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Analytics26 September 2026·5 min read

One definition of 'revenue': metric governance and the semantic layer

When three dashboards show three numbers, trust drains from everything. Define metrics once and reuse them everywhere.

Disagreement over numbers is usually a disagreement over definitions. AI assistants that query your data will multiply the problem unless definitions are fixed in one place.

Steps

  • List the key metrics and agree one written definition each, with an owner.
  • Implement them once in a shared layer that dashboards and AI tools both use.
  • Version changes and record when and why a definition changed.
  • Show the definition next to the number.

A natural-language data assistant is only as reliable as the definitions beneath it. Fix those first.

Related capability

This is what our Predictive Business Intelligence practice is built around.

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