KPI Library Elements

To understand creating a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Library in TIBCO Spotfire Metrics, you must understand the elements that comprise the KPI Library.

KPI Library Element	Description
Sample Data	By default, Spotfire Metrics Modeler displays ten rows resulting from the query.
Measures	The values assigned for each KPI, including the following options: comparative, KPI, supplementary, and variance. The formatting that you apply to each options is used to generate the formats for TIBCO Spotfire Metrics clients. For more options, see Measure Options.
Comparative	Value to compare to the KPI value.
KPI	Main or principal value.
Supplementary	Supporting value that can be used in calculations.
Variance	The difference between a KPI and comparative value.
Threshold	A threshold enables a KPI to be presented in different colors based on the variance to a comparative value. Once the reference point has been selected, the threshold is set to measure by either numbers or percentages. The color variation is determined by whether increasing or decreasing is better. Percentage equations are calculated as follows: Lower value = target + ((threshold.LeftLimit / 100.0d) * target) Upper value = target + ((threshold.RightLimit / 100.0d) * target) Number equations are calculated as follows: Lower value = target - threshold.LeftLimit Upper value = target + threshold.RightLimit For example, in the following image, the user selected to measure by numbers, based on the target value. For example, the actual value is 18 and the target value is 20. In this case, increasing is better, so the chart colors will be displayed in Spotfire Metrics as follows: Red: actual value < 18 Yellow: 18 <= actual value <= 25 Green: actual value > 25 Note: The actual value is based on the last record of the query results (as opposed to the highest date value).
Dimensions	Dimensions include the descriptive parts of a KPI (for example, geography, business, and segment). You can assign levels to enable the following. KPI values to be shown at that level - for example, Area. Drilldown on KPIs - for example, Area -> Region. KPIs for each unique/distinct item in each dimension. KPI Trend dimension enables data to be trended for a KPI. Typically, trended data in data/time-based data to present a historic data trend. To define the dimensions, see Choose Columns.
Levels	Levels enable drilldown and roll up of parent and child KPIs. More dimension levels result in more KPIs. More elements in a dimension result in more KPIs. Relationships between levels in your KPI Set are important - you can use the aggregation setting per KPI, comparative, and variance. You can only assign a single column to each level. If you have a column that will be used for the KPI Trend, typically you would not assign a level. In the following table, Region->State-City is a 1:1 relationship, i.e. State and City have only a single parent, Region. ProductGroup has multiple parents, as it is at level 4. The number of child KPIs is the multiple of Cities and ProductGroups. In the following table, there are highlighted rows. In the next table, these rows will be aggregated to create even more KPIs. In the following table, you can see how the KPI values of combined cities and levels created even more KPIs for drilldown.
Owner	Each column can be mapped to a specific dimension level. The owner alias in the query must match the user alias in Spotfire Metrics. It is not necessary to map all the dimension levels with owners. KPI Owner information is included as part of the KPI Definition and is displayed in Spotfire Metrics once it has been published as a feed.
Trend	If a column is selected as a trend, the data for a KPI is automatically sorted based on the selected trend value. If a trend is not specified, then there will be no graph or visual display within the client. Use sorting options as part of your query definition to return the correct sequence where you want to use values that are not date/time definitions for trending.
Column Title	The title of the column as it appears in the data source. This text populates the column title in the dimensions element, where you can edit the display without altering the data.
Filter	If a column is selected as a filter, Spotfire Metrics Modeler creates the relationship between the hierarchies, enabling users to navigate the KPI Set when they are viewing the KPIs in the TIBCO Spotfire Metrics client. For example, a district manager in Georgia could select a number of filters including state, region, and city. Then the district manager can drill down to view metrics on all three of his stores in Atlanta. Note: You can flag each dimension assigned as a level as a filter, however, you should not flag the KPI Trend or measures as filters.