Common translations
Metrics are the values being measured
Revenue, Expenses, Units Sold, Headcount, and Gross Margin are examples of metrics. They occupy the value being calculated or displayed.Dimensions provide coordinates
Department, Region, Product, Customer, Account, and Date identify where a metric value belongs. For example:Revenue = 100,000 at Department = Sales, Region = West, Date = January 2026, Scenario = PlanRevenue is the metric. Department, Region, and Date provide coordinates. Plan provides scenario context.
Grain explains what one value represents
Revenue by month has a different grain from Revenue by day. Revenue by Department and month has a different grain from company-wide Revenue by month. Formulas recalculate at the requested grain. A margin shown by Department is calculated for each department rather than taking a company-wide margin and dividing it afterward.You do not need a data-warehouse design
Users do not need to build a star schema or cube to work in cfo.ai. The useful mental model is simpler:- Properties describe what the model knows
- Metrics are calculated values
- Dimensions organize those values
- A segment identifies one position in that organization