Analytics

Use Scripted Sources

No 1 rule of model design in Birst is to never use raw sources as the basis for your model. Always create a scripted source, even if you don’t have any transformations planned for the source data. This gives you flexibility with any potential future modifications, such as adding new data sources, alterations to existing data sources, or the introduction of new or modified calculations.

Having a scripted source as the fundamental building block of your model, you preserve the integrity of the end-user experience by ensuring minimal disruption to the semantic layer in a majority of scenarios.

---

Value Based Design for Dashboards

The following video talks about the importance of dashboards, introduces Infor Birst’s Value Based Design (VBD) methodology and walks you through the basics of using VBD to create dashboards that add value to the decision-making process.

---

Limiting the values in a time-based filter

When you use a filter for time (i.e. Year/Quarter/Month), by default you get all the time categories starting from 1900. Change the filter values to match the timeframe of your reporting requirements for the space. Restricting the timeframe makes your reports more efficient and easier to develop. For example, if the source data for the space goes back only to the year 2000, you could set the minimum year to 2000, and you won’t see previous years in the Time filters on a report or dashboard.

You can find step-by-step instructions here:

Limit number of years/quarters/months visible in a filter

---