Metrics in Collate

The Metrics entity in Collate lets you define, track, and manage key business and operational metrics. Metrics help your organization maintain consistency, traceability, and accuracy in data-driven decision-making.

Overview of Metrics

Metrics represent calculated values based on data assets. Collate categorizes them under the Governance section. You can link each metric to glossary terms, data assets, and other metrics for comprehensive visibility into data quality and usage.

Key Properties of a Metric

Property	Description	Example Value
Name	Unique identifier for the metric, following camelCase naming conventions.	`customerRetentionRate`
Display Name	Human-readable name for the metric.	`Customer Retention Rate`
Description	Detailed explanation of what the metric represents.	`Percentage of retained users`
Expression	Formula or SQL query used to calculate the metric.	`COUNT(returning_customers)`
Granularity	Time scale for the metric, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.	`Daily`
Metric Type	Type of calculation applied to the metric (e.g., count, average, ratio).	`Percentage`
Unit of Measurement	Unit for interpreting metric values, such as count, dollars, or percentage.	`Percentage`
SQL Query	Optional SQL query defining the metric.	`SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sales`
Owner	Individual or team responsible for maintaining the metric.	`Data Governance Team`

Metric Lineage and Dependencies

Use Collate to trace the source and dependencies of metrics using lineage. This ensures end-to-end traceability from raw data to metric reporting. A typical lineage might look like:

Database Table → Metric → Pipeline → Dashboard

You can view associated tables, pipelines, and dashboards to understand how Collate generates and uses each metric.

Creating Metrics Using the UI

To create a new metric in Collate using the user interface, follow these steps:

From the left navigation bar, navigate to Governance > Metric.
Click Add Metric.

Fill in the following fields:
- Name (required): Enter a unique identifier for the metric, using camelCase without spaces (for example, customerRetentionRate).
- Display Name (Optional): Enter a human-readable name displayed in the UI (for example, Customer Retention Rate).
- Description (Optional): Describe what the metric measures and how it is used.
- Granularity (Optional): Select the time scale for the metric — for example, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
- Metric Type (Optional): Select the type of calculation — for example, Count, Average, or Percentage.
- Language (Optional): Select the programming language for the metric expression — for example, SQL, Python, or Java.
- Measurement Unit (Optional): Select the unit used to interpret the metric value — for example, Count, Percentage, or Dollar.
- Code (Optional): Enter the formula or query that computes the metric in the selected language.
Click Create to save the metric.
The newly created metric appears in the Metrics page.

Example JSON Schema for Metric

{
  "id": "123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000",
  "name": "customerRetentionRate",
  "displayName": "Customer Retention Rate",
  "description": "Percentage of customers retained over a given period.",
  "formula": "COUNT(returning_customers) / COUNT(total_customers) * 100",
  "sql": "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM customer_activity WHERE status='active'",
  "granularity": "Monthly",
  "metricType": "Percentage",
  "unit": "Percentage",
  "owner": "Data Governance Team",
  "tags": ["Customer", "KPI", "Retention"]
}

Managing Metrics in Collate

Versioning: Each update to a metric creates a new version, maintaining historical changes.
Linking: Metrics can be linked to glossary terms, tables, dashboards, and pipelines for enriched context.
Monitoring: Monitor metrics for value changes to enable trend analysis over time.

Best Practices for Metric Management

Consistent Naming: Use camelCase for metric names to ensure consistency across systems.
Clear Definitions: Provide comprehensive descriptions and units for accurate interpretation.
Lineage Tracking: Always associate metrics with source tables and pipelines for traceability.
Ownership: Assign metric owners for accountability and maintenance.

​Metrics in Collate

​Overview of Metrics

​Key Properties of a Metric

​Metric Lineage and Dependencies

​Creating Metrics Using the UI

​Example JSON Schema for Metric

​Managing Metrics in Collate

​Best Practices for Metric Management