This playbook is meant to help you get to a first value-adding implementation with dScribe Catalog (also referred to as dScribe Data) as quickly as possible. It is centered around dScribe as a business glossary (harmonizing your business and data terminology) and catalog for your Power BI reports (making sure everyone can find and understand the BI reports available to them).
For other use cases, including full data cataloging and dScribe as semantic layer for AI use cases, we recommend working with the dScribe team on a tailored implementation plan.
What success looks like
After a successful initial rollout users can:
Access the catalog using their enterprise login (SSO)
See documentation directly inside Power BI reports via the browser extension
Find and trust the first set of documented reports + glossary definitions via the catalog
Have a lightweight operating rhythm so content stays current and adoption keeps growing
Roles
IT admin: SSO + extension deployment
Product owner: scope, success metrics, rollout communication
Key users (BI owners): document reports and definitions
End users: consume, give feedback
(if applicable) Implementation partner: drive timeline, configure templates, help establish data governance guidelines
dScribe team: product support, enablement, commercial follow-up
Phase 1 — Initial setup
1) Single Sign-On (SSO)
Goal: users can log in with their company user login
Checklist
Pick identity provider (most common: Azure Entra ID)
Configure SSO following the dScribe help article on authentication
Decide how you’ll manage access:
Group-based (recommended): map Azure Entra ID groups to dScribe teams automatically
Individual invites: assign users individually to teams in dScribe
Validate with 2 test users:
1 editor
1 read-only end user
The standard teams in dScribe are:
Administrators Members of this team can access the admin portal to do user management, configure dScribe and manage source integrations. They also have full edit rights on all content.
Global Stewards Members of this team have full edit rights. They can document reports and create definitions. They can also update the Validation Status and edit already validated content.
Contributors Members of this team have full edit rights. They can document reports and create definitions, but they cannot update the Validation Status or edit already validated content.
Viewers Members of this team have view permissions on all not-discovery restricted content in the catalog. They can endorse (“thumbs up”) assets (a form of crowdsourced validation) and can post comments and questions via the activity feed.
💡 Good to know: By default, assets are not discovery-restricted. This means all users can view all created assets. When an asset is discovery-restricted, only teams with explicit access to a given discovery policy get access. For more information, see here. |
Definition of done
Test users can log in via SSO and land in the correct dScribe organization.
For the expected behavior, see 🧭 How to log in via Single Sign-On (SSO)
2) Activation of the browser extension
Goal: users get access to the Power BI extension
Pilot audience (recommended)
Key users
5–20 representative users (finance, sales, leadership, etc.)
Options
Choose deployment method:
Checklist
Share the article for “activating the extension” with IT (for group install) or the pilot users (for self-service activation)
Validate in Power BI: the extension appears when users open a Power BI report or app
Definition of done
When pilot users open a Power BI report/app the dScribe compass appears.
For the expected behavior, see 🧭 How to access dScribe Data directly in Power BI via the extension
3) Setup of Power BI metadata integration
This step is only applicable for customers on the Organization or Enterprise Plan.
Goal: Power BI Apps, Reports and Semantic Models from selected Workspaces are automatically cataloged in dScribe
Checklist
Share the article for setup of the Power BI integration with IT
After the integration has been set up, configure the refresh schedule and selected workspaces via the admin portal. See 🧭 How to manage the schedule frequency & filtering of a source integration in dScribe Data
Definition of done
After your source has run successfully, reports and datasets are available in your catalog.
Phase 2 — Admin + key user onboarding
4) Schedule your onboarding training (1.5-2 hours)
Every paid dScribe includes an onboarding training, given by a dScribe product expert. Contact the dScribe team to plan your session.
During this training, you will learn:
How to document reports and definitions, including best practices and advanced functionality
How to configure dScribe (search experience, custom views, custom properties, …)
Where to access help resources
5) Initial content creation
Goal: document a selected scope of definitions, reports and datasets
Checklist
(optional) If you already have definitions, they can be uploaded in bulk via the CSV bulk upload or synchronized via the dScribe API (for customers on Organization and Enterprise Plan)
Determine your scope: what definitions/reports/datasets do you want to have documented for your end user rollout?
Make a plan: who will document and by when?
Definition of done
First content has been documented
Phase 3 — End user rollout
6) Rollout to selected users
Goal: everyone gets access to the catalog and the in-report documentation
Checklist
IT expands access to the browser extension to the selected user group (see step ‘2) Activation of the browser extension’)
Communicate to new users:
“Open your usual Power BI reports — guidance is now available inside each report.”
“Visit app.dscribe.cloud/catalog for an overview of available reports, datasets and definitions.”
(optional) Organize a 30 minute show&tell session for new users or record an introduction video for new users
What users should experience
Instant context: walkthrough + hotspots + definitions inside the report
Fewer “what does this mean?” pings to BI creators, higher data confidence and adoption
Easy discovery of relevant reports, data and terminology via the catalog
7) Capture feedback + close the loop
Create a simple feedback channel: “Request a term” / “Request a report clarification” / …
Users might find it useful to know 🧭 How to add a comment on an asset in dScribe Data
Review requests weekly for the first month
Add documentation based on requests + usage insights
8) Broader deployment of the browser extension
Repeat steps 5-7 for additional scopes and expand your impact across the organization.
Phase 4 — Long-term success (continuous)
Operating rhythm (lightweight, but consistent)
Weekly (30 min)
Triage new questions/requests
Update the top 1–2 high-traffic reports
Monthly (60 min)
Review “top used” reports: are walkthrough/hotspots still accurate?
Spot duplicates / stale reports and decide what to archive
Quarterly
Expand scope: new domain (HR, Supply Chain, Customer Support)
Refresh glossary ownership and alignment
Governance that scales without bureaucracy
Appoint one Product Owner (overall)
Assign different domain owners for glossary and reports (Finance, Sales, Operations…)
Clear rules:
No new “official” KPI or reusable term without a glossary entry
Every new report needs to be documented (at minimum a brief report description)
Best practices that work
Make dScribe the starting point for “where do I find the right report?”
Clearly communicate to all users how they can access the catalog. Add a link on your intranet or BI wiki.
Keep content reusable: write definitions once, link everywhere (via @-mentioning, in hotspots and the relations tab)
Use views in the catalog to easily review recently created/updated content.
Success metrics
To keep track of your progress, it can help to keep track of 1-3 clear success metrics. For example:
Number of documented priority reports (target: 10 in month 1)
Number of validated glossary terms (target: 20–30 in month 1)
Reduction in repetitive questions to BI team (“What does KPI X mean?”, “Where do I find a report on Y?”)
Number of Power BI users fully onboarded with the extension (target: 100% of all Power BI users in the finance department in quarter 1)
Support & extra resources
All documentation is accessible via the help portal: help.dscribe.cloud
To contact the dScribe support team with product questions, use the in-app chat
(For customers on the Organization or Enterprise Plan) Documentation on the dScribe APIs is accessible directly in dScribe via identity.dscribe.cloud/organization-settings/api-keys/
All details on enterprise security controls active in dScribe are available via the trust center: trust.dscribe.cloud
For more information about dScribe’s other products, visit dscribe.cloud or speak with your dScribe sales contact
If you have any feedback or questions about this playbook, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us via your customer success manager or via [email protected].