Blog articles

Ideas from Trace

Thoughts on business analysis, metric trees, AI, and the future of how companies understand performance.
Data's Role in Ideation vs Operation

Formalizing the eternal debate on data-driven versus using judgement

Vijay Subramanian
Two Distinct Personas in Last Mile Data Consumption

Addressing the needs for the two distinct personas who consume data

Vijay Subramanian
BI Tools as Interfaces for Exports?

Why BI tools are becoming UIs for exporting datasets

Vijay Subramanian
Data as a "Digital Twin" of the Business

How metric trees can map a digital twin of the business process

Vijay Subramanian
Metric Trees Represent the Final Data Modeling Step

Metric trees are the final modeling step for data consumption

Vijay Subramanian
Software vs Analytics Development Lifecycle

Examining the differences between software and analytics development

Vijay Subramanian
Next Frontier in Data Modeling

Modeling metrics in the next frontier to streamline data consumption

Vijay Subramanian
Automating a Data Analyst = Achieving AGI?

Exploring if truly automating analysis is akin to achieving AGI

Vijay Subramanian
The Future of Analytics is Metrics-First

Arguing why the future of analytics is a metrics-first operating system

Vijay Subramanian
Types of Metric Connections

Exploring the 3 types of connections in modeling metric trees

Vijay Subramanian
Analytics is Part Science and Part Engineering

Analytics needs a mix of scientific processes and engineering tools

Vijay Subramanian
Advancing Data Consumption vs Production

Exploiting the recent advances in data production to drive consumption

Vijay Subramanian
Can Analytics Work Be Assembly-Lined?

Examining analytics workflows as an assembly line process

Vijay Subramanian
Metric Trees By Any Other Name?

A short post on inter-related concepts to metric trees

Vijay Subramanian
The Operational Utility of Metric Trees: Three Examples

Using concrete examples to illustrate the power of metric trees

Vijay Subramanian
Metric Trees: A Classic 2x2 on Time and Process

Using a classic 2x2 framework to explore metric tree modeling

Vijay Subramanian
Unique Challenges with Modeling Process Grains

Diving into the unique challenges with modeling process grains.

Vijay Subramanian
Three Types of "Grains" in Analyzing Business Metrics

Diving into the 3 types of grains that permeate business metrics.

Vijay Subramanian
Jevon's Paradox in Data

Examining Jevon's Paradox in the data domain, and how to resolve moving forward.

Vijay Subramanian
The Powerful Action to Analysis Loop

The powerful loop is action yielding insights driving more action.

Vijay Subramanian
Metric Trees in the Footsteps of Frameworks like Kimball

Metric Trees could become a canonical framework like Kimball's

Vijay Subramanian
Metrics/Semantic Layers - To Be or Not To Be?

Looking at true organizational needs for a metrics layer solution

Vijay Subramanian
The Four Levels of Business Reviews

Examining the 4 "levels" at which business reviews are executed

Vijay Subramanian
High vs Low Functioning Data Cultures

High vs low functioning data cultures and associated impact on data ROI

Vijay Subramanian
Metric Trees as a "System of Record"

How metric trees can serve as an essential system of record.

Vijay Subramanian
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