Shared definitions · Building and maintaining assets
Which BI tools promote ad-hoc work to definitions?
12 of 15 tools do, according to their public docs, and 1 partly.
Yes: Databricks, Snowflake, Omni, Hex, Sigma, BigQuery, Tableau, Power BI, Metabase, Alteryx, MotherDuck, Mode. Partly: Looker.
The question we asked: Can a one-off calculation be turned into a maintained shared definition the whole team reuses?
Grading standard
yes: the product documents a direct path from a calculation written for one chart or analysis to a maintained shared definition, without a developer rewriting it. A path that needs the calculation re-expressed by a developer (for example in a modeling language) is partly. Reusing logic that already exists as a shared definition, macro or snippet does not count.
Databricks
Yes
Quoted from Databricks’s docsWhen a local metric view is ready for broader use, you can promote it to Unity Catalog for global use.
Source: docs.databricks.com/aws/en/dashboards/manage/data-modeling · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Snowflake
Yes
Quoted from Snowflake’s docsThese suggestions analyze SQL query history to find frequently used SQL expressions that are not yet represented in the Semantic Model or view.
Source: docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/views-semantic/verified-query-suggestions · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Omni
Yes
Quoted from Omni’s docsOnce added to the workbook model, you can then promote the calculation to the shared model.
Source: docs.omni.co/analyze-explore/calculations · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by GPT
Hex
Yes
Quoted from Hex’s docsIt’s also possible to create a new component from a single cell by clicking the cell’s 3-dot menu and selecting New component from cell.
Source: learn.hex.tech/docs/explore-data/components · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by GPT
Sigma
Yes
Quoted from Sigma’s docsYou can also create a data model from a table in a workbook.
Source: help.sigmacomputing.com/docs/create-and-manage-data-models · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
BigQuery
Yes
Quoted from BigQuery’s docsLogical views let you save a SQL query as a virtual table, which helps you reuse query logic and simplify access to your data.
Source: docs.cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/views · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Looker
Partly
Quoted from Looker’s docsIncorporate custom logic: Convert important and commonly used custom fields or table calculations into LookML dimensions and measures.
Source: cloud.google.com/looker/docs/conversational-analytics-looker-best-practices · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Tableau
Yes
Quoted from Tableau’s docsAll of these refinements become part of the metadata contained in the data source that you publish and maintain.
Source: help.tableau.com/current/pro/desktop/en-us/publish_datasources_about.htm · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Power BI
Yes
Quoted from Power BI’s docsYou can add DAX query scoped measures to the model using CodeLens update model actions or the Update model with changes button.
Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/transform-model/dax-query-view · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Metabase
Yes
Quoted from Metabase’s docs[Ask a question][question] using either the query builder or the SQL editor, or select an existing saved question that you want to convert to a model.
Source: www.metabase.com/docs/latest/data-modeling/models/models · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Alteryx
Yes
Quoted from Alteryx’s docsIn addition to building a macro from scratch, you have the option to convert an existing workflow (or a portion of the workflow) to a macro.
Source: help.alteryx.com/current/en/designer/apps-and-macros/macros.html · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
MotherDuck
Yespreview
Quoted from MotherDuck’s docsAfter a session where you analyzed data, explored tables, or worked through a task with an agent, save the reusable context that emerged as a Guide.
Source: motherduck.com/docs/key-tasks/guides/turn-a-session-into-a-guide · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Mode
Yes
Quoted from Mode’s docsYou can create a dataset directly from a SQL query in an existing report, as long as the query has run successfully and returned a non-zero number of rows.
Source: mode.com/help/articles/datasets · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Redshift
Streamlit