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Data Foundations
Any company that reports KPIsUse case, not a client story

Know where every KPI on the dashboard comes from.

A number moves and someone senior asks why. Nobody can say where it came from, what it counts or who changed it last. The answer takes days, so the decision waits. With KPI traceability, anyone can open a KPI and see its definition, its owner and the records behind it.

One click behind a KPISchematic
3×Target return in 12 months
1 clickFrom a KPI to the records behind it
Week 1Fixed-fee audit
6 weeksTo the first live result
TypeUse case: what we build, not a client story
ForFinance, operations and leadership teams who report and act on KPIs
EngagementWeek 1 audit, then build in about six weeks, fixed scope, fixed fee
Runs onAntvia Data and Antvia Intelligence, in your own cloud, on open formats
Before and after

From a number nobody can explain to one you can open.

Before
  • KPI definitions live in someone's head or an old slide
  • Nobody can say which records sit behind a figure
  • Definitions change quietly, and nobody is told
  • Every board pack is checked again by hand
After
  • Every KPI has a written, versioned definition
  • One click from the figure to the records behind it
  • Every change has a name, a date and a reason
  • Freshness and quality checks shown next to the number
The problem

The number moved. Nobody can say why.

It shows up in a review meeting. Revenue, margin or churn has moved, and the first question is why. The person who built the report is busy or gone. Finance and operations pull their own extracts, and the figures do not quite match. By the time someone has an answer, the decision it was meant to inform has already been made, or put off.

A KPI nobody can trace back
A KPI nobody can trace back
What was broken
  • KPIs are calculated in many places: the BI tool, spreadsheets and the ERP's own reports.
  • No written definition, so two reports can both be right and still disagree.
  • No trace from the figure on screen back to the invoices, orders or tickets behind it.
  • Changes to a definition or a data source go live without anyone being told.
  • Nobody owns a KPI by name, so questions bounce between teams.
You might be here if
  • Explaining why a KPI moved takes more than a day.
  • Your board pack is rebuilt or re-checked by hand every month.
  • Two teams bring different figures for the same KPI.
  • Nobody can say when a KPI's definition last changed.

Why it mattered. A KPI you cannot explain is a KPI nobody acts on. Traceability turns the number back into something people can decide with.

The approach

Start from the questions people ask about a KPI.

We take your most-used KPIs and ask the people who own them to produce each one while we watch, including the spreadsheet step. Then we trace every figure back to the source records, write down each definition with an owner, and make that trace something anyone can open from the dashboard. Claude helps read old reports and draft definitions; people approve every one.

Every figure traced to its source
Every figure traced to its source
Where KPIs come from today
ERP and finance system
CRM and operations tools
Spreadsheets
What we build
One governed storeEvery source landed, with lineage
A definition per KPIWritten, versioned, owned
Trace on every figureOpened from the dashboard
What people can now do
See why a KPI moved
Check a figure before the board
See who changed what, and when
Every KPI traceable
Deliberately not doneAnother dashboard on top of the same untraced numbers
People own the definitions. The trace makes them visible.schematic
The solution

Definition, owner, lineage and records, one click behind every KPI.

What we build
  • A KPI catalogue: every KPI with its written definition, formula, owner and the date it last changed.
  • Lineage from the figure on screen through every job and join, back to the source system.
  • Drill-through from any KPI to the records behind it: the invoices, orders or tickets that make up the number.
  • Change history on every definition and source, with a name, a date and a reason, and an alert to the owner.
  • Freshness and quality checks shown next to the number, so people can see whether to trust it today.
  • The same definitions used by the dashboards, the board pack and questions asked in plain English.
It runs on Antvia: the bronze, silver and gold lakehouse lands and governs every source in your own cloud, on open formats, and Antvia Intelligence shows the KPI and its trace. Everything is documented in your own repositories.
How it would runDefinitions start in Week 1 because agreeing them takes the longest. Operate is open-ended and drawn at one week only to fit.
The impact

What we would measure.

The questions a KPI should answer by itselfWhat it takes to answer, before and after traceability.
Schematic, no values
Why did margin drop two points?BeforeDays of spreadsheet diggingAfterOpen the KPI, see which records moved
Who changed the definition?BeforeNobody knowsAfterChange history, with a name and a date
Can we trust this for the board?BeforeSomeone re-checks it by handAfterFreshness and checks shown next to the number
What we would measure on a real engagementWhat we would measure
Time to explain why a KPI movedFrom the question to a traced answer
KPIs with a written definition and a named ownerOut of the KPIs the business uses
Board pack figures checked by handEach month, before and after
Definition changes made without noticeShould fall to zero
ReturnTarget: at least 3× within 12 months, measured on your own numbers
Records behind every KPI
Records behind every KPI
Make every KPI explain itself.A short call, or record a message. A person replies within one business day.
Contact usCertified Services Partner, Claude Partner Network