Metric Library

Finding the Right Metrics to Track

Selecting the right metrics to track is the foundation of effective reporting. The Metric Library gives you an easy way to browse and manage all the pre-configured metrics available to you in Databox. 

4 min read

After reading this guide, you’ll understand…

  • How to use the Metric Library to find and select the right metrics  
  • Ways you can track and analyze important metrics straight from the metric library 
  • How to select the most important metrics & track client performance even easier
Why use the metric library?

Start Reporting on the Right Foot 

One reason people often underuse data is because they don’t know what to track! Picking the right metrics for your dashboards and reports can seem like an overwhelming task, but it’s critical for success. Without a good system for selecting the most important metrics, you may find the process of picking metrics to be: 

  • Confusing and overwhelming—There are so many metrics available from each of your data sources that recognizing the metrics you need to tell an impactful story of your data can be challenging. 
  • Time-consuming to manage—Dashboards and reports are great—but sometimes you need a way to quickly track and analyze individual metrics.

When you use the Metrics Library in Databox, you’re suddenly able to…

  • Define and select metrics quickly—The Metric Library shows you all the metrics available for you to use, along with each of their definitions. 
  • Use individual metrics across the app—Want to set a goal or alert for a specific metric? Quickly take actions like these directly from the Metric Library. 
How to Use the Metric Library

Browse & Select Your Metrics  

Whether you’re creating a dashboard, report, or simply browsing through metric options, the Metric Library is a great place to start. It’s here that you can browse all the metrics offered natively in Databox—from every integration. This includes integrations you don’t have connected yet so you can see what’s possible. 

To get there, go to the Metrics tab on the left-hand sidebar in your Databox account. Then click on the Metric Library tab at the top of the screen. From here, explore the thousands of metrics in Databox. You can use the search bar and filters to narrow your search results and find exactly what you’re looking for. 

Once you find a metric that interests you, hover over it, and click the “…” button that appears in the bottom right corner. The definition for the metric will be shown at the top of the popup screen. There are a list of actions you can take below this definition. 

 

Track & Analyze Individual Metrics 

Let’s say you’re a busy manager and you want to set a goal for website sessions. This is probably a metric included in one (or five) of your dashboards or reports. But digging through your dashboards and reports takes time, and you want to get it done quickly. 

You can manage individual metrics many ways straight from the metric library. Here’s a few actions you can take: 

  • Add to My Metrics: Add this metric to your my metrics screen for quick access. 
  • Favorite: Favorite this metric to add it to your home screen. 
  • Add to a Databoard: Add this metric to an existing dashboard, or use this action to create a new dashboard. 
  • Set Your Goal: Set a goal for this metric so you can better track your progress. 
  • Alert me when this metric: Create a custom alert for this metric. 
  • Edit metric definition: Edit the definition of select metrics (not available for all metrics). 

Here’s how: 

Go to your metric library and search for the metric you’re looking for in the search bar. Not sure what you’re looking for? Filter the results by integration and see what your options are. 

Once you find the metric you want to manage, hover over the metric, click the “…” button that appears in the bottom right corner. From here, select the action you want to take and follow the prompts. That’s it! 

 

Make Key Client Metrics Easily Accessible  

Chances are you have a lot of client data organized in dashboards and reports. While crucial to the success of your projects, sifting through all of this data can take time. So what do you do if you need a quick health check on your client’s progress but don’t have time to filter through all the data? 

Favorite” the most important metrics! You can do this straight from the metric library. Once you have favorited your chosen metrics, you will find them right on the home screen. From the home screen, you can check the status of these key metrics in a glance.

Here’s how: 

Go to the metric library and find a metric you want to favorite. Hover over the metric and then click the “…” button that appears in the bottom right corner. From here, click “Favorite”. That’s it! You’ll now find this metric on the home screen. 

 
Tips & Tricks

3 Quick Tips & Tricks

  1. Use filters to find the right metrics, faster

    Narrow down your search! Use the “Browse by data source” filter at the top of the metric library to find metrics available for a specific integration. Search for the data source using the search bar that pops up, or simply scroll down the list. Remember that metrics available in the Metric Library are only the start—see how you can build even more metrics with the Metric Builder and API tools.

  2. Check out the metrics library while using the Dashboard Designer 

    The metric library is available to you while you are editing or designing a dashboard, so you can see the metric possibilities. To use this feature, create a new dashboard or go to an existing dashboard and select Edit. Once in the Designer, click the top graph icon on the left-hand sidebar. This will prompt the Metric Library to open on the left-hand side of your dashboard.

  3. Create custom metric definitions 

    For some metrics, it’s possible to create custom metric definitions. Let’s say your team uses specific terminology or interprets a metric in a unique way. You can edit metric definitions in the metric library to reflect these differences and better support your team or clients. Simply go to the metric library, hover over the metric you want to manage, click the button, and then select Edit metric definition. 

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