Role Playbook · 2026

BI & Analytics Lead

Dashboards that match the certified number. End the weekly "why doesn't this match finance?" ticket with lineage proof.

22 min read Runbooks Metadata only Apache 2.0

Executive summary

Publish certified MRR and revenue into BI. Deprecate rogue explores. Prove every calculated field back to the warehouse in one click.

BI sits at the end of the pipeline, so you catch every upstream mistake. Certified metrics and explore-to-warehouse lineage let you defend numbers with proof, not Slack threads.

1Trusted MRR across finance and product
HoursReconciliation vs multi-day war rooms
0Rogue explores on exec dashboards
01

What broken lineage costs you

Typical patterns for BI & Analytics Lead teams. Ranges, not guarantees.

Finance flags 2% delta

Multi-team war room for days

With Metroflow: Lineage shows explore calc vs certified metric.

Three MRR definitions

Stakeholders stop trusting dashboards

With Metroflow: Certified metric ID in every exec explore.

Stale explore Monday

Users see old data after DAG failure

With Metroflow: Proactive stale alerts from platform graph.

New analyst rebuilds logic

Shadow SQL duplicates certified metrics

With Metroflow: Rogue explore report weekly.

◇

Metadata only. Metroflow crawls schemas, job names, manifests, and dashboard definitions. Your production data rows never leave your network.

02

Your stack, one graph

Metroflow sits above the data path, not inside it. One searchable map for your entire role.

Every Looker explore should trace: tile → fct_revenue → stg_orders → source. Certified metrics sit in the middle. Explores reference IDs, not raw SQL forks.

03

Where are you today?

Most teams land at L1 or L2. Target L4 in 90 days.

L1Siloed docsWikis and spreadsheets disconnected from production.
L2Partial lineageSome tool lineage exists. Cross-layer gaps remain.
L3Unified graphOrchestration, warehouse, and BI in one map.
L4Certified metricsKPIs owned, enforced, and traced end-to-end.
L5Proactive opsPre-merge gates. Stale assets caught early.

Quick self-check

  • Answer "what breaks if X fails?" in under 15 minutes?
  • Cross-functional teams share one definition of core KPIs?
  • Incidents include downstream dashboard impact without Slack archaeology?
  • Changes include cross-layer impact checks before merge?
  • Named owners for certified metrics and critical pipelines?

0–2: Start Week 1 connect · 3–4: Certify metrics · 5: Add change gates

04

Choose your path

Every org is different. Pick the track closest to your context.

Looker-centric

Explores on warehouse views and dbt models

Priority: Migrate first: top 5 exec dashboards

Tableau + semantic layer

Mixed calculated fields and warehouse SQL

Priority: Migrate first: finance reconciliation workbooks

Self-serve heavy

Many authors, inconsistent definitions

Priority: Migrate first: certification + rogue explore policy

05

Who owns what

Assign decision rights up front. Metric fights are governance problems.

RoleOwnsOn Metroflow
BI leadExplores, dashboards, trustCertified metrics only on exec views. Rogue report weekly.
Analytics engineerdbt models, metric definitionsPR impact includes BI explores. Co-own specs.
FinanceReconciliationSame certified MRR as board deck.
PlatformFreshness, DAG healthAlert BI when explores will stale.
06

30 · 60 · 90 day rollout

A program with gates, not just a connector checklist.

Days 1–30

Map explores

  • Connect BI tool metadata
  • Lineage for top 10 dashboards
  • Inventory rogue SQL
Gate: Exec dashboard lineage documented
Days 31–60

Certify & migrate

  • Publish MRR + revenue specs
  • Migrate top 5 dashboards to certified IDs
  • Weekly rogue explore report
Gate: Finance agrees on one MRR
Days 61–90

Trust ops

  • Stale dashboard alerts
  • Reconciliation playbook
  • Zero rogue on exec dashboards
Gate: Zero finance reconciliation fire drills
07

Incident runbook

When looker_mrr_explore is in trouble. Follow this timeline.

T+0 · Detect
Finance flags delta

Looker MRR differs from finance sheet by 2%.

T+10 min · Compare
Lineage both sides
"Why does Looker MRR differ from the finance sheet?"
T+30 min · Root cause
Definition or pipeline

Rogue filter in explore vs certified metric.

T+1h · Fix
Migrate explore

Point to certified MRR. Deprecate old explore.

T+24h · Verify
Finance sign-off

Reconciliation doc with lineage proof.

Slack template

[BI] MRR reconciliation: root cause found Issue: Executive MRR explore used legacy refund logic (not certified metric) Fix: Migrated to certified MRR ID · finance delta resolved Owner: @bi-lead · Finance confirmed 4pm Metroflow lineage: [paste link]
08

Metric certification pack

Copy into your governance doc. One definition. One owner. Full lineage.

MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue)

Certify first
Formula
Sum of active subscription MRR per finance policy, USD.
Owner
BI Lead + Finance
Lineage
fct_subscriptions → Certified MRR → Exec dashboard

Dashboard trust score

Operational
Formula
% of exec dashboard tiles on certified metrics.
Target
100% by day 60.
Owner
BI Lead
09

Daily workflows

Four situations you will hit every week.

📊

Weekly dashboard review

  1. Freshness

    Any stale tiles?

  2. Certified check

    Rogue SQL on exec views?

  3. Finance sync

    Pre-reconcile before meetings.

⚖️

Finance reconciliation

  1. Open certified spec

    MRR formula and exclusions.

  2. Trace explore

    Tile → model → source.

  3. Fix or migrate

    Deprecate rogue logic.

🔀

When AE opens PR

  1. Review impact

    Affected explores listed.

  2. Sign-off

    Approve or request changes.

  3. Update dashboards

    If metric definition shifts.

🚀

New dashboard launch

  1. Certified only

    No raw SQL on exec tiles.

  2. Lineage doc

    Attach to dashboard README.

  3. Finance preview

    Before publish.

10

Copy-paste queries

Company Brain or lineage search. Context included.

Reconciliation
"Why does Looker MRR differ from the finance sheet by 2%?"
Rogue hunt
"List BI explores that do not use the certified MRR metric."
Lineage proof
"Trace MRR from fct_subscriptions to the executive dashboard."
Stale check
"Which exec dashboards are stale after last night's DAG failure?"
Impact
"What explores break if fct_revenue schema changes?"
Audit
"Show all calculated fields on the board deck and their sources."
11

Glossary

Plain English. "Why it matters" tells you when to care.

Explore
BI layer query (Looker) or workbook logic (Tableau).
Why: Where rogue definitions hide.
Certified metric
Approved KPI referenced by ID in BI.
Why: Stops calculated-field forks.
Rogue explore
Dashboard using non-certified SQL logic.
Why: Weekly report should trend to zero.
Lineage proof
Graph path from tile to warehouse source.
Why: Your reconciliation superpower.
Trust score
% of exec tiles on certified metrics.
Why: Report to Head of Data weekly.
Company Brain
Plain-English reconciliation queries.
Why: Hours not days for finance deltas.
12

Outcomes checklist

Measure if the program is working.

Success metric90-day target
Exec dashboards on certified metrics100%
Finance reconciliation timeHours vs days
Rogue explores on exec dashboardsZero
Surprise stale exec tilesZero per quarter

Ready to put this playbook to work?

Week 1: connect your stack and run your first blast-radius query. Week 4: certify your first KPI. Week 8: operationalize the runbook.

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