Assets vs Metrics

ssets and Metrics are two of the most important concepts in INTERA.

An Asset represents the business object being monitored.

A Metric represents a value, state, or observation that describes that Asset.

For example:

• Vessel is an Asset Type;
• MV Northern Star is an Asset;
• Current Position, Fuel Consumption, and Open Defects are Metrics associated with that Asset.

Another example:

• Customer is an Asset Type;
• Acme Ltd is an Asset;
• Outstanding Balance, Monthly Revenue, and Open Tickets are Metrics associated with that Asset.

A useful way to remember the difference is:

Assets are the things INTERA monitors. Metrics describe what is happening to those things.

What Is an Asset? #

An Asset is an identifiable business object represented inside INTERA.

An Asset may be physical, commercial, organisational, or technical.

Examples include:

• a customer;
• a vessel;
• a product;
• a supplier;
• a bank account;
• a service contract;
• a vehicle;
• a warehouse;
• a network node;
• a department.

An Asset belongs to an Asset Type, which defines its structure.

For example, the Asset Type Vessel may define fields such as:

• Vessel Name;
• IMO Number;
• Flag;
• Fleet;
• Technical Manager.

An individual Asset then contains the actual values:

• Vessel Name: MV Northern Star
• IMO Number: 9876543
• Flag: Cyprus
• Fleet: Mediterranean Fleet
• Technical Manager: John Smith

Assets normally have a stable identity. Their fields may change, but the Asset continues to represent the same business object.

What Is a Metric? #

A Metric is a measurable value, state, date, location, or observation associated with an Asset or business context.

Metrics are often updated regularly and may change over time.

Examples include:

• current bank balance;
• monthly sales;
• outstanding customer debt;
• vessel position;
• network availability;
• average ticket resolution time;
• open alarm count;
• contract expiry date;
• payment status;
• synchronization status.

A Metric may include more than its current value.

Depending on its configuration, it may also contain:

• value type;
• unit or currency;
• timestamp;
• history;
• trend;
• threshold status;
• source Integration;
• error state;
• freshness status;
• Role-specific display name.

For example, a Metric may contain:

• Name: Outstanding Balance
• Type: Currency
• Value: €42,500
• Last Updated: 17 July 2026, 14:30
• Status: Warning
• Trend: Increasing
• Source: Accounting Integration

Assets and Metrics Together #

Metrics normally require a business context.

For example, the value €42,500 is not useful by itself.

INTERA also needs to know:

• what the value represents;
• which business object it belongs to;
• when it was calculated;
• where it came from.

When the value is linked to an Asset, it becomes meaningful:

Customer Acme Ltd has an Outstanding Balance of €42,500.

The Asset identifies the object. The Metric describes its current state.

When Do We Use an Asset? #

Use an Asset when the item represents an identifiable object with its own business meaning.

An Asset is appropriate when the object:

• has a stable identity;
• has descriptive fields;
• may be linked to several Metrics;
• may be connected to records in one or more Integrations;
• may appear independently in dashboards;
• may be referenced by other Assets;
• has its own operational lifecycle.

Examples include:

Customer #

A Customer may have:

• a customer number;
• a name;
• a country;
• an account manager;
• Metrics such as revenue, balance, and open tickets.

Vessel #

A Vessel may have:

• an IMO number;
• a vessel name;
• a fleet;
• a technical manager;
• Metrics such as position, fuel consumption, and open defects.

Product #

A Product may have:

• a product code;
• a name;
• a provider;
• a category;
• Metrics such as sales, activations, revenue, and active units.

Bank Account #

A Bank Account may have:

• an account name;
• a bank;
• an IBAN or account reference;
• a currency;
• Metrics such as current balance and recent transactions.

When Do We Use a Metric? #

Use a Metric when the item is a value or condition that describes an Asset, process, or operational situation.

A Metric is appropriate when the information:

• changes over time;
• can be measured or calculated;
• has a value type;
• may need history or trends;
• may have thresholds;
• may trigger a warning or action;
• may come from an Integration or calculation;
• may be displayed in a widget.

Examples include:

• Current Balance;
• Monthly Revenue;
• Open Ticket Count;
• Average Delivery Delay;
• Service Availability;
• Contract Expiry Date;
• Payment Status;
• Current Coordinates.

Asset or Metric? #

The following examples show the difference.

