Every business generates mountains of data through daily operations, from purchase orders and inventory movements to sales transactions and customer interactions. While this data contains valuable insights that could transform your business decisions, extracting meaningful patterns often feels overwhelming. That's where BI Vision transforms your approach to business intelligence.
BI Vision is an enhanced analytics platform that goes far beyond basic reporting. Rather than simply showing you what happened, it helps you understand why it happened and what you should do next. By providing sophisticated cross-filtering capabilities, custom dashboards, and automated tracking across five critical business contexts, BI Vision turns your operational data into strategic advantage.
Accessing BI Vision
From the main menu, select "Business Intelligence".
Select the business area (context) you want to analyze:
Purchases
Inventory
Production
Sales
Customers
Click the "Vision" tab or select "Explore More" from any component in the Foundation tab.
Important: Ensure BI Vision has been added to your subscription by your Account Owner or Account Partner, and verify you have the appropriate BI Vision context permissions for your role.
Using BI Vision
Contexts
BI Vision organizes your business insights around five fundamental contexts that drive performance:
Purchases: Understanding your supplier relationships, order efficiency, and procurement costs to optimize your supply chain and reduce expenses.
Inventory: Gaining visibility into stock levels, turnover rates, and holding costs to balance availability with working capital efficiency.
Production: Analyzing assembly costs, completion times, and waste patterns to streamline manufacturing operations and improve profitability.
Sales: Tracking revenue performance, customer behavior, and channel effectiveness to accelerate growth and maximize margins.
Customers: Examining customer acquisition, retention, and value patterns to strengthen relationships and increase lifetime value.
Each context provides specialized Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and interactive dimensions that work together to reveal the complete story behind your business metrics.
KPIs and dimensions
Once you've explored the default layout, experiment with cross-filtering by selecting different elements within dimensions. Notice how KPIs change when you filter by specific products, time periods, or business segments. These interactions often reveal unexpected insights that lead to actionable improvements.
Select a KPI: Click on any KPI tile in your chosen context. This becomes your primary measure for analysis.
Watch Dimensions Update: All graphs, charts, and tables below automatically refresh to show insights related to your selected KPI.
Explore Dimension Details: Hover over the "i" icon on each dimension tile to see detailed descriptions of what the dimension measures.
Use the date range drop-down in the top right corner of each context, excluding Inventory, to apply either a pre-set or custom time period for analysis. The pre-set date ranges available are:
Month to date
Quarter to date
Year to date
Last Month
Last Quarter
Last year
Cross-filtering functionality
The true power of BI Vision lies in its cross-filtering capabilities. Traditional reports show isolated metrics, but BI Vision reveals the connections between different aspects of your business.
Click on any bar, segment, or data point within a context's dimension. For example, click on a specific supplier in the "Supplier ranked" dimension.
All other dimensions in the context will automatically filter to show data related only to your selection. KPIs recalculate to reflect this filtered view.
Layer additional filters by clicking on a subsequent bar, segment, or data point within the filtered view.
Remove individual filters by clicking on the x icon in the selected elements.
Example: When you select a specific product group in Sales, you immediately see which customers buy products of that Product Group, which salespeople are most effective with that category, and which warehouses ship the most units, all updating in real-time.
Dimension views
Beyond basic cross-filtering, BI Vision offers sophisticated tools for customizing how you view and interact with your data.
Click on the graph or chart icon to decide how the dimension's data is displayed:
Pie chart
Bar graph
Table
Click on the magnifying glass icon in a dimension to manage the dimension's data volume and filter for specific results. Click on the Show drop-down menu to filter the dimension by either the First 100 results or a custom range; select First > enter a data volume > click Apply Settings. Click on the next field to filter by specific dimension's values, using the checkboxes to include or exclude results.
Export insights
Take a screenshot of the Vision tab, including all the current dimensions and filters:
Click on the vertical 3-dot icon in the top right corner of the Vision tab.
Click on the Screenshot drop-down menu.
Select how the format the screenshot will be downloaded in:
Screenshot as PDF.
Screenshot as PNG.
Exporting dimensions
Download individual KPI dimensions into a sharable format:
Click the download icon on the dimension you want to export
Choose your preferred format:
Export to PNG
Export to SVG
Export to PDF
Export to CSV
Custom Layouts
Consider creating custom layouts that align with your regular business reviews. If you conduct weekly sales meetings, design a Sales layout that displays the metrics most relevant to those discussions. This preparation transforms meetings from status updates into strategic planning sessions.
Create a Custom Layout
To build a custom layout for a BI Vision context:
Navigate to Business Intelligence > {Context} > Vision tab.
Click on the layout drop-down menu.
Select "NEW CUSTOM LAYOUT".
Enter a unique layout name (required).
Click on the + icon at the top to add a new component to the layout.
Click on the x icon in a component to remove it from the layout.
