SISS Data Services uses GitHub Copilot to deliver faster and better outcomes

Background

SISS Data Services, a leading financial data service provider in Australia, has delivered innovative data solutions for over ten years. The company has a reputation for pioneering the adoption of new technologies.

With the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) releasing an open banking environment, SISS Data Services saw an opportunity to revolutionise its offerings.

Work

Equinox IT, a New Zealand-based GitHub Verified Partner, partnered with SISS Data Services to support them on this transformative journey. The collaboration aimed to harness the potential of open banking and create a platform that meets the industry's current needs and sets a benchmark for future developments.

Equinox IT and SISS Data Services used GitHub Copilot to address these challenges. They began as early adopters of the beta version in 2021 and incorporated advanced features like Copilot Chat as they were released.

Powered by artificial intelligence, GitHub Copilot became central to the development process thanks to critical advancements:

1. Rapid code generation: Copilot's ability to suggest code snippets and complete lines of code significantly reduced development time, allowing the team to focus on more complex aspects of the project.
2. Enhanced collaboration: The integration of GitHub Copilot within the IDE fostered better peer programming sessions. Developers could rapidly iterate over code, leading to more innovative solutions.
3. Learning and adaptation: GitHub Copilot learned from the code, adapting to the team's specific needs and providing more relevant and efficient coding assistance as the project progressed.
4. Error reduction: AI-driven code suggestions significantly reduced the likelihood of human error, resulting in a more reliable and robust platform.

Outcome

The partnership between Equinox IT and SISS Data Services, bolstered by the cutting-edge technology of GitHub Copilot, led to the successful integration of SISS Data Services into the open banking environment.

Key achievements include:

• Accelerated development: SISS Data Services can implement new features around 20% faster, demonstrating the efficiency gains from using GitHub Copilot.
• High-quality platform: SSIS Data Services deployed a robust and compliant open banking platform despite the accelerated development.
• Innovation in banking services: The platform has opened new avenues for banking services, offering enhanced data security, end-user experience and innovative financial products.

This case study exemplifies how embracing cutting-edge AI tools like GitHub Copilot can transform the development process, leading to faster, more efficient and innovative outcomes.

GitHub Research Findings

The positive outcomes experienced by SISS Data Services in their adoption of GitHub Copilot have some similarities with the findings from GitHub's research study on the impact of Copilot on developer productivity and happiness [1]. The study, which surveyed over 2,000 developers, found that:

• Developers using Copilot completed tasks 55% faster on average than those not using the tool.
• 87% of developers reported that Copilot helped preserve mental effort during repetitive tasks.
• Between 60-75% of users reported feeling more fulfilled with their job, less frustrated when coding, and able to focus on more satisfying work when using Copilot.

These quantitative findings from the GitHub study validate the qualitative improvements observed by SISS Data Services, demonstrating that the benefits of AI-assisted development tools like GitHub Copilot are not isolated to a single case but are reproducible across a wide range of development contexts.

[1] GitHub. (2022, September 7). Research: quantifying GitHub Copilot's impact on developer productivity and happiness.