Formula without meaning
A SQL or DAX formula shows how a number is calculated, but not what business statement the metric is actually meant to make.
KPI Documentation
KPI documentation that both business and BI understand
Good KPI documentation does more than explain a formula. It captures meaning, scope, ownership, sources and dependencies so that every team interprets the same metric the same way.
See the workflowTraceable metadata
Definition
What does the entry mean?
Ownership
Who reviews and decides?
Technical trail
Which sources belong to it?
The starting point
Why scattered documentation is not enough
Required fields stay empty
Without unit, time window, owner or sources, definitions appear that still have to be explained verbally at the next question.
Changes have surprising effects
When dependent KPIs and data models are not linked, the impact of any adjustment stays completely invisible.
The approach
From a single entry to documentation you can rely on
- 01
State the business meaning
Describe in one sentence what the KPI measures, which decision it supports and what is explicitly excluded from it.
- 02
Complete the measurement rule
Add formula, unit, granularity, time window and business filters so the calculation becomes fully reproducible.
- 03
Document ownership and status
Owner and reviewer make clear who decides. A status shows whether the definition is draft, approved, certified or deprecated.
- 04
Connect the technical origin
Link source tables, fields and dependent metrics, instead of attaching technical details as unstructured free text.
MetricsMap
Features for a metadata foundation you can trace
Structured required fields
Name, description, formula, unit, owner, domain, status and synonyms follow a repeatable pattern.
Sources and dependencies
KPI, table and field references model the technical trail as metadata.
Review roles
Editors document, reviewers certify and viewers use the approved definitions.
Documentation gaps
Overviews surface missing descriptions, missing owners and isolated data models.
Example: Conversion Rate
A dependable definition names numerator, denominator, the time window considered, unit, exclusions and owner. Sources for sessions and conversions are linked, not just mentioned in free text.
Tell the terms apart
- Definition
- Explains the business meaning and scope of a metric.
- Formula
- Describes the mathematical or technical calculation rule.
- Lineage
- Shows the origin and dependencies between a KPI, tables and fields.
Related articles
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important field in KPI documentation?
The business definition is the starting point. It has to be read together with formula, unit, owner, status and sources so the KPI is genuinely unambiguous.
Is a formula enough documentation on its own?
No. Formulas explain the calculation logic, but not the purpose, scope, time window or ownership of the metric.
How does documentation stay stable through renames?
MetricsMap stores references to the IDs of KPIs, tables and fields. Display names can change without the relationship being lost.
Make KPI documentation a shared process
Capture your first metric in a structured way and add ownership, status and its technical origin.
Start your KPI documentation