What Is a Metrics Layer?
The modern data stack offers us a ton of information about our marketing efforts, sales channels, customer data, campaigns, and much more. But what’s missing? For most tools, the answer is a metrics layer.
It’s essential that your employees all have access to the same information. Many large companies have data that is separated and siloed across data warehouses, different platforms, and other sources. When you have a metrics layer, you can ensure that your employees all understand what is going on, with a place where they can easily query the data they need and get the same results as someone else querying in a different department.
Let’s talk more about what a metrics layer is and why it’s the missing piece of the puzzle for many companies.
Why Is a Metrics Layer Important?
All of the above concepts go into creating a metrics layer that modernizes your company’s tech stack. This gives us a shallow understanding of why a metrics layer is important; it helps ensure your data is high quality and readable. But is that all it does? Far from it. With a robust metrics layer, you enable tons of benefits for your team. Let’s get into some examples of why a metrics layer is important to further define the value of having one.
Benefits of a Metrics Layer - Examples
There are a wide variety of benefits to having a metrics layer, but concrete examples demonstrate this best. Here are some of the biggest and most common benefits a metrics layer will enable.
Create a Universal Layer for All Data Sources
A metrics layer will create a universal layer for all of your data sources, meaning all of your data sources will have no problem communicating, transferring data, and transforming data so it appears the same to every user on your team. This means no more complicated data inquiries or redundancies and duplicates muddying the waters. A universal layer ensures your data is readable and accurate regardless of where it comes from.
Unify Pooled Data With a Centrally Configured Language
A metrics layer will use a centrally configured language to unify your pooled data and pull siloed data into one place. SQL is an example of a centrally configured language that a metrics layer might use to consolidate your data.
Allow BI and Analytics Tools to Use the Metrics Layer as a Database
One of the most important things your metrics layer will do is allow your other business intelligence and analytics tools to connect to your metrics layer and treat it like a database. This ensures all queries, reports, and data collection run through your metrics layer — meaning all tools will store what they find in your metrics layer, and they’ll all pull their information from the metrics layer as well.
Essentially, a metrics layer allows you to combine metrics reporting and research in one easily accessible place. Ensuring all of your tools share the same data is essential if you want to make sure all of your data-driven decisions and strategies are derived from the same information.
Ensure Accurate and Consistent Metrics for All Users and Tools
As we mentioned, connecting all of your tools to your data layer ensures metrics are always consistent. This means it’s consistent across your tools, but it also means that all of your users will see the same accurate measurements. There won’t be any confusion across departments because they’re using different tools to devise their strategies. In fact, a metrics layer will only foster collaboration between teams, since they’ll always be on the same page and drawing from a single source of truth.
Facilitate Self-Service Data Throughout Your Company
When your teams can trust the data they’re getting, it’s easier to facilitate and enable self-service analytics throughout your company. Your data teams will no longer have to vet data reports to ensure accuracy. Your team can always count on their data being accurate, allowing more employees to feel comfortable relying on the data they extract and use for research.
Build a Metrics-Driven Culture That Taps the True Value of Your Data
A metrics layer will intrinsically change the DNA of how your company operates. When data is no longer a chaotic variable, a metrics-driven culture will be fostered, and your company will use data more than ever. Not only will data be more heavily used, but it will also be used to its full potential.
The Narrator Platform Is Your Solution
Are you looking to create a data-driven culture in your company? The Narrator platform has the tools you need. Our platform consolidates all of your data sources seamlessly, providing your teams with a single source of truth that is reliable and accurate.
But perhaps the most powerful tool is our Analyze Button for self-service analytics. With just the click of a button, any member of your team can get insightful and actionable data reports without having to request them from the data team. With just a simple query, they can get answers to common questions and instant recommendations on what direction to take.
Interested in learning more? Request a demo with Narrator today to see what our platform can do for your company.
