Build a useful investigation brief
Build a member timeline
Create member events with entry date, activity dates, exclusions, re-entry, and missing activity. Record expected cohort, eligible denominator, return period, retained count, and rate for each cell. Keep dates and labels together so period assignment remains auditable.
Trace cell construction
Capture entry selection, cohort grouping, return-window calculation, activity filtering, denominator, numerator, aggregation, formatting, and chart labels. Compare an independent member timeline with the report. Mark the first stage that changes a member's cohort or retention column.
Test one retention rule
Change only entry, eligibility, return, or cumulative policy and rerun the fixture. Compare cells across the cohort table, curve, card, and export. Treat a disagreement about the product question as a policy hypothesis until the metric owner confirms which behavior matters.
What to carry forward
The investigation is ready when the brief names the member timeline, first cohort or return divergence, affected cells, strongest evidence, and definition alternative. Recommend a scoped measure or label change. Keep the case open when cohort policy is not owned.
Technical background: Metabase documentation.
Keep the decision with the work.
Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.
Create an account See the product workflow