Creating a New Derived Metric in a Quick Dashboard from Scratch

You can create a new derived metric using data from a Visual Insight quick dashboard, then add the new metric to the quick dashboard. For example, you can create a new metric by subtracting the values of one metric from the values of another metric, such as Revenue Forecast - Revenue. You can assign a number to each value of a metric, to rank its value from least to greatest, or display metric values as percentages of an accumulated total.

For background information on derived metrics, see About derived metrics.

Prerequisites

You must have Edit Dashboard and Run Dashboard privileges.
This procedure assumes you have already created the quick dashboard to which you want to add the derived metric.

To create a derived metric from scratch

Click the name of the quick dashboard to open it.
From the visualization's Drop Zones panel, hover the cursor over the name of a metric. A list of options is displayed.
Point to Insert Metric, then select Enter Formula. The New Metric dialog box opens.
Type a name for the metric in the Metric Name field.
Do one of the following:
- Type a metric formula in the Formula field. A list of objects that can be added to the metric is displayed in the Available Objects list. Double-click an object to add it to the Formula field.
- Click the Function icon . The Select a Function dialog box opens. Perform the following steps:
- 1. A list of functions is displayed in the bottom pane. From the pane, select the function you want to use to create the derived metric. To display only functions from a specific category in the pane, select the category from the Select a Category drop-down list. You can search for a function by typing a function name in the Select a Function field and clicking the Search icon.
  2. Click Next. A list of arguments, which provide the inputs to functions, is displayed. Select the required arguments for each function. You can hover the cursor over the name of each argument to display a tooltip showing what type of argument is required.
  3. Type a name for the metric in the Name field, then click Finish to apply your changes. The metric formula, including the arguments you provided, is displayed in the Formula field.
Click OK. The new metric is added to the quick dashboard.