Quickstart dashboards — program setup (workspace, skill, pilot process)
Problem
Establish a repeatable program for Dataface dashboard packs on Fivetran quickstart open-source dbt projects: workspace layout (per-repo checkouts), dft init, a connector/product research skill, documentation of default vendor dashboards and question patterns, entity/detail board linking, and a feedback loop that spawns connector-specific tasks and improves the process while executing pilots.
Context
- Blocked on dashboard-linking-v1 (Dashboard linking) so link matrices and entity/detail navigation are implementable without hand-built absolute URLs; landscape: Dashboard linking — research.
- Fivetran ships quickstart dbt projects per connector; the modeled layer often mirrors source APIs and the reports/dashboards customers know from the SaaS product.
- We want dashboard packs that feel native while strictly using what the quickstart models expose—plus explicit navigation between overview, entity, and detail boards.
- This task is orchestration + tooling: workspace layout, a dedicated research skill (v1 at
.codex/skills/quickstart-product-dashboard-research/SKILL.md), initiative spec, and two pilot tasks (Salesforce, Zendesk) that stress-test the process. - Spawn rule: as pilots run, file new connector tasks via
just task createwhen the process stabilizes; do not bundle all connectors into this task.
Possible Solutions
- Monorepo under Dataface for all quickstart checkouts — simple pathing but messy git and huge worktree; not recommended.
- Recommended: sibling directory (or
QUICKSTART_DBT_WORKSPACE) with one clone per connector,dft initper repo, research notes underai_notes/quickstart-dashboards/<slug>/or linked from initiative research. - Optional later: scripted
just quickstart-clone <url>— only after manual flow is proven in pilots.
Plan
- Workspace: Pick root path; document in initiative spec; add a short
READMEorai_notes/.../WORKSPACE.mdwith clone naming anddft initcommands. - Skill v1: Maintain
quickstart-product-dashboard-research; during pilots, revise SKILL.md when steps are wrong or missing. - Pilot tasks: Unblock Salesforce and Zendesk after the workspace + skill outline is agreed; pilots may start research in parallel with workspace doc polish.
- Process loop: Each pilot produces research notes, board outline, link matrix, and gap list; merge learnings into skill, spec, and decisions.
- Spawn follow-ups: e.g. additional connector tasks once Salesforce + Zendesk retros are written.
- Exit: Both pilots completed or blocked with documented blockers; skill + spec updated; retro in each pilot feeding Observed process issues below.
Observed process issues (fill during execution)
-
Child tasks spawned from this program
Implementation Progress
2026-03-22 — Program artifacts verified and ready
Workspace layout — Documented in initiative spec:
- Root: sibling directory ../quickstart-dbt-workspace/ (or $QUICKSTART_DBT_WORKSPACE)
- Per-connector: git clone <url> <connector-slug> → dft init in dbt project root
- Dashboard YAML lives inside each checkout, following dft init conventions
- Decision recorded in decisions.md
Research skill v1 — .codex/skills/quickstart-product-dashboard-research/SKILL.md:
- 5-section checklist (native analytics, questions/roles, model mapping, board topology, M2 interlock)
- Clear inputs, outputs, and exit criteria
- Points to program-level methodology in research.md and templates in _templates/
Research templates — ai_notes/quickstart-dashboards/_templates/ (7 templates):
- charter.template.md, research.connector.template.md, sources.template.md, examples-index.template.md, questions.template.md, link-matrix.template.md, gaps.template.md
- README documents copy-and-rename workflow into ai_notes/quickstart-dashboards/<slug>/
Initiative docs — tasks/workstreams/mcp-analyst-agent/initiatives/quickstart-dashboards/:
- index.md — initiative overview, M2 milestone, three child tasks listed
- spec.md — prerequisites, scope, workspace layout, per-connector flow, quality bar, validation
- research.md — 7-part methodology (charter → inventory → borrowed disciplines → examples → personas → signals → roadmap)
- decisions.md — initialized; workspace layout decision added
Pilot tasks created and ready:
- Salesforce pilot — status ready, depends on this task + dashboard-linking-v1
- Zendesk pilot — status ready, depends on this task + dashboard-linking-v1
Blocker status: dashboard-linking-v1 is in_progress with full implementation done; review feedback not yet cleared. Pilots can begin research in parallel once this program setup completes, but full board implementation awaits linking merge.
QA Exploration
N/A (process, workspace, and documentation; dashboard QA happens in pilot tasks via dft serve).
- [x] QA exploration completed (or N/A for non-UI tasks)
Review Feedback
- [x] Review cleared