Drag and drop components into their preferred position.
Drag the corners of the components to resize them.
Click Create.
Manage Custom Layouts
After a template has been created, it can be updated at any time. To edit a layout:
Navigate to Business Intelligence > {Context} > Vision tab.
Click on the layout drop-down menu.
Select the custom layout.
Click on the edit icon.
Make any necessary edits.
Click Save.
Whilst editing, you can use the following icon functions to update a layout:
The Share toggle will make the layout available to other users.
Click on the + icon, tick the checkboxes in the Components pop-up window and select Add Components to include them in the layout.
Click on the eraser icon to remove all components from the layout.
Click on the left arrow to revert the layout to it's previously saved design.
Click on the bin icon to delete a layout.
Make a layout your default view for the BI Vision tab:
Navigate to Business Intelligence > {Context} > Vision tab.
Click on the layout drop-down menu.
Select the custom layout.
Click on the bookmark icon.
Historical data
For businesses transitioning from other systems or seeking long-term trend analysis, BI Vision's historical data integration capability provides continuity and deeper insights. This section guides you through the process of importing legacy data to enhance your analytical foundation.
Historical Upload Prerequisites
Ensure all customers, salespeople, customer types, sales groups, product groups, and products exist in your account at least one hour before upload.
Verify you have "Upload historical sales revenue under BI Vision" permission.
Prepare complete sales order and invoice data from your previous system.
Note the 100MB file size limit and five-year data recommendation.
There is a limit of 10 upload attempts per 24 hours.
Upload Historical Data
Navigate to Business Intelligence > Sales > Vision tab
Click the vertical three-dot icon in the top right corner.
Select "Upload Historical Sales Data".
Download the three required templates:
Historical Data Sales Order template
Historical Data Sales Invoice template
Historical Data Credit Note template
Fill in your historical data using the downloaded templates.
Upload each completed template to its designated upload space.
Click "Submit" to begin processing.
🤓 Tip: We recommend scheduling uploads during off-hours to minimize system impact. And bear in mind that each upload replaces previous historical data, so always include complete transaction sets.
Purchases
The KPIs and dimensions available in the Purchases context of BI Vision can help you answer purchasing related questions, such as:
Who are the top suppliers I place orders with, based on the value of the products purchased?
Who are my suppliers with the most Open orders and what is the current status of these open orders?
On average, how long does it take for Purchase Orders (PO) to be delivered, and which suppliers have the longest and shortest lead times?
Tip: Default Supplier lead times can be set per supplier so that when you create a new PO the number of days will be added by default to the PO's required date.For a selected product, who are my suppliers?
Which supplier has the most supplier returns, and what was the reason for return?
Purchases KPI's
The Purchases context in BI Vision offers 12 KPI's:
Created PO Value
Open PO Value
Completed PO Value
Order cost
Average delivery duration
Supplier return value
Orders Created
Open orders
Orders Completed
Cost as a % of order value
Orders Received
Orders Returned
Click Select in each KPI to populate the dimensions for it.
Purchases' dimensions
The first dimension displayed under the Purchases context's KPIs, when using the Unleashed Default layout, is a timeline bar chart showing the selected KPI's results over a selected date range. The chart will display each day's total for a date range of up to three months, and monthly totals for longer date ranges. The elements of timeline bar chart cannot be selected as cross-dimension filters.
The remaining dimensions available in BI Vision's Purchases context, listed in the table below, can be used to cross-filter the context page. By default, each dimension will show up to 25 records and will sort the from high to low, based on the KPI selected.
Purchases dimension | Dimension description |
Order status ranked | Displays the KPI data by the current PO's Order Status. |
Delivery status ranked | Displays the KPI data by the current PO's delivery status, indicating if products are received on time, awaiting delivery, received late or outstanding, using the Order Date, Receipted Date and Expected Delivery Date. |
Supplier ranked | Displays the KPI data by Supplier. |
Product Group ranked | Displays the KPI data by Product Group. |
Product ranked | Displays the KPI data by Product Description. |
Purchase Order ranked | Displays the KPI data by Purchase Order. |
Warehouse ranked | Displays the KPI data per Warehouse. |
Return reason ranked | Displays the KPI data per Supplier Return Reason. |
Supplier Return transactions ranked | Displays the KPI data by Supplier Return. |
Inventory
BI Vision's Inventory context provides insight into the current view of your Stock On Hand (SOH), by value. It's the only BI context that cannot be filtered for a specific date range.
The KPIs and dimensions available in the Inventory context of BI Vision can help you answer stock related questions, such as:
What is my current Stock On Hand (SOH) value, and which Warehouse holds the most valuable inventory?
How much stock's been held in inventory the longest?
Which products sell the quickest, and which take longer to turnover?
Which type of product hold the most value in stock?
