Metrics Best Practices

Keep the following set of best practice recommendations in mind when creating and defining metrics:

• Group Like Metrics Using Categories - A company can use a large number of metrics. Group metrics and assign them to categories. A quick reference guide or a category cheat sheet is also helpful.
• Use Short, Descriptive Display Names - For metrics flagged as filter metrics, keep display names short. Longer display names may cut off in search areas within Accolade. Use the display name as the title attribute for metrics in online forms.
• Minimize the Chance of Duplicate Entry During the Same Project Stage - Ensure that there is only one method by which a metric can be updated in any given stage of a project. For example, if a metric is available for editing in a quick grid, it should not also be updated on any page in a project when you associate the metric with a model.
• Know What Data Types to Use - Long String metrics are not available as filter metrics.
• Use the Number Data Type for Quantitative Metrics in Microsoft Excel - Sopheon recommends that you create metrics that display quantitative values in reports, or those that Microsoft Excel formulas could manipulate, using the Number data type rather than String. Using the Number data type prevents the creation of metric values that include financial symbols such as $.
• Use the Numbering Capabilities in Microsoft Excel - Excel has its own number formatting capabilities; therefore, format numeric metric values displayed in Excel in the cell where they display rather than when creating the metric in Accolade.
• Ensure System Names are Usable in Field Codes and Calculated Metrics - Use only English letters A to Z, numbers 0 to 9, and the underscore character ( _ ) in system names to ensure metrics are usable in field codes and other calculated metrics.