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What are the best practices for documenting BI queries?

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BI queries are the core of any BI project, as they extract, transform, and analyze data from various sources to provide insights and answers to business questions. However, without proper documentation, BI queries can become confusing, unreliable, or outdated, leading to errors, inefficiencies, or miscommunication. Therefore, following some best practices for documenting BI queries can help you and your team maintain, share, and improve your BI solutions. Here are some of the most important ones.

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence

1 Use consistent naming conventions

One of the first steps to document your BI queries is to use consistent and descriptive naming conventions for your tables, columns, aliases, variables, and functions. This will help you and others understand the purpose and structure of your queries, as well as avoid conflicts or ambiguities. For example, you can use prefixes or suffixes to indicate the source, type, or format of your data elements, such as sales_raw, sales_clean, sales_avg, etc.

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James Muguro

Functional Business Analyst | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant
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Maintaining consistency and clarity in BI query documentation requires effective documentation. Establish consistent and descriptive naming conventions at the outset. To clarify logic, presumptions, constraints, and dependencies, use annotations and comments.

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence
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In my experience Adopting consistent and meaningful naming conventions for tables, columns, and variables, promoting uniformity and organization plays an important role

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2 Add comments and annotations

Another way to document your BI queries is to add comments and annotations throughout your code, explaining the logic, assumptions, and calculations behind your queries. This will help you and others review, debug, and modify your queries, as well as ensure that your results are accurate and consistent. For example, you can use comments to describe the data sources, filters, joins, aggregations, or transformations that you apply to your data, as well as the expected output and format. You can also use annotations to highlight any limitations, dependencies, or caveats that affect your queries, such as data quality issues, changes in definitions, or assumptions.

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence
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Add comments within the query code to explain the purpose of each section. This helps others (or even yourself in the future) understand the logic and intention behind the code.

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3 Use documentation tools and templates

Besides adding comments and annotations to your code, you can also use external documentation tools and templates to document your BI queries in a more structured and comprehensive way. For example, you can use a data dictionary to define and describe the data elements, attributes, and relationships that you use in your queries, as well as their sources, formats, and rules. You can also use a query log to track and record the history, version, and status of your queries, as well as any changes, issues, or feedback that you encounter. You can use various formats and platforms for your documentation tools and templates, such as spreadsheets, databases, wikis, or BI software.

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James Muguro

Functional Business Analyst | Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central Functional Consultant
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Sort relevant searches together, arrange them logically, and use version control. For efficiency, promote reusable elements like functions and templates. Put accessibility first by providing version control with audit trails and centralizing documentation sharing. Encourage cooperation by welcoming comments and updates. Utilize query editors, look into third-party tools for more sophisticated functionality, and share best practices by using templates and examples.

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence
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Keep the documentation up-to-date as the BI project evolves. When modifications are made to the queries, ensure that the corresponding documentation reflects these changes.

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Maikon Abati

Senior IT Manager | Business Intelligence Manager | Data & Analytics Manager | FDC MBA
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One of the best ways I know to document queries or code is through a Git repository (GitHub), using Markdown. It's a straightforward language to read and write, enabling the creation of documentation with clear and concise language. This helps new team members and supports the transfer of knowledge to others.

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4 Share and update your documentation

Finally, documenting your BI queries is not a one-time task, but an ongoing process that requires regular sharing and updating. You should make sure that your documentation is accessible, readable, and relevant for your intended audience, whether it is your colleagues, managers, clients, or stakeholders. You should also update your documentation whenever you make any changes to your queries, data sources, or business requirements, as well as when you discover any errors or improvements. By sharing and updating your documentation, you can ensure that your BI queries are reliable, consistent, and aligned with your business goals.

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence
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Keep the documentation up-to-date as the BI project evolves. When modifications are made to the queries, ensure that the corresponding documentation reflects these changes. Additionally, Engage with end-users and stakeholders to gather feedback on the documentation. Their insights can help improve clarity and address any potential confusion.

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Manna Das

Data Application Manager at Vaillant Group | Driving Data-Driven SCM Excellence
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If the query is tied to specific business reports or dashboards, cross-reference the query with the associated reports. This ensures alignment between the query logic and the expected business outcomes.

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What are the best practices for documenting BI queries?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Use consistent naming conventions

2 Add comments and annotations

3 Use documentation tools and templates

4 Share and update your documentation

5 Here’s what else to consider

Business Intelligence

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What are the best practices for documenting BI queries?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Use consistent naming conventions

2 Add comments and annotations

3 Use documentation tools and templates

4 Share and update your documentation

5 Here’s what else to consider

Business Intelligence

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