Business concept	Use
Customer	Asset
Customer Name	Field
Outstanding Balance	Metric
Vessel	Asset
IMO Number	Field
Current Position	Metric
Product	Asset
Product Code	Field
Monthly Sales	Metric
Supplier	Asset
Supplier Category	Field
Amount Due	Metric
Network Node	Asset
Node Location	Field
Availability	Metric

A useful test is to form the sentence:

This Metric describes this Asset.

Examples:

Monthly Revenue describes a Customer.

Current Position describes a Vessel.

Availability describes a Network Node.

If the sentence makes sense, the distinction is probably correct.

Asset, Field, or Metric? #

Some information may appear similar but should be represented differently depending on how it is used.

Use an Asset for Identity #

Use an Asset when the object exists independently.

Example:

• Asset: Customer
• Asset: Vessel
• Asset: Contract

Use a Field for Description #

Use a field for information that identifies or classifies the Asset.

Example:

• Customer Name
• Vessel Flag
• Contract Number

Fields are normally part of the Asset definition.

Use a Metric for Changing State #

Use a Metric for information that is measured, calculated, time-sensitive, or historical.

Example:

• Customer Balance
• Vessel Speed
• Days Until Contract Expiry

Common Modelling Mistakes #

Creating a Metric as an Asset #

Monthly Revenue should normally be a Metric, not an Asset.

It describes another object, such as:

• a Product;
• a Customer;
• a Company;
• a Department.

Creating an Asset as a Metric #

Customer should normally be an Asset, not a Metric.

A customer has its own identity, fields, relationships, and multiple Metrics.

Creating Filtered Groups as Asset Types #

Overdue Customers should not normally be a separate Asset Type.

Use:

• Asset Type: Customer;
• Metric: Days Overdue or Outstanding Balance;
• filter: overdue customers only.

Creating Dashboard Sections as Assets #

Finance Overview or Sales Summary are dashboard concepts, not Assets.

The dashboard should show real Assets such as bank accounts, customers, suppliers, and products.

Creating Integration Records as Assets Without Business Meaning #

Avoid creating Asset Types such as:

• CRM Record;
• API Response;
• Billing Table Row;
• Imported Data Object.

Assets should represent business objects, not the technical format used by an Integration.

Creating a New Asset #

Before creating an Asset, the required Asset Type must already exist.

Asset Types may be supplied by a Role package or created manually.

To create an Asset:

1. Open Assets.
2. Select Create Asset.
3. Choose the Asset Type.
4. Enter the required fields.
5. Add optional descriptive fields.
6. Link the Asset to an Integration record if required.
7. Save the Asset.

The exact options may depend on your permissions and installed Role packages.

Choose the Asset Type #

Select the Asset Type that best represents the business object.

Examples:

• Customer;
• Vessel;
• Product;
• Supplier;
• Bank Account.

Do not select an Asset Type only because its fields are similar. The business meaning must also be correct.

Enter the Asset Name #

Use a clear name that users will recognise.

Good examples:

• Acme Ltd
• MV Northern Star
• Starlink Maritime
• Main EUR Account
• Limassol Warehouse

Avoid names that only make sense inside the source system, unless they are recognised business identifiers.

Poor examples:

• Record 18452
• Imported Object 7
• API Item A
• Customer Table Row

Complete the Asset Fields #

Enter the descriptive and identifying fields defined by the Asset Type.

Required fields must be completed before the Asset can be used fully.

Typical fields include:

• name;
• external identifier;
• category;
• owner;
• location;
• status;
• reference number.

Use accurate identifiers wherever possible. These fields may later be used for matching records across Integrations.

Link the Asset to an Integration #

An Asset may be linked to one or more external records.

For example, the same Customer Asset may correspond to:

• a customer record in CRM;
• an account in billing;
• a debtor account in accounting;
• a company record in the support platform.

Linking these records allows INTERA to combine Metrics from several systems under one Asset.

The exact linking process depends on the Integration and Role package.

Manual and Synchronized Assets #

Assets may be created in two main ways.

Manual Assets #

A user creates and maintains the Asset directly in INTERA.

This is useful when:

• the Asset does not exist in an external system;
• only a small number of Assets are required;
• the Asset represents a custom business object;
• the information is maintained manually.

Synchronized Assets #

An Integration creates or updates Assets from an external system.

This is useful when:

• the source system already contains the required objects;
• many Assets must be maintained;
• identifiers and fields must remain synchronized;
• the external system is the authoritative source.

Some Assets may combine both approaches. Core identity fields may come from an Integration, while custom fields are maintained in INTERA.

