KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are quantifiable measurements that reflect critical success factors of a company, department, or project. In webMethods Business Activity Monitoring (BAM), KPIs are defined by dimensions, measures, and dimension hierarchies. A KPI is related to a dimension hierarchy, which is related to a group of dimensions, which is related to a measure.

For example, a KPI might be comprised of:

A Measure is an integer field or decimal field that contains data such as sales (units sold) and profits. For example, an Order Total is a measure. KPIs compare measures with dimensions.

A Dimension is a string field used to categorize data in order to enable users to answer business questions. Commonly used dimensions are customer, product, promotion, channel, and time.

A Dimension Hierarchy is a group of dimensions that show relationships among different dimensions. For example, a customer (dimension) is part of a region (dimension).

In Designer, you can: