Snowflake
Connect Excel to Snowflake with a private key on Windows
Create an encrypted private key, configure a Snowflake ODBC connection, and test that your Excel workbook refreshes after closing and reopening it.
Read articleData and analytics field notes
Practical notes on data engineering and analytics across Snowflake, Sigma, Power BI, Tableau, and ecommerce data systems.
Build or migrate in Sigma
Translate the formulas, check the results, and plan the move.
- Excel to Sigma formula examples
- Tableau calculations in Sigma
- Power BI DAX patterns in Sigma
- Plan a migration assessment
Make ecommerce numbers agree
Work through channel overlap, refund timing, and missing fees.
- Avoid counting the same order twice
- Reconcile Shopify refund and order dates
- Explain late Amazon fees and changing profit
- Build a daily scorecard by channel
Latest article
Latest guides
Sigma how-toUpdated Nov 1, 2026
Power BI DAX to Sigma formulas: a practical cheat sheet
Rebuild DAX calculations in Sigma with step-by-step setup, CALCULATE filter patterns, blank-count rules and ratio tests using downloadable sample data.
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Sigma how-toUpdated Nov 1, 2026
Tableau to Sigma functions and concepts: a practical cheat sheet
Rebuild Tableau calculations in Sigma with worked FIXED denominator, running-total and parameter examples, copyable formulas and filter-validation steps.
Read article
Guide
How to avoid double-counting Shopify, Amazon and TikTok orders
Separate the sales channel from the fulfillment provider, link mirrored orders, and reconcile revenue before combining Shopify, Amazon and TikTok Shop reports.
Read articleGuides and comparisons
Sigma how-toUpdated Nov 1, 2026
Excel to Sigma functions: a practical formula cheat sheet
Translate Excel formulas into Sigma with step-by-step setup, lookup diagnostics, monthly date filters, conditional totals and downloadable validation examples.
Guide
Map SKUs across Shopify, Amazon and TikTok without breaking margin
Build a product crosswalk with source IDs, dated mappings and explicit bundle quantities. Catch duplicate joins and missing costs before calculating product margin.
Guide
Shopify refund date vs order date: why monthly sales differ
A refund processed this month can belong to last month's order. Learn how event-date and order-cohort reporting differ and reconcile both without double counting.
Guide
Why Amazon profit changes after a sale: estimated vs actual fees
Amazon fee events can arrive after the order. Build a margin report that replaces estimates by fee component, exposes missing costs, and explains later changes.
Ecommerce
Blended, attributed, incremental, and marginal CAC: which one guides the next dollar?
Blended CAC describes the whole business, attributed CAC assigns credit, incremental CAC estimates cause, and marginal CAC asks what the next dollar buys.
Ecommerce
Bronze, silver, and gold data layers explained with an ecommerce order
Bronze keeps the data as it arrived, silver cleans and matches it, and gold shapes it for business use. Follow one order, a duplicate, and a late refund.
Ecommerce
9 ecommerce data sources worth connecting to a warehouse
Nine source types to consider for an ecommerce warehouse, with the question each answers, its useful key, a caveat, and when it's worth connecting.
Ecommerce
How do you calculate contribution margin LTV by acquisition channel?
Group customers by first order month and channel, compare cohorts at the same age, and subtract variable costs and CAC before you move spend.
Ecommerce
Daily ecommerce KPIs by channel: what belongs in the morning scorecard?
A daily ecommerce scorecard needs net sales, orders, new customers, ad spend, refunds, and data freshness by channel, each with a written denominator and cutoff.
Ecommerce
How do you combine Shopify, Klaviyo, and Recharge data into one customer view?
Join Shopify, Klaviyo, and Recharge on the right keys, count each renewal once, and keep skips as events so one customer timeline holds up.
Ecommerce
What can you do with business numbers you trust?
Trusted numbers let you make a specific call on spend, products, retention, or inventory, with an owner and a way to check the result. They don't prove cause.
Ecommerce
Why does building reliable ecommerce reporting take time?
Connecting sources is often the quick part. The time goes to history, matching records, business rules, cost timing, validation, and getting people to use it.
Ecommerce
Why do Shopify, finance, and marketing report different revenue numbers?
Each team counts a different thing on a different date. An ecommerce semantic layer names each revenue metric, its grain, time zone, and owner.
Migration cutoverUpdated Oct 21, 2026
10 checks before approving a Sigma migration cutover
Review acceptance evidence, permissions, delivery, ownership, recovery, and retirement decisions before switching users from Tableau or Power BI to Sigma.
Calculation acceptanceUpdated Oct 21, 2026
7 DAX measure tests to define before migrating Power BI to Sigma
Define expected behavior for Power BI measures before rebuilding them in Sigma, including totals, filters, distinct counts, dates, blanks, ratios, and relationships.
