Semantic layer (certified metrics)
What is Semantic layer? One agreed set of definitions for your numbers. People build views only from these approved measures, so a figure such as revenue means the same thing everywhere.
In plain words
it is one written definition for every number you report. Revenue means the same thing in the sales deck, the finance pack and the owner's dashboard, because they all use the same definition.
The technical name is semantic layer. Kinnow calls the approved ones certified measures.
A worked example
| Who reports it | Their March 'revenue' | What they counted |
|---|---|---|
| Sales head | ₹1,18,00,000 | Invoices raised, including 18% GST |
| Finance head | ₹95,00,000 | Invoices without GST (₹1,00,00,000) less ₹5,00,000 of credit notes |
Both numbers are right for what they count, and the meeting argues about which is 'revenue'. A certified definition settles it once, for example 'invoiced value excluding GST, less credit notes', and every report uses it. Sample numbers.
Why it matters
- Cost. Time spent explaining why two reports differ is time not spent on the business.
- Deadline. Board and lender packs go out on a date. Arguing over definitions on that day is costly.
- Risk. A decision taken on the wrong version of a number is still your decision.
How Kinnow handles it
Kinnow keeps the definitions in one place and builds every report from them.
- Build a view. In Analytics (Know), Build a view lets you pick a metric, a breakdown such as branch or product group, and a date range. It shows a chart and a table, which you can save or add to a dashboard.
- A trust label. Each measure is marked Certified, Draft or Proposed. A banner appears when a definition has changed recently.
- New measures are approved. A new measure is proposed, scored and approved by a named owner before others can use it.
- Ask Kinnow uses the same set. The NL-query agent answers a plain-English question from these certified measures first.
The honest limit. You build on approved measures. A free-form designer for brand-new measures is not in this release; new ones go through approval. The results table shows up to 500 rows at a time.
Bring the two versions of one number that your team argues about. We will show how it is settled.
In Kinnow
Related terms
- System of Record: where the underlying data lives.
- Enterprise Reasoning Platform: how the pieces fit together.
- ERP: the software these numbers come from.
Questions
Is a semantic layer the same as a dashboard?
No. A dashboard shows numbers. The semantic layer is the agreed definitions underneath, so every dashboard and report shows the same figure.
Who decides what 'revenue' means in Kinnow?
A named owner approves each measure. Until then it carries a Draft or Proposed label so nobody mistakes it for a final number.
Can I build my own reports?
Yes, from the approved measures. You pick the metric, the breakdown and the dates. A brand-new measure has to be proposed and approved first.
Request a demo and we will build a view from your own definitions.