Inventory KPI's
KPIs displayed on BI Vision's Inventory page, listed below, are calculated based on the current stock holding:
Stock on hand value, and the total number of units.
Allocated stock value, and the total number of units allocated to Sales Orders Assemblies or Warehouse Transfers.
Available stock value, and the total number of units available.
Annual stock turns.
Average days to sell.
Cost of goods sold.
Open Purchase orders value, and the total number of units on open purchases.
Stock adjustments value.
Stock adjustments count.
Backorders value, and the total number of units on backordered Sales Orders.
Inventory dimensions
The dimensions available in BI Vision's Inventory context, listed in the table below, can be used to cross-filter the context page. By default, each dimension will show up to 25 records and will sort the from high to low, based on the KPI selected, but can be updated to show various alternative subsets of data via the vertical three-dot icon.
Inventory dimensions | Dimension description |
Stock Age ranked | Displays the KPI data by the how long the stock's been on hand. |
Over Time | Displays how the KPI data has changed over the last 12 months. |
Warehouse ranked | Displays the KPI data per Warehouse. |
Product Group ranked | Displays the KPI data per Parent Product Group, not including Product Subgroups. |
Product ranked | Displays the KPI data by Product Description. |
Product Type | Displays the KPI data by Product Type; Component, Assembled, Serialized, Batch tracked, Sellable and Purchasable. |
Stock Age calculation
The time between the last inbound transaction e.g. Assembly, Stock Adjustment, SOH Import, Receipted Purchase Order and the current date is the stock's age. The Stock Age dimension is segmented in to 3 month periods, so the longer a product's in stock with no new transaction.
The dimension cannot keep track of the age of each bundle of a product receipted in, so the existing "old" products will display in the newer stock age range when a new inbound transaction's processed.
The calculation we use in BI for the values in this dimension is: Max_StockTransactionId FROM stocktransactions where transactiontype in ('AssemblyIn', 'ProductAdded', 'PurchaseOrderReceipt', 'SOHImport') and entrydate < p_value_datetime and balancequantity > 0
Production
The KPIs and dimensions available in the Production context of BI Vision can help you answer Assembly related questions, such as:
Over a selected or specified period, how many assemblies did we complete and what did it cost us?
Which assembled product cost the most to assemble, should we rather consider buying these in from a Supplier?
Which of the Products had the most wastage during assemblies?
Which assemblies have the highest Supplier Cost?
On average what does it cost to assemble a product?
Production KPI's
BI Vision will provide you with the same five KPIs as Foundation, plus five more for the Production context. These 10 KPIs are related to Completed Assemblies for the period selected.
The KPI's available for BI Vision's Productions context are:
Total Assembly Cost
Completed Assemblies
Avg. Cost per Assembly
Units Produced
Avg. Cost per Unit
On-time Assemblies
NOTE: Calculating the average days between Assemble By Date and Assembly Date for all assemblies completed in the period to determine if assemblies were on average completed Early, On-time, or Late.Cost of Wastage
Wastage as % of Assemblies
Additional Supplier Costs
Total Net Assembly Cost, excluding additional supplier costs.
Production dimensions
Production dimensions | Dimension description |
Over Time | Displays aggregated KPI values for the period, comparing it with the prior period. If the period selected is less than 100 days the graph will show aggregated daily values otherwise aggregated monthly values. |
Assembly Type ranked | Displays KPI data by Assembly Type: Manual or Auto Assembly. |
Product Assembled ranked | Displays KPI data by the product assembled into stock. |
Components Used ranked | Displays the KPI data by component product taken from stock. Additional Supplier cost added to assemblies will be listed under Components Used, all grouped under the label "Supplier Costs". |
Product Group for Assemblies ranked | Displays the KPI data by the Product Group assigned to the assembled product. |
Destination Warehouse ranked | Displays KPI data by the Warehouse Assemblies were generated for. |
Product Group for Components ranked | Displays the KPI data by the Product Group assigned to the component products used. |
Source Warehouse ranked | Displays KPI data by the Warehouse Assemblies were generated from. |
Sales
The Sales page on BI Vision shows the same KPI tiles as Sales Foundation with an additional Units Sold KPI. In addition to the easy date filter buttons, you also have the flexibility to define your own custom From and To date ranges.
Sales KPI's
KPIs displayed on this page are:
Sales Revenue (Invoiced or Completed Sales orders)
Gross Profit
Gross Profit %
Sales orders (Number of invoiced sales orders for the period selected)
Average revenue per order
Units Sold
The timeline chart below the KPIs will show the comparison between current and prior periods. When selecting a custom date range, say 3/1/2022 to 30/09/2022 the prior date will show 3/1/2021 to 30/09/2021, the exact same period just for the previous year. This timeline chart also shows a current period trend line.
Sales dimensions
The Sales KPIs are further elaborated by the dimensions made available on the page. On click of a specific element on these dimensions, the KPIs refresh so values are reflective of the selected dimension element.
