Understanding Simple, Subtotal, and Smart Metrics in MicroStrategy
When preparing for a MicroStrategy interview, it’s important to understand the differences between Simple Metrics, Subtotals, and Smart Metrics. These are fundamental concepts that help in creating dynamic and effective reports. Here’s a quick brush-up on these metrics with examples.
1. Simple Metrics
Definition: A Simple Metric is a straightforward calculation that aggregates data using basic functions like Sum, Average, Max, etc. It calculates values across the entire dataset or at a fixed level.
Example:
• Metric: Sum(Sales Revenue)
• Scenario: If you are reporting on sales revenue across various regions, a Simple Metric will just sum up the sales for each region, displaying total sales as a fixed value.
Report:
Region Sales Revenue
North 100,000
South 200,000
Grand Total 300,000
2. Subtotals
Definition: Subtotals are summary rows that show aggregated values based on the grouping of attributes. They provide a quick summary for specific attribute groups, like the total sales for each region.
Example:
• Scenario: In a report grouped by region, Subtotals will automatically calculate the sum of sales for each region.
Report:
Region Sales Revenue
North 100,000
South 200,000
Subtotal (North) 100,000
Subtotal (South) 200,000
Grand Total 300,000
Subtotals automatically calculate based on the structure of your report.
3. Smart Metrics
Definition: Smart Metrics are dynamic metrics that automatically adjust based on the structure and attributes of the report. They can calculate data at different aggregation levels depending on the report’s context.
Example:
• Metric: Profit Margin = (Profit / Revenue) * 100
• Scenario: If the report contains both Region and Product, a Smart Metric will automatically adjust the calculation of profit margin for each combination of region and product. If only regions are shown, it will recalculate the metric accordingly.
Report with Region and Product:
Region Product Profit Margin
North Laptop 20%
North Phone 30%
South Laptop 25%
South Phone 35%
Report with Region only:
Region Profit Margin
North 25%
South 30%
Grand Total 28%
Smart Metrics adapt to the report’s structure, adjusting the aggregation and calculation dynamically.
Key Differences at a Glance:
Metric Type Description Example
Simple Metric Basic aggregation function applied across the data.
Sum(Sales Revenue)
Subtotal Summary row calculated based on attribute grouping. Subtotal of sales per region.
Smart Metric Dynamic, context-aware metric that adjusts based on report attributes.
Profit Margin = (Profit / Revenue) * 100
Conclusion:
Understanding the differences between Simple Metrics, Subtotals, and Smart Metrics is key for any MicroStrategy-related interview. Simple Metrics are basic aggregations, Subtotals summarize data based on groupings, and Smart Metrics adjust dynamically to the report’s context.