Tableau workflow reviewUpdated Oct 21, 2026
7 Tableau interactions to review before moving to Sigma
Document how people use Tableau before rebuilding their workflows in Sigma, from filter scope and parameters to actions, tooltips, navigation, and exports.
Migration pilotUpdated Oct 21, 2026
8 tests for choosing a useful Sigma migration pilot
Choose a Power BI or Tableau migration pilot that tests important calculations, shared dependencies, user workflows, and acceptance without becoming the whole project.
Choosing a consultantUpdated Oct 21, 2026
9 questions to ask a Sigma migration consultant
Compare Sigma migration consultants by asking about scope, data readiness, calculation review, security, validation, ownership, and handover.
Migration planningUpdated Oct 21, 2026
How long does a Power BI or Tableau migration to Sigma take?
Build a realistic Sigma migration timeline around data readiness, shared models, conversion, validation, business review, and cutover dependencies.
Migration planningUpdated Oct 21, 2026
How to plan a Power BI to Sigma migration
Scope a Power BI to Sigma migration around shared models, DAX definitions, data readiness, a representative pilot, and acceptance checks.
Migration planningUpdated Oct 21, 2026
How to plan a Tableau to Sigma migration
Plan a Tableau to Sigma migration around workbook dependencies, calculation behavior, source data, a representative pilot, and a controlled rollout.
Migration validationUpdated Oct 21, 2026
How to validate a Tableau or Power BI migration to Sigma
Validate a Sigma migration with matched data cutoffs, source-to-target comparisons, filter tests, access checks, and explicit business acceptance.
Migration planningUpdated Oct 21, 2026
What determines the cost of a Power BI or Tableau migration to Sigma?
Understand the work that drives Sigma migration costs, from shared models and data preparation to calculation fixes, validation, and rollout.
Migration assessmentUpdated Oct 21, 2026
What should a Sigma migration assessment include?
A useful Sigma migration assessment identifies assets, dependencies, data gaps, calculation risks, a representative pilot, and acceptance criteria.
Migration assessmentUpdated Oct 21, 2026
Which dashboards should you migrate, consolidate, or retire before moving to Sigma?
Prioritize Tableau and Power BI reports for a Sigma migration using business ownership, usage context, shared definitions, and downstream dependencies.
Snowflake
How to Connect ChatGPT to Snowflake (Step-by-Step)
Connect ChatGPT to Snowflake with MCP and OAuth. Find the account URL, client credentials, role, and default warehouse, then test access.
Snowflake
How to Connect Claude to Snowflake (Step-by-Step)
Connect Claude to Snowflake with MCP and OAuth. Find the account URL, client credentials, role, and default warehouse, then fix failed queries.
Snowflake
Snowflake Initial Setup: Roles, Warehouses and Grants
The roles, warehouses, resource monitors, databases, schemas, grants, and key-pair service user I create before the first data load reaches a new Snowflake account.
Sigma how-to
How to Build a Combo Chart in Sigma
Build a Sigma combo chart with revenue bars, a margin line, and a second axis. Follow the editor steps and handle partial months correctly.
Sigma how-to
How to Merge Cells in Sigma Using Table Grouping
Show a label once across rows in Sigma using table grouping. Follow the steps, compare pivot tables, and understand the limits of merging cells.
Snowflake
Snowflake Credit Spike? Check Query Compilation Time
Investigate a Snowflake credit spike with a query that compares compilation and execution time. Find the cause and reduce unnecessary warehouse runtime.
Amazon
Amazon Seller Fees in SP-API: Which Source to Use
Amazon fees come from financial events, settlement reports, and FBA fee reports. Here is which source to use for payouts, SKU margin, storage, and reimbursements.
Guide
BigQuery vs Snowflake vs Azure for Ecommerce
Which data warehouse is better for ecommerce brands? Compare BigQuery, Snowflake, and Azure Synapse for Amazon, Shopify, and DTC sellers with real pricing breakdowns and ecosystem integration analysis.
Guide
Power BI vs Tableau vs Looker vs Metabase for Ecommerce
Which BI tool is best for ecommerce brands? Compare Power BI, Tableau, Looker, and Metabase for Amazon, Shopify, and multi-channel sellers with pricing, features, and real implementation examples.
Guide
Fivetran vs Airbyte vs Daton for Ecommerce
Which data integration tool is best for ecommerce? Compare Fivetran, Airbyte, and Daton for Amazon, Shopify, and TikTok Shop with pricing, reliability analysis, and warehouse efficiency insights.
Guide
What Does a Sales Engineer Do at a Tech Startup?
An in-depth conversation about the role of a Solutions Engineer in technical pre-sales at a late-stage startup in the data and AI space.
Guide
What Is Snowflake? A Non-Technical Guide
A non-technical explanation of what Snowflake is and why it became a game-changer in the data warehousing space.
Guide
Tableau vs Power BI: An Honest Consultant Comparison
A comprehensive comparison of two leading business intelligence platforms based on years of consulting experience.