​
What is a Metric?

A metric is an individual visualization or KPI that displays data from your connected data sources. Metrics are the building blocks of dashboards - they can be charts, tables, single-value cards, or other visual representations of your data.

​
Types of Metrics

Charts

Bar, line, pie, area, scatter, and more

Tables

Data grids with sorting and pagination

Single Values

KPIs with trend indicators

Gauges

Progress and goal tracking

Heatmaps

Density and correlation views

Geo Maps

Location-based visualizations

​
Creating Metrics

DataBrain offers multiple ways to create metrics:

​
Visual Builder

Drag-and-drop interface for building metrics without SQL. Select dimensions, measures, and apply transformations visually.

​
Custom SQL

Write your own SQL queries for complete control over the data. Perfect for complex transformations and calculations.

​
AI Chat Mode

Describe what you want in natural language, and let AI generate the metric for you. “Show me revenue by region for the last quarter”

Create a Metric

Step-by-step guide to creating metrics

​
Metric Components

​
Dimensions

Categories or attributes used for grouping data (e.g., region, product, date).

​
Measures

Numeric values you want to analyze (e.g., revenue, count, average).

​
Filters

Conditions to limit the data displayed in the metric.

​
Aggregations

Mathematical operations applied to measures (sum, average, count, min, max).

​
Chart Types

DataBrain supports 20+ chart types:
  • Bar Chart - Compare values across categories
  • Line Chart - Show trends over time
  • Pie Chart - Display proportions
  • Area Chart - Visualize cumulative trends
  • Scatter Plot - Show correlations

​
Metric Filters

Add filters to control what data appears in your metric:

​
Variable Filters

Dynamic filters that users can modify. Great for interactive dashboards.

​
Static Filters

Fixed conditions applied to the metric query. Users cannot change these.

​
Custom SQL Filters

Advanced filtering using custom SQL expressions.

Apply Metric Filters

Learn about metric filtering options

​
Customization & Styling

​
Chart Appearance

  • Colors and palettes
  • Fonts and text sizing
  • Axis labels and formatting
  • Legend position
  • Grid lines and ticks

​
Table Options

  • Column alignment
  • Conditional formatting
  • Row highlighting
  • Font customization
  • Auto-pagination

​
Single Value Cards

  • Metric expressions
  • Trend indicators
  • Sparklines
  • Comparison values

Chart Appearance

Customize chart styling and appearance

​
Metric Actions

Configure what happens when users interact with your metrics:

​
Click Actions

  • Drill down to detailed data
  • Navigate to other dashboards
  • Open custom URLs
  • Apply filters to other metrics

​
Drill Down

Create hierarchical exploration paths. Click on a region to see cities, click a city to see stores.

​
Cross-Dashboard Drill Down

Navigate to related dashboards while preserving filter context.

Chart Actions

Configure interactive chart actions

​
Advanced Features

​
Custom Columns

Create calculated fields using formulas and functions. No SQL required. 
Revenue Per Customer = Total Revenue / Customer Count

​
Metric Expressions

Build complex KPIs with custom expressions for single-value cards. 
((Current Month - Previous Month) / Previous Month) * 100

​
AI Summary

Generate natural language summaries of metric data automatically.

​
Dynamic Properties

Create conditional formatting and styling based on data values.

Dynamic Properties

Add conditional formatting to metrics

​
Metric Management

​
Organize Metrics

  • Archive unused metrics
  • Tag and categorize
  • Search and filter
  • View unpublished drafts

​
Share & Export

  • Download as images (PNG, JPEG)
  • Export underlying data (CSV, Excel)
  • Share specific metrics
  • Embed individual metrics

​
Version Control

  • Track metric changes
  • Restore previous versions
  • View edit history

Edit a Metric

Learn how to edit and manage metrics

​
Embedding Metrics

Embed individual metrics into your application: 
<dbn-metric 
  token="your-guest-token" 
  metric-id="your-metric-id" 
/>
Embedded metrics support:
  • Custom styling
  • Event handlers
  • Responsive sizing
  • Filter controls

Embed Metrics

Developer guide for embedding metrics

​
Best Practices

Match your chart type to your data and message. Use bars for comparisons, lines for trends, pies for proportions.
Don’t overcrowd charts. Focus on the key message and remove unnecessary elements.
Write clear, descriptive titles that tell users what they’re looking at.
Include footnotes, descriptions, and tooltips to help users interpret the data.
Limit data points, use aggregations, and apply filters to keep queries fast.

​
Performance Tips

  • Use Aggregations - Pre-aggregate data in your queries
  • Apply Filters - Limit the data range with date filters
  • Leverage Caching - Enable query result caching
  • Optimize SQL - Write efficient custom SQL queries
  • Limit Rows - Set reasonable row limits for tables

​
Next Steps

Create Your First Metric

Build a metric step-by-step

Metric with AI

Use AI to generate metrics

Custom SQL Metrics

Write custom SQL queries

Chart Appearance

Customize metric styling