Performance & Best Practices

Your workbook is slow. Your users are complaining. Here's how to fix it.

The Performance Problem

WHY WORKBOOKS GET SLOW
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Common Causes:

1. No filters         →  Querying ALL records (could be millions)
2. Too many joins     →  Each join multiplies complexity
3. Unused fields      →  Extra data transfer for nothing
4. Complex formulas   →  Calculated on every row
5. Large table views  →  Rendering 50,000 rows in browser

Result:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                             │
│  ⏳ Loading...                                              │
│                                                             │
│  Your workbook is taking forever                            │
│                                                             │
│  Users giving up → Using Excel instead → Data silos         │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Fix 1: Filter Your Data (Most Important)

The #1 cause of slow workbooks: no date filter.

BEFORE vs AFTER
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Before (SLOW):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Dataset: All Invoices                                      │
│  Filters: (none)                                            │
│  Records: 847,000                                           │
│  Load time: 45 seconds                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

After (FAST):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Dataset: All Invoices                                      │
│  Filters: Date is within "This Fiscal Year"                │
│  Records: 12,400                                            │
│  Load time: 2 seconds                                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Essential Filters by Report Type

Report Type	Must-Have Filter
Revenue reports	Date range (This Year, Last 12 Months)
Open transactions	Status = Open/Pending
Customer analysis	Is Inactive = false
Inventory	Type = Inventory Item
AR aging	Amount Remaining > 0

Fix 2: Limit Your Joins

JOIN IMPACT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Joins: 1-5     →  ✅ Fast (go for it)
Joins: 6-10    →  ⚠️ Moderate (add more filters)
Joins: 10+     →  🔴 Slow (rethink your approach)

Example - Transaction Analysis:

❌ Too many joins (12):
Transaction
├── Customer
│   ├── Customer Category
│   └── Sales Rep
├── Transaction Line
│   ├── Item
│   │   ├── Item Category
│   │   └── Vendor
│   └── Location
├── Subsidiary
├── Department
└── Class

✅ Focused joins (5):
Transaction
├── Customer
├── Transaction Line
│   └── Item
└── Subsidiary

Ask yourself: Do I actually need all these fields?

Fix 3: Use the Right Root Record

RECORD TYPE PERFORMANCE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

For transaction analysis:

❌ SLOW:
Transaction (standard)
+ Transaction Line (joined)
+ Transaction Accounting Line (joined)
= 3 separate record joins

✅ FAST:
Sales (Invoiced) or Sales (Ordered)
= Pre-joined analytical record (optimized)

The analytical records combine transaction + line + accounting
data into a single optimized structure.

When to Use Which

Need	Use This
Invoice/revenue analysis	Sales (Invoiced)
Order/booking analysis	Sales (Ordered)
Multiple transaction types	Transaction (with type filter)
Customer master data	Customer
Item master data	Item

Fix 4: Use Pivots Instead of Tables

TABLE vs PIVOT PERFORMANCE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Scenario: Show revenue by customer

❌ TABLE (SLOW):
┌──────────────┬──────────┬────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Customer     │ Invoice  │ Amount                             │
├──────────────┼──────────┼────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Acme Corp    │ INV-0001 │ $1,200                             │
│ Acme Corp    │ INV-0002 │ $3,400                             │
│ Acme Corp    │ INV-0003 │ $2,100                             │
│ ... 50,000 more rows ...                                     │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Load time: 30+ seconds (browser struggles)

✅ PIVOT (FAST):
┌──────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Customer     │ Total Revenue                                  │
├──────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Acme Corp    │ $156,000                                       │
│ TechStart    │ $142,000                                       │
│ GlobalInc    │ $98,000                                        │
│ ... 500 customers ...                                         │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Load time: 2 seconds (aggregated server-side)

Why pivots are faster:
- Aggregation happens on the server
- Only summarized data sent to browser
- Fewer rows to render

Fix 5: Enable Dataset Caching

CACHING EXPLAINED
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Without cache:
User opens workbook → Fresh query → Wait 10 seconds
User refreshes → Fresh query → Wait 10 seconds again

With cache:
User opens workbook → Cached data → Instant (< 1 second)
User refreshes → Cached data → Instant
(Cache refreshes every hour automatically)

Best for:
✓ Dashboards viewed frequently
✓ Reports that don't need real-time data
✓ Complex queries with many joins

Not ideal for:
✗ Real-time inventory monitoring
✗ Live order status
✗ Anything needing up-to-the-second accuracy

