How Affirm Is Building Data Applications in Sigma

At Affirm, compensation is more than a back-office function. It’s a strategic lever for attracting top talent in a fiercely competitive market—and it represents one of the company’s largest expenses. Managing a budget requires not just accuracy, but speed, transparency, and foresight.

That’s why Compensation Analyst Josh Cho didn’t stop at building dashboards in Sigma. He built a compensation audit data application—a living system where data, approvals, and budgets come together in real time. The result: faster decisions, better accountability, and stronger confidence in every dollar spent.

“My focus on the end-user experience allows me to build intuitive tools in Sigma where the learning curve is low but the impact is high,” Josh said. “We're no longer data-gatherers but strategic partners.”

Building the Compensation Data App

Before Sigma, Affirm’s compensation review process was manual and inefficient. Analysts cobbled together spreadsheets, reviewers chased down numbers from multiple sources, and decision rationales were buried in email or Slack, making audits time-consuming.

“We would spend valuable hours on data aggregation and reconciliation, leaving less time for high-value strategic discussions or proactive problem-solving,” Josh said.

Josh rebuilt this workflow as an interactive Compensation Audit data application in Sigma. Here’s what changed:

• Embedded budget tracking: Real-time summary statistics alongside salary and equity data gave reviewers instant visibility into budget impact. Instead of scrambling after issues surfaced, teams could proactively adjust before problems escalated.
  
  
• Summary stats with tabbed containers and filters: Reviewers could now drill into compensation outcomes — like average salary increases or equity allocations by function — instantly. This turned static numbers into dynamic insights that inform every decision.
  
  
• Writeback with nested actions: A comment and sign-off history built directly into the app turned Sigma into an active approval system. Every decision now has a permanent, auditable record — eliminating hours of digging for approval rationale. “This vastly improves documentation and enhances accountability for managing a large compensation budget,” Josh said.
  
  
• Pop-up modals: Instant employee detail views sped up reviews and reduced context switching. Reviewers could move faster while staying focused on higher-value conversations.

What had been a static dashboard became a full application—one that not only displayed data but also guided and governed decisions.

The custom-built comment and sign-off history transformed a business intelligence tool into an active approval system. This innovative use directly improved accountability and auditability, creating a clear, easily accessible record for every compensation decision.

- Josh Cho, Compensation Analyst at Affirm

“The custom-built comment and sign-off history transformed a business intelligence tool into an active approval system,” Josh said. “This innovative use directly improved accountability and auditability, creating a clear, easily accessible record for every compensation decision.”

Executive Budget Data App

Josh then extended the same principles to Affirm’s leadership team, building an Executive Budget Tracker data app in Sigma.

Previously, executives were making hiring and compensation calls with data that lagged by one to two weeks. In a competitive talent market, that blind spot risked missed opportunities.

With Sigma directly linked to Affirm’s data warehouse, Josh fully automated the tracker. Executives now log into a real-time app where:

• Real-time budget updates: Budgets update instantly with each new hire offer or sign-on bonus.
  
  
• Dynamic drill-down capabilities: Leaders can drill down by role, function, or location.
  
  
• Self-service visualizations: Interactive visualizations make insights self-service—no waiting on ad-hoc analyst reports.

“This eliminates the data lag entirely, allowing leaders to make immediate, informed decisions regarding hiring and spend,” Josh said.

Why It Matters

Together, the Compensation Audit App and Executive Budget Tracker App have reshaped how Affirm manages one of its largest expenses. The team has moved from reactive reporting to proactive strategy, with benefits that include:

• Financial discipline: Real-time visibility prevents overruns and supports calculated, transparent offers. Leaders can instantly see compensation outcomes like average salary increases or equity allocations by function, making budget decisions more precise.
  
  
• Efficiency: Analysts spend less time compiling spreadsheets and more time supporting managers and leaders.
  
  
• Accountability: A built-in approval system enhances auditability and reduces risk.
  
  
• Agility: Executives make talent decisions faster, with confidence in their financial impact.

My constant focus on empowering others through data democratization drives transparency, efficiency, and a stronger confidence in the business decisions being made as a result.

- Josh Cho, Compensation Analyst at Affirm

“My constant focus on empowering others through data democratization drives transparency, efficiency, and a stronger confidence in the business decisions being made as a result,” Josh noted.

It’s a transformation in both efficiency and accountability — one that reduces risk, empowers leaders, and strengthens Affirm’s ability to compete for top talent.

Recognition

For transforming compensation reviews into interactive data applications inside Sigma—and turning analytics into a system of action—Josh Cho has been recognized as Sigma’s Data App Builder of the Year.

Read the winners of Sigma’s annual Data Impact Awards here.