development of a geographic information system for the Environmental Police of Drenthe.
Development of a knowledge system for manure discharge regulations, including decision tree analysis.
Conducted information analysis to develop the SUF 2.1 exchange standard format for pipeline data.
Synchronization of requirements between various network administrators (KPN, Lima GAS, WML, Enexis).
Tools: ArcView, ArcEditor, VB, Clipper, dBase, SDM, MicroStation.

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Banking and Finance (17.5 years), Professional Services (5 years), Information Technology (4 years), Insurance (3.5 years), Telecommunication (3 years), and Transportation (2.5 years).

Banking and Finance

Professional Services

Information Technology

Insurance

Telecommunication

Transportation

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Information Technology (22.5 years), Project Management (19.5 years), Business Intelligence (15 years), Quality Assurance (10.5 years), Product Development (3.5 years), and Research and Development (3 years).

Information Technology

Project Management

Business Intelligence

Quality Assurance

Product Development

Research and Development

Summary

German Popken is an all-round IT pro with over 30 years of experience in ICT. With 30 years as an application developer, 11 as a project manager, 24 as a technical specialist at Microsoft, and 9 years as a QA manager, he's really a jack-of-all-trades, but his main interest is technology.

In the last 25 years, German has worked as a DBA, designer, and developer for backend and frontend applications. He specializes in MS SQL Server, .NET Framework (C# and VB) and MS Office integration with VBA, using OOP, test-driven development and modern design patterns.

Skills

Market & Industry Experience

Transportation
Credit / Operational Risk
Banking
Pension Management
Automotive Industry
Health Insurance
Telecommunications
Utilities
Market Research
Government

Knowledge & Skills

Sql Server Dba / Business Information Analyst
Project Manager
Technical Specialist / Implementation (Epm)
Application Developer (Ssis, Pl/sql, Ssrs, Ms Access, Sql Server, Vba, .Net, C#, R, Mvvm, Wpf)
Qa Manager
Information / Process Analyst

Functions / Roles

Application Developer
Technical Specialist
Project Manager
Business Information / Process Analyst
Qa Manager
System Manager
Scrum Master
System Implementation Specialist (Epm)
Functional Manager
Program Office Manager
Program Manager
Bid Manager

It Skills (Application Development / Technical Specialist)

Vb, Vb6, Vb.net
Vba
Sql
Ms Access
Ms Sql Server
Visual Studio
Ms Excel
Ssis
Ssrs
Ms Project
Powershell
Ms Epm (Project Server)
C++ / C# / .Net Framework
Ssas
Ms Sharepoint
R
Vsts
Oracle
Microstation Gis
Smallworld Gis (Magik)
Arcinfo
Idrisi
Sybase Ase
Uniface
Postgresql
Pentaho
Python

Methodology / Methods

Scrum
Workshops
Interviews
Prince2
Itil / Itsm
Dsdm
Sdm
Rup / Uml
Asl
Din 9001
Iso 14001

Application Development / Technical Specialist (Additional Skills)

Pl/sql, T-sql
Vba
Ms Excel
Ms Epm
Ms Project
Ms Access
Python
Spss
Microstation Gis / Cad
Smallworld Gis
Mapinfo Gis
Windows Server (2003/2008/2012)
Active Directory
Unix / Linux / Rhel 7
Dbase / Clipper
Java
Vmware
Sun Solaris
Ms Dynamics

Languages

German

Native

Dutch

Native

English

Advanced

French

Advanced

Italian

Advanced

Education

Newcastle University

Bachelor · Geo-Information Natural Sciences · Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

University of Groningen

Bachelor's Degree · Civil Engineering / Geoinformation Sciences · Groningen, Netherlands

University of Groningen

Physics (propaedeutic) · Groningen, Netherlands

...and 1 more

Certifications & licenses

VMware VCP6

70-462 Administering SQL Server Databases

Master Class Management of Change

CGI Courses

Lean Six Sigma White Belt, CMG

CMG

Computer Associates: Clarity 8.1

CGI Courses

Master Class in Mortgages

CGI Courses

Prince2 Foundation, Practitioner

CGI Courses

Microsoft Certificate VB6

AGIS Courses

Profile

Created

December 2024

Last Update

November 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is German based?

German is based in Colle Diana, Netherlands and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does German speak?

German speaks the following languages: German (Native), Dutch (Native), English (Advanced), French (Advanced), Italian (Advanced).

How many years of experience does German have?

German has at least 31 years of experience. During this time, German has worked in at least 22 different roles and for 17 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 2 months. Note that German may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would German be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, German would be well-suited for roles such as: Microsoft BI Specialist, Business Information Analyst, SQL Server Database Administrator.

What is German's latest experience?

German's most recent position is Microsoft BI Specialist at Helaba.

What companies has German worked for in recent years?

In recent years, German has worked for Helaba and DB Netz AG.

Which industries is German most experienced in?

German is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance, Professional Services, and Information Technology (IT). German also has some experience in Insurance, Telecommunication, and Transportation and Logistics.

Which business areas is German most experienced in?

German is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Project Management, and Business Intelligence. German also has some experience in Quality Assurance (QA), Product Development, and Research and Development (R&D).

Which industries has German worked in recently?

German has recently worked in industries like Banking and Finance and Transportation and Logistics.

Which business areas has German worked in recently?

German has recently worked in business areas like Business Intelligence and Information Technology (IT).

What is German's education?

German holds a Bachelor in Geo-Information Natural Sciences from Newcastle University, a Bachelor in Civil Engineering / Geoinformation Sciences from University of Groningen and a Bachelor in Physics (propaedeutic) from University of Groningen.

Does German have any certificates?

German has 8 certificates. Among them, these include: VMware VCP6, 70-462 Administering SQL Server Databases, and Master Class Management of Change.

What is the availability of German?

German is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of German?

German's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.