Ready to pump up your analytics muscles? Welcome to the BI Workout: 10-Day Challenge! This is your fast, fun, and effective way to boost your Business Intelligence (BI) speed. Whether you’re a data newbie or a dashboard guru, this 10-day plan will help you go from sluggish to supercharged.
Each day is like a mini fitness sesh. Only, instead of lifting weights, you’ll be slicing data, trimming dashboards, and flexing your query-building skills!
What’s the goal?
By the end of this challenge, you’ll:
- Speed up your analytics workflow
- Create cleaner dashboards
- Write faster and smarter queries
- Become a BI ninja!
Let’s start sweating!
Day 1: Time Audit
First, we need a baseline. Track how much time you spend on analytics in a single day. Time creating dashboards, running reports, answering data questions — everything!
Grab a notepad or a time-tracking app. You’ll need this to compare your gains at the end.
Day 2: Dashboard Detox
Take a look at your dashboards. How many do you have? How many do you actually use?
- Delete old dashboards you never use
- Archive reports that are rarely needed
- Tag your go-to dashboards as favorites
This clears visual clutter and helps you focus.
Day 3: Template Time
Do you build every report from scratch? Stop!
Create templates for your most-used dashboards. Include:
- Standard layout
- Common filters
- Brand colors and fonts
Templates save time and keep things consistent.
Day 4: Query Squats
Like squats for your legs, this exercise builds power in your queries.
Pick a report and review its query. Now do this:
- Remove unnecessary columns
- Add LIMIT during testing
- Use indexed columns in WHERE clauses
- Consider using CTEs for clarity
Less is more! A lean query runs faster.
Day 5: KPI Crunch
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): we all love ’em.
But not all KPIs are equal. Too many confuse people. Today, identify your top 3 KPIs in your main dashboard and highlight them.
Ask yourself:
- Is this number actionable?
- Does this help users make decisions?
Cut the fluff. Keep it tight.
Day 6: Filter Sprints
Speed up data exploration with better filters!
Add value with:
- Default date ranges
- Dropdowns with user-friendly labels
- Quick “last 7 days” or “month to date” buttons
Make slicing and dicing fast and fun.
Day 7: Auto-Refresh Reps
How often does your data refresh? Once a day? Every hour?
Check your reports. Set auto-refresh to match real-time needs.
- Weekly report? Daily refresh is overkill 🔁
- Live sales monitor? Real-time is perfect 📈
Tune that frequency like a pro athlete tunes their training.
Day 8: Viz Remix
Charts are like outfits. Some look amazing. Some don’t fit.
Today, remix your visuals:
- Swap out pie charts (too many slices = messy)
- Use bar or line charts for trends
- Highlight outliers with color or shapes
Good visuals = better decisions. Period.
Day 9: BI Buddies
Even champions need team support. Reach out to a BI buddy and swap dashboards.
Ask them:
- “What confuses you?”
- “What’s working well?”
- “What would you change?”
Fresh eyes = fresh insights.
Day 10: Speed Test
Go back to Day 1’s time log. Now, do the same daily tasks again.
Check your time. Has it dropped?
If yes: Victory lap! 🏁
If no: still a win — you’ve cleaned up and leveled up.
Use this challenge again every few months to keep your BI skills in top shape. It’s like spring cleaning… but better, and with charts!
Bonus Tips!
Want to go above and beyond? Try these:
- Use keyboard shortcuts in your BI tool
- Enable caching where possible
- Rename fields clearly (no more “col_a_135”) ✂️
- Group related visuals on dashboards
- Write tooltips to guide users
Your Final Trophy
You’ve crushed the 10-Day BI Workout 💪
You’ve transformed slow, clunky reporting into a smooth, high-speed experience. Keep practicing. Like any workout, the more you do it, the stronger you get. Now get back out there and flex those data muscles!
