IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing monitor models > What are monitor models? > KPI models > KPIs

Aggregate and expression KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) get their values at run time in one of two ways: the value comes either from a metric using an aggregation function, or from a calculation based on other KPIs or user-defined XPath functions. In the dashboards, these KPIs are called Aggregate KPIs and Expression KPIs.

Aggregate KPIs are based on a metric and an aggregation function, which can be average, maximum, minimum, sum, number of occurrences, or standard deviation. The following examples show some KPIs based on the aggregation of a metric:

Shipment duration KPI

For a delivery process, define an instance-level metric named shipmentDuration that calculates the time to deliver each order by subtracting the shipment date from the delivery date. Define a KPI that calculates the average value of these metrics. Use a sliding interval of 90 days, and define a target value of 5 days for the KPI.

Average order amount KPI

For an order-handling process, define an instance-level metric named orderTotal that tracks the amount of each order. Define a KPI that calculates the average value of these metrics. Use a repeating time period of daily with a target of $500 and, optionally, ranges for unacceptable, good, and excellent order amounts.

Manual order approval KPI

For an order-handling process in which order approval could be manual or automatic, define an instance-level metric named manualOrderApprovalTime. This metric calculates the time for each manual order approval by subtracting the time stamp of the event indicating that manual approval was required from the time stamp of the order approval (or rejection). Define a KPI that calculates the average value of these metrics. Use a target of 48 hours and, optionally, ranges for unacceptable, acceptable, and excellent manual order approval times.

Expression KPIs are defined by expressions that use other KPIs.

For example, you could have a Total Profit KPI that subtracts the Total Cost KPI from the Total Revenue KPI. You can also define a KPI based on user-defined XML Path Language (XPath) functions. You can use XPath functions to retrieve KPI values from sources outside Business Monitor.

Versions

When you define a KPI based on the aggregation of a metric, you decide whether you want to calculate the KPI using values collected from all versions of the model, including all previous and future versions, or using only the values from the most recent version of the model. In general, if the semantics of the KPI have not changed, include all versions. However, if a new version of the KPI has incompatible changes, choose only the current version.

History and prediction

You can choose to preserve the historical values of KPIs for viewing and analysis. In the KPI Manager widget, you can create prediction models and use the collected historical data to predict future trends for the KPI. Using prediction models, you can take action before things go wrong, rather than finding out afterward.

You can enable or disable historical tracking in the KPI Manager widget. If you enable tracking in the KPI model, however, by selecting Keep track of historical values for this KPI, you can track the KPI history from the beginning.

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Related concepts:
KPI targets and KPI ranges
KPI time filters and data filters