What are calculated metrics and how do I create them?

A calculated metric in PowerMetrics is a custom metric that combines two or more existing metrics using a mathematical formula. Calculated metrics support four operators — addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/) — and can express results as a number, percentage, or ratio.

Use a calculated metric when built-in instant or custom metrics don't capture the KPI you need. For example: if you have separate Product A Revenue and Product B Revenue metrics, you can combine them with Product A Revenue + Product B Revenue to create a single Revenue Total calculated metric. See this article for more calculated metric examples.

This article covers:

• What are calculated metrics?
• When should I use a calculated metric?
• What are the limits of calculated metrics in PowerMetrics?
• How do I create a calculated metric?
• How do I edit a calculated metric?
• Frequently asked questions

What are calculated metrics?

Calculated metrics combine existing metric values using a formula to produce a new, derived metric. The result can be displayed as:

• A number (e.g. total revenue)
• A percentage (e.g. trial conversion rate)
• A ratio (e.g. LTV to CAC ratio)

Example formulas:

When should I use a calculated metric?

Use a calculated metric when you need to:

• Combine metrics — add, subtract, multiply, or divide two or more existing metrics into a single value
• Track period-over-period change — use a date offset on one operand to calculate growth rates or variances
• Build composite KPIs — create business-specific metrics like profit margin, efficiency ratios, or blended conversion rates that don't exist as native metrics

What are the limits of calculated metrics in PowerMetrics?

There are a few limits to keep in mind when creating calculated metrics:

If your formula exceeds the 5-metric limit, revise it to reduce the number of referenced metrics. If it exceeds the 3-level nesting limit, PowerMetrics will flag which metrics need to be reconfigured.

How do I create a calculated metric?

Before you start: Confirm you have access to all metrics you'll reference.

Tips: 

• Giving your referenced metrics relevant, recognizable names will help you when building formulas.
• The following procedure describes adding a calculated metric from the left navigation sidebar. You can also add calculated metrics from the Metric List page, or from Explorer, or from an open dashboard, in Edit mode.

To create a calculated metric:

1. In the left navigation sidebar, click + beside Metrics and select New calculated metric.
   (This option only displays after you've added at least one metric to your account.)
2. Build your formula by typing metric names separated by operators (+, -, /, *). Use parentheses to control order of operations. Example: (Revenue - Expenses) * 2.14.
   • Click + to see a list of up to 20 metrics and select from it.
   • Start typing a metric name if it doesn't appear in the list.
   • For values less than 1, include a leading zero. Example: enter 0.9, not .9.
   • You can also copy and paste entire or partial formulas.
   • The Live Preview pane updates as you build your formula. Note: The preview uses the “maximum” date range option, which is the overlap of time from the referenced metrics.
     
3. Apply filters (optional): Click a referenced metric in the formula, then open the Filter tab. Choose to include or exclude specific dimension members. Switch to Condition filters to filter by condition instead of by member. You can apply up to 10 filter conditions per dimension.
   
4. Set aggregation: Click a referenced metric and open the Data tab to view or change its aggregation type. (Not editable for instant metrics or custom metrics with the option to override aggregation disabled.) 
   

5. Set a date offset (optional): Under Data > Date offset, choose:

   • No offset (default)
   • Previous period or Same period (last year)
   • Custom period (offset) — select Back or Ahead, enter the number of periods, and click Apply. The Date offset icon will display in the metric tile.

   Example uses: In simple formulas, Revenue - Revenue (with a date offset of "previous period") calculates new revenue. In more advanced formulas, (Revenue - Previous Period Revenue) / Previous Period Revenue shows rate of change.

   Note: Each value in a visualization represents a range of time. For example, if you’re looking at days over a month, each value is a day of time. If you’re looking at a single value for that month, the value is for a month of time. When you apply a date offset, each value is offset by the range of time it represents.
   

6. Choose a format: Select Numeric, Currency, Percentage, or Duration.
   
   • If you selected Numeric, under Decimal places, select the number of decimals to display (from 0 - 9). The Auto setting displays up to 4 decimal places and drops trailing zeros. Note: If you change the decimal place setting for a metric and want to see the source data values with their original decimal places, reselect Auto.
   • If you selected Currency, the default currency symbol that will display is USD $. You can select an alternate Currency symbol from the drop-down list. Note: This is a display option only. Currency is not converted.
   • If you selected Duration, optionally, adjust the Maximum and Minimum Granularity settings.
7. Set favourable trend (optional): Choose whether ascending or descending values indicate a positive trend. Example: if your metric includes sales totals, a higher (ascending) number demonstrates a positive trend but, if your metric includes cost to acquire customers, a lower (descending) number indicates a positive trend. Favourable trends are indicated by a green arrow. Note: This option is not applicable to all visualization types.
   
8. Configure dimensions: Select which dimensions to include. For each dimension, set whether it's available as a filter, a segment, both, or neither.
   
9. Handle blank values: Under Blank metric values, choose whether blanks in operand metrics stay blank or convert to zero.
   
10. Click the About tab and configure the following optional settings:
    • Enter a Name and optional Description.
    • Edit image to change the metric's service icon. Learn more editing images here.
    • Certify the calculated metric. Learn more about certifying metrics here.
11. Click Save metric. The metric opens and is added to your Metric List.

How do I edit a calculated metric?

After creating a calculated metric, you can edit it to modify its formula and display settings.

To edit a calculated metric:

1. In the left navigation sidebar, click Metrics to open the Metric List.
2. Select the calculated metric you want to edit.
3. Click the Edit button in the top navigation bar.
4. Update the formula, filters, aggregation type, date offset, format, favourable trend, or dimensions, etc. as needed — the same options available during creation apply here.
5. Click Save metric.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a calculated metric to create other calculated metrics?
Yes. After saving a calculated metric, you can use it as a referenced metric in other calculated metric formulas.

What happens if I reference a metric that gets deleted?
The calculated metric will stop computing accurately. PowerMetrics will not automatically remove it; you'll need to update the formula to replace or remove the deleted metric.

Can I use the same metric more than once in one formula?
Yes. You can reference the same metric multiple times and (optionally) apply different filters to each instance. Example: You can compare the same revenue metric filtered by different regions.

Why isn't a dimension showing up as a filter option in my calculated metric?
Dimensions are only shared across referenced metrics when their values match exactly. Make sure you include the necessary columns in your data feeds and that dimension member names (for example, country names) are spelled identically across all data feeds.

Does PowerMetrics support functions like SUM() or IF() in calculated metric formulas?
No. Functions are not currently supported in calculated metric formulas. Formulas support these operators only: +, -, *, /, and ().

Related articles

• Calculated metrics: Examples
• Creating a calculated metric using instant metrics