Common Slow Workbook Scenarios

Scenario 1: "My AR Aging Report Takes Forever"

DIAGNOSIS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Problem: Loading 5 years of invoices to show current aging

Current Setup:
├── Root: Transaction
├── Filters: Type = Invoice (but no date filter!)
├── Joins: Customer, Line, Item, Location, Department
└── Records: 340,000

Fix:
├── Add Filter: Amount Remaining > 0 (only unpaid)
├── Remove joins: Location, Department (not needed)
└── Records: 2,400

Result: 45 seconds → 3 seconds

Scenario 2: "Dashboard Portlets Keep Timing Out"

DIAGNOSIS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Problem: 6 portlets all hitting complex queries simultaneously

Current Setup:
├── Portlet 1: Revenue YTD (complex)
├── Portlet 2: Orders This Month (complex)
├── Portlet 3: AR Balance (complex)
├── Portlet 4: Top Customers (complex)
├── Portlet 5: Inventory Alerts (complex)
├── Portlet 6: Pipeline Value (complex)
└── Total load: 60+ seconds, timeouts

Fix:
├── Combine into fewer datasets with reusable data
├── Use pivots instead of tables
├── Add date filters to all
├── Consider: Does the CEO REALLY need all 6?
└── Total load: 8 seconds

Scenario 3: "Sales Report Works for Me, But Not for Reps"

DIAGNOSIS
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Problem: Your role sees 5,000 records, but reps see 500,000

Root cause: Role-based restrictions not applied at dataset level

Current Setup (YOUR view):
├── Your role: See only your territory
├── Records: 5,000
└── Load time: 3 seconds

Sales Rep View:
├── Their role: See all (unrestricted)
├── Records: 500,000
└── Load time: timeout

Fix:
├── Add Subsidiary filter
├── Add Sales Rep filter
├── Or create separate dataset for reps
└── Load time: 3 seconds for everyone

Workbook Design Patterns

Pattern 1: The Executive Dashboard

STRUCTURE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

One dataset, multiple visualizations:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  DATASET: "Executive Metrics - This Fiscal Year"            │
│  Root: Sales (Invoiced)                                     │
│  Filters: Date = This Fiscal Year                           │
└───────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
        ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
        ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│ Tab 1:      │     │ Tab 2:      │     │ Tab 3:      │
│ Summary     │     │ Trend       │     │ Details     │
│ (Pivot)     │     │ (Line Chart)│     │ (Table)     │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

Benefits:
✓ Single data fetch
✓ Consistent numbers across views
✓ Fast switching between tabs

Pattern 2: The Drill-Down Report

STRUCTURE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Start summarized, drill to details:

Tab 1: SUMMARY (Fast - shows aggregates)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Region        │ Revenue    │ Orders │ Avg Order             │
├───────────────┼────────────┼────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ North America │ $2.4M      │ 1,240  │ $1,935                │
│ Europe        │ $1.1M      │ 890    │ $1,236       [Drill →]│
│ Asia Pacific  │ $890K      │ 720    │ $1,236                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Tab 2: DETAIL (On demand - filtered by selection)
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Invoice #  │ Customer     │ Amount   │ Date                 │
├────────────┼──────────────┼──────────┼──────────────────────┤
│ INV-4521   │ EU Corp      │ $12,400  │ Dec 15               │
│ INV-4519   │ Berlin GmbH  │ $8,900   │ Dec 14               │
│ (filtered to Europe only)                                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Implementation:
- Tab 1: Pivot with Region, SUM(Amount), COUNT(*)
- Tab 2: Table with filter on Region

Pattern 3: The Reusable Dataset

STRUCTURE
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

One dataset, many workbooks:

                ┌─────────────────────────────┐
                │  SHARED DATASET             │
                │  "Core Sales Data"          │
                │  - All invoices             │
                │  - This fiscal year         │
                │  - Standard fields          │
                └─────────────┬───────────────┘
                              │
        ┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐
        ▼                     ▼                     ▼
┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────┐
│  CEO Dashboard  │  │  Sales Report   │  │  Finance AR     │
│  (Pivot: KPIs)  │  │  (Table: Deals) │  │  (Pivot: Aging) │
│                 │  │                 │  │                 │
│  Owner: Admin   │  │  Owner: Sales   │  │  Owner: Finance │
└─────────────────┘  └─────────────────┘  └─────────────────┘

Benefits:
✓ Update dataset once, all workbooks benefit
✓ Consistent data across teams
✓ Reduced maintenance
✓ Shared caching

