You did not specify what kind of dish, so this is general information:
The compass is used to find the Azimuth of the satellite you want, this information is provided by your receiver (the numbers given are guidelines only, not exact figures), get and set the Azimuth/Elevation of the satellite as close as you can to the indicated numbers, if applicable, get and set your Tilt.
For D*, use the 101 for initial aiming, after setting the approximate elevation (some compasses come with an inclinometer) as indicated by the receivers elevation guideline, you then use the compass to find that heading listed by your receiver as the azimuth, line up the dish (get behind the dish with the compass) to that azimuth line as indicated by the compass, then, use the meter to peak to best signal by slowly making adjustments to your azimuth and elevation (if needed).