Creating a New Metric #

A Metric definition describes what the Metric means and how its values are handled.

To create a Metric:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Metrics.
3. Click Create Metric.
4. Enter the Metric name and description.
5. Choose the Metric Type.
6. Select the Asset Types to which it may apply.
7. Define the data source or calculation.
8. Configure units, history, thresholds, and status options.
9. Save the Metric.

The exact options may depend on the selected Metric Type.

Name the Metric #

Use a name that clearly describes the value.

Good examples:

• Outstanding Balance;
• Monthly Revenue;
• Open Tickets;
• Current Position;
• Service Availability;
• Days Until Expiry.

Avoid names that are too generic.

Poor examples:

• Value;
• Total;
• Amount;
• Status;
• Result;
• Data.

A Metric name should remain meaningful when displayed next to an Asset.

For example:

Acme Ltd — Outstanding Balance

is clearer than:

Acme Ltd — Amount

Choose the Metric Type #

The Metric Type determines how the value is stored, validated, displayed, and processed.

Common Metric Types include:

• Number;
• Currency;
• Percentage;
• Boolean;
• Status;
• Date and Time;
• Duration;
• Text;
• Coordinates;
• Composite.

Choose the Type that matches the meaning of the value.

For example:

• use Currency for a bank balance;
• use Percentage for availability;
• use Duration for response time;
• use Status for paid, unpaid, or overdue;
• use Coordinates for vessel position.

Define the Metric Source #

A Metric value may come from:

• an Integration DataSource;
• a calculation;
• another Metric;
• a script;
• a reconciliation result;
• manual user input.

For Integration-based Metrics, configure the required:

• Integration;
• DataSource;
• source field;
• filters;
• time period;
• aggregation method;
• transformation.

For calculated Metrics, define the formula or helper logic.

For manual Metrics, define the entry form and allowed values.

Configure Metric Options #

Depending on the Metric, you may also configure:

• unit;
• currency;
• decimal precision;
• update frequency;
• history retention;
• thresholds;
• trend calculation;
• error handling;
• stale-data rules;
• default value;
• Role-specific display names.

Only enable options that are useful for the Metric.

For example, history and trends are useful for Monthly Revenue but may not be necessary for a simple Yes or No confirmation.

Adding Metrics to Assets #

A Metric definition must be linked to an Asset Type before its values can be associated with Assets of that type.

For example:

• Outstanding Balance may be linked to Customer;
• Fuel Consumption may be linked to Vessel;
• Current Balance may be linked to Bank Account;
• Monthly Sales may be linked to Product.

To add a Metric to an Asset Type:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Asset Types.
3. Open the required Asset Type.
4. Select Metrics.
5. Click Add Metric.
6. Choose an existing Metric or create a new one.
7. Configure any Asset Type-specific settings.
8. Save the changes.

After the Metric is linked, INTERA can store or retrieve a separate Metric value for each Asset of that type.

Example: Adding a Metric to Customers #

Suppose you create the Metric:

• Name: Outstanding Balance
• Type: Currency
• Currency: EUR
• Source: Accounting Integration

You then link it to the Asset Type Customer.

INTERA can now maintain different values for individual Customer Assets:

Customer Asset	Outstanding Balance
Acme Ltd	€42,500
Northwind Ltd	€8,200
Example Marine	€0

The Metric definition is shared, but each Asset has its own Metric value.

Metrics Without Individual Assets #

Not every Metric must be linked to a large collection of individual Assets.

Some Metrics may describe a high-level object such as:

• Company;
• Department;
• Fleet;
• Region;
• Integration.

Examples include:

• Total Company Cash;
• Fleet Availability;
• Department Budget;
• Integration Health.

In these cases, the Metric is still associated with a business or system context.

Avoid creating Metrics with no clear context unless they are truly global environment values.

Shared Metrics #

The same Metric definition may be linked to several Asset Types when the meaning remains consistent.

For example, Last Successful Update may apply to:

• Integration;
• Bank Account;
• Product;
• Vessel.

However, do not share a Metric merely because the values use the same data type.

For example:

• Customer Outstanding Balance;
• Supplier Amount Due.

Both use Currency, but they describe different business concepts and should normally be separate Metrics.

Where Assets Can Be Used #

Assets may be used throughout INTERA.

Dashboards #

Assets can be displayed:

• individually;
• in lists;
• in tables;
• as cards;
• on maps;
• in grouped summaries.

A dashboard may show all Vessels in a fleet or selected key Customer Assets.

