> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cfo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Choose between a metric and a dimension

Choose a property's role based on how people will use it in the model.

## Use a metric when

The property:

* Represents a financial value, KPI, assumption, or driver
* Is added, averaged, counted, compared, or calculated
* Belongs in the values or line-item area of a financial table
* Is a result you want a formula to produce

Examples:

* Revenue
* Cash Balance
* Headcount
* Units Sold
* Average Salary
* Gross Margin

## Use a dimension when

The property:

* Names a category
* Groups or filters other values
* Identifies where a value belongs
* Has items people use to break down a report

Examples:

* Department
* Legal Entity
* Region
* Product
* Customer
* Vendor
* Account
* Date

## Ask two questions

1. Is this the value I want to measure?
2. Or is this how I want to organize that value?

If it is the value, use a metric. If it organizes the value, use a dimension.

## Do not choose by data type alone

* Employee ID may contain numbers, but it identifies employees and is usually a dimension.
* Gross Margin is a percentage, but it is a calculated value and is a metric.
* Date is stored as a date, but it organizes values across time and is a dimension.
* Headcount is a count, not a list of employees, so it is a metric.

## A common ambiguous case: Account

A source Account or Account Code usually classifies transactions and is a dimension. A modeled line item such as Revenue or Rent Expense is usually a metric.

If several account values roll into one modeled result, Account is the organizing dimension and the modeled result is the metric.