from music city to metadata: harmonizing innovation at onestream splash 2025

As a longtime OneStream architect and a lifelong musician, I’ve always believed there’s a rhythm to problem-solving—an art to making complex systems flow together in harmony. Attending this year’s OneStream Splash Conference in Nashville—a city that lives and breathes music—felt like the perfect fusion of my personal and professional passions. From hearing blues riffs on Broadway to diving deep into AI forecasting, dynamic dimensions, and metadata design, Splash 2025 hit every note. 

A Musical Welcome to Music City 

As a West Coaster and first-time visitor to Nashville, I made sure to arrive early and immerse myself in the energy of the city before diving into the technical content. Monday night on Broadway did not disappoint—live bands in every doorway, electric guitars wailing into the night, and an undeniable buzz that could only exist in a place where music is the heartbeat. 

As a local musician myself, it felt oddly familiar: the improvisation, the collaboration, the structured creativity—qualities that, interestingly enough, I’d soon see echoed in OneStream’s latest innovations. 

Splash Meets Wave: Technical Depth and Cross-Currents of Insight 

This year marked the first-ever combined Splash + Wave experience, and the result was an incredibly rich mix of strategic vision and hands-on technical depth. I immersed myself in exercise-based labs that tackled: 

• Direct Connect Business Rules 

• Dynamic Cube Services and Dynamic Dimensions 

• Dynamic Dashboards & Workspaces 

I also attended several technical breakout sessions, where I learned how organizations are customizing reporting and data integration using Power BI connectors, custom tables, and the newly unveiled Genesis framework. 

Taking the Stage: CompIntelligence’s Breakout Session 

One of the most humbling and rewarding moments of the conference came during our CompIntelligence breakout session on transitioning complex Excel models to unified OneStream driver-based solutions. I had the honor of presenting alongside John Nilsen and Randy Thompson—and to our surprise, over 300 people packed the room. 

As someone used to performing music for a crowd, there’s always that initial jolt of adrenaline before stepping into the spotlight. But once we found our rhythm, it felt like being in the groove of a great set. The audience was incredibly engaged—our 15-minute Q&A was nonstop, and even after the session ended, a line formed with attendees eager to keep the conversation going. 

We dove into our 360º Collaboration Methodology, explaining how we approach planning transformations with: 

• Robust discovery & design sessions 

• Dedicated resources from start to finish 

• Agile collaboration to keep clients engaged and empowered 

The feedback—both during and after—was overwhelming in the best possible way. It reaffirmed the value of what we’re building every day at CompIntelligence. 

CompAnalytics: Stealing the Spotlight 

Another major highlight was seeing CompAnalytics—our People Planning solution—featured in the Splash opening keynote and officially launched into the OneStream Solution Exchange. 

It was an incredibly proud moment for our team. To have our solution recognized on the main stage alongside OneStream’s newest innovations speaks volumes about the thought leadership and demand behind it. 

Even more exciting was the live demo in the Solution Theater, led masterfully by Michael Corrado. Michael navigated the complexities of People Planning with clarity and charisma, earning rave feedback from attendees and OneStream employees alike. The demo showcased how CompAnalytics helps users bridge the gap between operational and financial planning—seamlessly and sensibly. 

🔗 Learn more about CompAnalytics → 

OneStream’s Vision for AI: Sensible, Strategic, Seamless 

Having attended Splash since 2017, I’ve seen OneStream’s evolution firsthand—but this year, the vision felt especially clear. Tom Shea’s keynote laid out OneStream’s bold investments in Sensible AI Forecasting, positioning it not as a bolt-on gimmick, but as an embedded intelligence layer throughout the platform. 

From narrative reporting to generative insights, OneStream is equipping its users to navigate a world that’s changing faster than ever—marked by economic volatility, ESG mandates, and political uncertainty. 

Architect's Toolbox: Dynamic Workspaces and Forward Thinking 

The sessions that left the biggest mark on my future build strategy centered on Workspaces (formerly Dashboards). These aren’t just cosmetic upgrades—they’re fundamentally reshaping how developers and architects design: 

• Assemblies: Reusable rule classes managed directly within Workspaces 

• Dynamic Dashboards: Repeaters and smart components that reduce overhead 

• Integrated Cube Views and DM routines: Streamlining configuration within a single interface 

• Dynamic Dimensions: Enabling ephemeral metadata use without bloating the model 

It’s clear that embracing these capabilities will drive our solutions toward even greater flexibility, performance, and maintainability. 

Reconnecting IRL: Colleagues, Clients, and Culture 

Beyond the technical revelations, perhaps the most soul-filling part of Splash was reconnecting with teammates and clients in person. At CompIntelligence, we foster a truly collaborative culture that spans across time zones and workstreams—but there’s nothing like spending time shoulder-to-shoulder, learning, laughing, and celebrating together. 

Full Circle: From Broadway Bars to Business Rules 

There’s a strange but beautiful synchronicity between playing a live gig and attending Splash: you show up prepared, tuned in, and open to improvisation. Whether you're jamming with a band or architecting a financial model, success happens when every part works together—and when you’ve got an audience that’s just as passionate as you are. 

From the bright lights of Nashville’s Broadway to the glow of the OneStream Solution Exchange, Splash 2025 was a masterclass in connection, creativity, and continuous innovation. 

See you in Orlando for Splash 2026—I’ll bring the chords if you bring the questions.