Dashboard Filters #

Assets and Asset fields may be used as filters.

Examples:

• selected vessel;
• selected customer;
• selected product;
• selected region;
• selected fleet.

Metrics #

Assets provide the context for Metric values.

Each Product Asset may have separate Sales, Revenue, and Activation Metrics.

Reconciliation Rules #

Assets may define what is being compared.

For example, a reconciliation rule may compare billing and network data for each Product Asset.

Scripts #

Scripts may receive an Asset as input.

For example:

• generate a Customer summary;
• request a Vessel status update;
• calculate a Product health score.

Triggers #

Triggers may evaluate conditions for a specific Asset or group of Assets.

Examples:

• trigger when any Vessel has no position update for six hours;
• trigger when a Customer balance exceeds €50,000;
• trigger when a Product’s monthly sales fall below target.

Integrations #

Assets may be linked to records in one or several external systems.

Navigation #

Users may open an Asset detail page from a dashboard widget and review its fields, Metrics, history, and related Assets.

Where Metrics Can Be Used #

Metrics are also used throughout INTERA.

Dashboard Widgets #

Metrics may be displayed as:

• numbers;
• currencies;
• percentages;
• status indicators;
• charts;
• trends;
• maps;
• progress bars;
• warnings.

Thresholds #

Metric values may be compared with defined thresholds.

Examples:

• Healthy;
• Warning;
• Critical.

Triggers #

A Metric condition may start a trigger.

Examples:

• balance below minimum;
• availability below 99%;
• invoice overdue by more than 30 days;
• sync status changed to Error.

Scripts #

Scripts may read, calculate, transform, or update Metrics.

Reconciliation Rules #

Metrics may be compared across Integrations or Assets.

For example:

• billed amount against accounting amount;
• active subscriber count against network count;
• supplier liability against planned cash requirements.

Calculated Metrics #

A Metric may use other Metrics as inputs.

For example:

Available Cash =
Bank Balance
+ Expected Collections
- Supplier Payments

Health Metrics #

Several Metrics may be combined into a health score.

For example, Product Health may use:

• sales performance;
• overdue collections;
• service availability;
• support ticket volume.

History and Trends #

Metric history may be used to:

• compare periods;
• identify trends;
• detect anomalies;
• display charts;
• evaluate patterns.

Notifications #

Metric values and statuses may be included in notifications.

For example:

Customer Acme Ltd has exceeded the outstanding balance limit. Current balance: €42,500.

Example: Customer Monitoring #

A simple Customer configuration may contain:

Asset Type #

Customer

Asset Fields #

• Customer Name
• Customer Number
• Country
• Account Manager
• Segment

Metrics #

• Outstanding Balance
• Monthly Revenue
• Open Tickets
• Average Payment Delay
• Active Services

Uses #

• Finance dashboard;
• Customer Operations dashboard;
• overdue debt trigger;
• billing-to-accounting reconciliation;
• customer summary script.

The Customer Asset represents who is being monitored.

The Metrics describe the Customer’s commercial and operational state.

Example: Vessel Monitoring #

A Vessel configuration may contain:

Asset Type #

Vessel

Asset Fields #

• Vessel Name
• IMO Number
• Flag
• Fleet
• Technical Manager

Metrics #

• Current Position
• Vessel Speed
• Fuel Consumption
• Open Defects
• Communication Availability
• Last Position Update

Uses #

• fleet dashboard;
• vessel map;
• delayed position trigger;
• communication health calculation;
• navigation data reconciliation.

The Vessel Asset provides the identity and context.

The Metrics show its current condition and performance.

Recommended Design Process #

When deciding whether to create an Asset or Metric:

1. Identify the business object.
2. Determine whether it has a stable identity.
3. Define the fields that describe it.
4. Identify the values that change over time.
5. Create the Asset Type if one does not already exist.
6. Create the required Assets.
7. Define the Metrics.
8. Link the Metrics to the Asset Type.
9. Configure their data sources or calculations.
10. Use them in dashboards, rules, triggers, and scripts.

Start with the business object, not with the source system or dashboard design.

Summary #

An Asset is an identifiable business object.

A Metric is a value, state, or observation that describes an Asset.

Use Assets for:

• customers;
• vessels;
• products;
• suppliers;
• accounts;
• contracts;
• services;
• technical objects.

Use Metrics for:

• balances;
• revenue;
• counts;
• percentages;
• dates;
• statuses;
• locations;
• performance measurements.