Choosing The Right Entity Type

Tables sometimes include both characteristics and measurements. Use the following rules of thumb:

Choose Concept when…

• It represents a business object/actor (e.g., User, Subscription, Lead).
• Columns primarily describe what it is: owner, name, created date, category, status, etc.

Choose Metric when…

• It primarily measures “how many” or “how much” for trends/KPIs.
• Characteristics exist mainly as dimensions to slice the measure (e.g., by date, country, segment).

The Dual‑Entity Pattern

When a table truly contains both:

Create a Concept for the business object and its attributes.

Create a Metric for time‑series or performance measures.

Example: User (Concept: user_id, signup_date, country) + Active Users (Metric: counts by activity level over time).

Example: Leads Table

If the table holds Lead attributes (owner, created timestamp, account name, division, status), model it as a Concept: Lead.

If you also need time‑series KPIs (total leads created, conversion rate), add a Metric entity: Lead Performance.