Sales dimensions | Dimension description |
Sales Person | Displays the KPI by Sales Person assigned to the Sales Order. |
Sales Channel | Displays the KPI by the where the Sales Order was created from, e.g. B2B, API, Shopify. |
Country | Displays the KIP by the Sales Order's Delivery Address's country. When a country is selected, the dimension will update to display by the state/region of the country. |
Sales Group | Displays the KPI by Sales Group assigned to the Sales Order. |
Warehouse | Displays the KPI by Order Warehouse assigned to the Sales Order. |
Transaction Type | Displays the KPI by the type of sale transaction: Invoice (includes credits), Order Charge, or Free Credit. |
Customer Type | Displays the KPI for the Sales Order's customer's Customer Type. |
Customers | Displays the KPI by the Sales Order customer. |
Product Groups | Displays the KPI by the sold product's assigned Product Group. |
Products | Displays the KPI by the sold product. |
Customers
The Customers page on BI Vision displays the same 6 KPI tiles as BI Foundation, providing comprehensive insights into your customer base and their performance metrics. Like other BI Vision pages, you have flexible date filtering options with easy preset buttons plus the ability to define custom From and To date ranges.
Customer KPIs
The KPIs displayed on this page are:
Total Customers
New Customers
Active Customers
Average Orders per Customer
Average Revenue per Customer
Average Gross Profit per Customer
The timeline chart below the KPIs shows comparison between current and prior periods. When selecting a custom date range, the prior period displays the exact same timeframe from the previous year. This timeline chart also includes a current period trend line.
Customer Dimensions
The Customer KPIs are further elaborated by the dimensions available on the page. Clicking a specific element on these dimensions refreshes the KPIs so values reflect the selected dimension element.
Customer dimensions | Dimension description |
Country | Displays KPIs by customer location. For Total and New Customers, this uses the latest postal/physical address from customer records. For Active Customers and revenue metrics, it uses the address from sales orders. When a country is selected, the dimension updates to show state/region breakdown. |
Warehouse | Shows KPIs by warehouse assignment - either the default warehouse from customer records (for Total/New Customers) or the order warehouse from sales orders (for Active Customers and revenue metrics). |
Customer Type | Displays KPIs segmented by the Customer Type from customer records. |
Customers | Shows individual customer performance in grid view. Displays first 1,000 customers alphabetically by default. For Average Orders per Customer, customers are ordered by number of invoiced sales orders. For Average Revenue per Customer, customers are ordered by total revenue. |
Sales Person | Displays KPIs by assigned Sales Person - either the default salesperson from customer records (for Total/New Customers) or from sales orders (for other metrics). |
Product Groups | Shows KPIs by Product Groups from sales orders. Note: May show "No Record Found" for Total/New Customers KPIs since these aren't linked to sales orders. |
Products | Displays KPIs by individual products from sales orders, showing top 25 by default. Use the magnifying glass icon to view products grouped into 5 categories. May show "No Record Found" for Total/New Customers KPIs. |
Sales Channel | Shows KPIs by the origin of sales order transactions. May show "No Record Found" for Total/New Customers KPIs since these aren't linked to sales orders. |
Real-World Business Impact
Understanding features is one thing; seeing how they translate into tangible business improvements is another. This section illustrates concrete examples of how BI Vision capabilities drive real operational improvements and strategic advantages.
Supply Chain Optimization: The Purchases context reveals which suppliers consistently deliver on time and which create bottlenecks. By analyzing average delivery duration alongside supplier returns, you can identify reliable partners and negotiate better terms with underperforming ones.
Inventory Intelligence: Rather than guessing optimal stock levels, the Inventory context shows exactly how long products sit in your warehouse and which items turn over fastest. This insight helps you reduce carrying costs while avoiding stockouts on high-demand products.
Production Efficiency: The Production context uncovers the true cost of manufacturing by tracking assembly time, wastage, and supplier costs. You might discover that certain products cost more to assemble than to purchase, fundamentally changing your make-versus-buy decisions.
Sales Performance: Beyond basic revenue tracking, the Sales context reveals which channels, customers, and products drive profitability. Cross-filtering by salesperson and product group helps you identify your most effective combinations and replicate success across your organization.
Customer Strategy: The Customers context transforms how you understand your customer base. By analyzing acquisition patterns alongside revenue per customer, you can focus resources on the most profitable customer segments and channels.
Frequently asked questions
Why does BI show an "unspecified" result in a KPI's dimension?
Why does BI show an "unspecified" result in a KPI's dimension?
Each of BI Vision's dimensions will display record or transaction data segmented by the dimension's topic, e.g., Sales Group, Product Group, and Customer Type. If the customer, supplier, product, or transaction does not have a dimension topic's option assigned, it will be defined as "unspecified" in BI.