Defining indicators and reports
Summarize
Summary of Defining indicators and reports
The Data Definition tab in KPI Composer allows you to specify and link artifacts defined during analysis to indicator and report definitions. This tab presents the KPI tree without personas and breakdown details, focusing on linking each artifact to corresponding Performance Analytics indicators or reports. Proper linkage ensures artifacts on dashboards and reports function correctly, and the interface provides tools to identify and create missing definitions efficiently.
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Key Features
- Artifact Linking: Artifacts tied to Performance Analytics widgets must reference indicator definitions, while those tied to reporting widgets must reference report definitions. Artifacts can be linked to both.
- Definition Management: Missing definitions are flagged with a plus sign (+) for quick creation, and existing definitions are accessible via hyperlinks. You can link existing definitions easily by typing in the artifact properties.
- Filtering Options: The Data Definition tab supports filtering artifacts by name, by the need to create definitions, by linked Performance Analytics indicators, or by whether the artifact requires an indicator or report definition.
- Indicator Definitions: Describe how to develop Performance Analytics indicators including source facts table, conditions, and, if applicable, contributing indicators for formula-based indicators. Links to existing Performance Analytics indicators can be added to replicate or modify them.
- Report Definitions: Define reports by specifying the facts table or report source and any qualitative conditions. This guides report creation without needing technical condition syntax.
- Direct Creation: New indicator or report definitions can be created directly from artifacts in the Data Definition tab, allowing you to complete necessary information to build Performance Analytics indicators or reports.
What to Expect
By using the Data Definition tab to accurately link artifacts to indicator and report definitions, ServiceNow customers ensure consistency and clarity in Performance Analytics dashboards and reports. This linkage facilitates seamless development and maintenance of KPIs and reports, enabling better performance measurement and reporting aligned with your business needs. The filtering and linking features streamline managing definitions, reducing errors and improving efficiency in KPI Composer workflows.
On the KPI Composer Data Definition tab, you further specify the artifacts you defined during analysis and link them to indicator and report definitions.
After you open the Data Definition tab, you see the same KPI tree that you defined in the Analysis tab. The header with personas and breakdown definitions and the footer with new artifacts are gone.
Each artifact that is associated with a Performance Analytics widget on the Dashboard Visualization
should reference an indicator definition. Each artifact that is associated with a Reporting widget should reference a report definition. An artifact can be associated
with both an indicator and a report definition. If a definition is missing, a clickable plus sign
+ appears with a message to create the definition. If the artifact is linked to any definitions,
there is a hyperlink to open each definition. You can quickly get
an overview of which artifacts are missing definitions by filtering on Create
definition. 
The following illustration shows a measurement artifact that needs both a report and an indicator definition. An artifact definition named "% changes closed within SLA" is linked. The artifact still needs a report definition.
Filtering
- Filter by name, for filtering by one or more words that appear in the artifact name
- Filter by task
- Create definition, for filtering by whether an indicator or report definition is needed
- Link PA Indicator, for filtering by artifacts with indicator definitions that are not linked to Performance Analytics indicators
Indicator definitions
An indicator definition contains the description of how to develop a specific Performance Analytics indicator. The indicator definition itself is not a Performance Analytics indicator. The indicator definition bridges the function-oriented artifact in the KPI tree and the technical implementation of the indicator in Performance Analytics.
If a suitable indicator definition does not exist, click the create indicator definition link in the artifact tile. Specify the required properties of the indicator. Also write any development instructions in the field provided for them. If you are defining an automated indicator, specify the facts table for the indicator source. Also describe any conditions, either on the indicator itself or on the indicator source. You can describe the conditions qualitatively, not following condition builder format. If you are defining a formula indicator, add definitions of its contributing indicators.
When a suitable Performance Analytics indicator exists, you can add a link to it in the indicator definition. You can see the technical details of the linked indicator. Reproduce the Performance Analytics indicator exactly or specify a modified version.
Report definitions
A report definition contains the description to create a report. The key information is the facts table or the report source, along with any conditions. You do not have to follow a technical format when writing the conditions.