Who Should Own What

Role	Owns	Shares With
NetSuite Admin	Core datasets, templates	All roles
Finance	AR/AP workbooks	Finance team
Sales Manager	Pipeline workbooks	Sales team
Operations	Inventory workbooks	Ops team

SHARING FLOW
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Share Dataset vs Share Workbook:

DATASET SHARING:
├── Others can use in their own workbooks
├── Others CANNOT edit your original
├── Good for: Reusable data sources
└── Who sees it: Based on their role permissions

WORKBOOK SHARING:
├── Others can view your visualizations
├── Others can Save As their own copy
├── Others CANNOT edit your original
└── Good for: Standard reports

Best Practice:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1. Create dataset → Share with team                        │
│  2. Create workbook → Share with team                       │
│  3. Team members: Save As to customize                      │
│  4. Original stays protected                                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Quick Performance Checklist

Before sharing your workbook, verify:

Check	Why It Matters	How to Fix
☐ Date filter exists?	#1 cause of slow	Add "This Year" or "Last 90 Days"
☐ Under 10 joins?	Each join adds time	Remove unused record types
☐ Using analytical record?	Pre-optimized	Switch to Sales (Invoiced/Ordered)
☐ Pivot for summaries?	Aggregates on server	Replace tables with pivots
☐ Only needed fields?	Less data to transfer	Remove unused columns
☐ Tested with other roles?	Your data may be filtered	Ask a colleague to test

Troubleshooting Guide

COMMON PROBLEMS & FIXES
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

PROBLEM: Workbook times out
FIX:     Add date filter, reduce joins, use pivot

PROBLEM: Numbers don't match saved search
FIX:     Check filters, check joins (duplicating rows?)

PROBLEM: Field I need isn't available
FIX:     Check if record is joined, check role permissions

PROBLEM: Portlet shows "No data"
FIX:     Check filters aren't too restrictive, check permissions

PROBLEM: Can't find my workbook
FIX:     Check Analytics → Workbook tab, check it was saved

PROBLEM: Changes not saving
FIX:     Check you're editing (not just viewing), check permissions

PROBLEM: Other users see different data
FIX:     Expected! Role restrictions apply. Create role-specific filters.

The 5-Minute Workbook Audit

Run through this when workbook is slow:

QUICK AUDIT
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

1. FILTERS
   Q: Is there a date filter?
   A: No → Add one. Done.

2. RECORDS
   Q: How many records in the dataset?
   A: > 50,000 → Need more filters

3. JOINS
   Q: How many record types joined?
   A: > 10 → Remove unnecessary ones

4. VISUALIZATION
   Q: Using table for 10K+ rows?
   A: Yes → Switch to pivot

5. FORMULAS
   Q: Complex formulas on every row?
   A: Yes → Simplify or pre-calculate

Usually, #1 fixes the problem.

Summary: The Golden Rules

WORKBOOK PERFORMANCE RULES
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Rule 1: ALWAYS add a date filter
        (This Year, Last 90 Days, whatever makes sense)

Rule 2: Use analytical records for transaction reports
        (Sales Invoiced, Sales Ordered)

Rule 3: Pivot tables > Table views for summaries
        (Let the server do the work)

Rule 4: Keep joins under 10
        (Ask: Do I really need this field?)

Rule 5: Test with other roles
        (Your 5K records might be their 500K)

Quick Links

Need Help With	Go To
Building datasets	Datasets →
Creating visualizations	Tables, Pivots & Charts →
Writing formulas	Formula Fields →

The Performance Problem​

Fix 1: Filter Your Data (Most Important)​

Essential Filters by Report Type​

Fix 2: Limit Your Joins​

Fix 3: Use the Right Root Record​

When to Use Which​

Fix 4: Use Pivots Instead of Tables​

Fix 5: Enable Dataset Caching​

Common Slow Workbook Scenarios​

Scenario 1: "My AR Aging Report Takes Forever"​

Scenario 2: "Dashboard Portlets Keep Timing Out"​

Scenario 3: "Sales Report Works for Me, But Not for Reps"​

Workbook Design Patterns​

Pattern 1: The Executive Dashboard​

Pattern 2: The Drill-Down Report​

Pattern 3: The Reusable Dataset​

Sharing Best Practices​

Who Should Own What​

Sharing Rules​

Quick Performance Checklist​

Troubleshooting Guide​

The 5-Minute Workbook Audit​

Summary: The Golden Rules​

Quick Links​