Metrics
Find, create, and manage the shared metrics that give device readings consistent names, units, and data types across Kilo.
A metric tells Kilo what a device reading means and how to store it. It combines a normalized key, such as temperature, with a unit, value type, and data type.
The two type fields answer different questions: Data type says whether the information is telemetry, device metadata, or a custom attribute; Type says whether its value is stored as a Float, Integer, String, or Boolean.
This shared definition lets devices from different manufacturers use the same dashboards and rules. One device may send temp_c and another may send t_celsius; mapping both raw keys to the temperature metric gives Kilo one consistent reading to work with.
Open the metric catalog
Go to Devices → Metrics.
The list contains every metric available to your organization. Each row shows its normalized key, unit of measurement, value type, and data type.
To reach this page, open Devices in the main menu and select Metrics at the top right, beside Add device. The arrow beside the title returns you to the device list.
Use the controls above the list to find a metric:
Search matches the normalized key.
All units filters by unit and includes metrics without a unit. Select the units and click Apply.
All types filters by String, Integer, Float, or Boolean and applies immediately.
All data type filters by Telemetry, Device metadata, or Custom attributes and applies immediately.
Sort by orders metrics by Newest or Oldest.
The unit, type, and data-type filters accept several values at once.
Metrics created by your organization provide an edit (pencil) and a delete (trash) action at the end of the row. Metrics supplied by Kilo do not, because their definitions are shared across deployments.
Create a metric
Go to Devices → Metrics.
Click Add metric.
Complete the four fields in the Add Metric dialog.
Click Add.
Data type
Choose what kind of information the metric represents:
Telemetry
Readings that change over time
Temperature, humidity, battery level, pressure
Device metadata
Information the device reports about itself
Firmware version, hardware revision
Custom attributes
Information your organization adds
Installation date, asset tag, maintenance interval
Choose Telemetry for readings you want to retain and use in dashboards or rules. Device metadata and Custom attributes categories exist in the catalog, but are not offered as telemetry mappings; selecting a category does not create a working value-entry or storage workflow.
Type
Choose how Kilo stores the value:
Float
Numbers with decimals
22.5, 67.3, 3.28
Integer
Whole numbers
85, -120, 42
String
Text
"open", "standby"
Boolean
True or false
Motion detected, alarm active
The mapped type also controls conversion before storage. See incoming value conversion, including numeric text, integer truncation, and rejected Boolean values.
Chart widgets and the gauge-style Last Data displays require an Integer or Float metric. The Last Data Value display can also show text and Boolean values.
Normalized key
The normalized key is the standard name for the measurement, independent of the raw name sent by a device.
Open Normalized key and either select an existing key or choose Create a new normalized key. Use a descriptive name such as soil_moisture, not a device-specific name such as sensor_3_value. Lowercase names with underscores keep the catalog consistent.
Each normalized key can belong to only one metric. If the selected key is already in use, the form reports A metric with this normalized key already exists.
Normalized keys are created, renamed, and deleted from this field. Keys supplied by Kilo cannot be renamed or removed.
Unit of measurement
Select the unit displayed beside the value, such as °C, %, lx, or mV. Choose an existing unit or select Create a new unit and enter the symbol exactly as it should appear.
The unit is optional for every data type. Many real readings have none: a door state is true or false, a status is a word, and a metric created from a device's own mapping may carry no unit. Add one when it helps people read the value, and leave it out when it does not.
Units are created, renamed, and deleted from this field. Units supplied by Kilo cannot be renamed or removed.
Edit a metric
Metrics are shared across your organization, not configured separately for each device. Editing a metric changes the definition for every device mapped to it.
Find the metric under Devices → Metrics.
Click the pencil icon at the end of its row. The Edit Metric dialog opens.
Update the required fields: Data type, Type, Normalized key, and the optional Unit of measurement.
Click Save.
A confirmation titled Are you sure you want to edit "{name}"? explains that the devices it's assigned to will automatically update their settings to reflect the changes. Select Yes, edit to apply the change, or close the dialog to keep things as they were.
You can change the data type of an existing metric only while no device uses it. If a device is still mapped to the metric, the dialog stays open and says: This metric is attached to devices. Detach it from all of them to change its data type. Remove it from those mappings first, then change the type. Saving an edit keeps the metric's description as it was.
If only one device needs a different definition, create a new metric for that device. Replacing its existing template creates a different measurement assignment; it is not the history-preserving source remap used for hardware replacement.
Delete a metric
Click the trash icon on a metric created by your organization and confirm the action.
A confirmation titled Are you sure you want to delete "{name}"? appears; select Yes, delete to remove it.
Kilo refuses to delete a metric that is still mapped to a device. A dialog titled "{name}" is used in other devices. explains: To delete the metric, you need to unbind it from all devices where it is used. Select Okay, remove the mapping from every device that uses it, then try again. The same dialog appears when you try to delete a normalized key or a unit that devices still use, from the key or unit dropdown.
Map a device reading to the metric
Creating a metric does not connect it to a device automatically. Open the device's Mapping tab and map the raw key sent by the device to the normalized metric.
After several device types map their raw temperature keys to temperature, the same dashboard widget, rule, or query can use all of them without manufacturer-specific logic.
Keep a measurement through sensor replacement
A metric template describes a kind of reading; each digital device has its own measurement using that template. Refrigerator 1 and Refrigerator 2 can both use the temperature template while keeping separate histories.
When replacing Refrigerator 1's probe, keep its existing temperature row and change the Connector key to the field supplied by the replacement. For example, the old probe may send temp_c and the new one temperature. Keeping the measurement lets future values join its existing history and keeps dashboard and rule references attached.
A unit label does not convert a value. If the replacement reports Fahrenheit or a scaled integer instead of °C, adjust the source or decoder to produce the expected value before mapping it. See Replace a physical sensor.
Troubleshooting
A metric is missing from a chart or gauge-style Last Data display
Confirm its Type is Integer or Float and the device sends a numeric value.
A metric is missing from a device mapping
Confirm its Data type is Telemetry.
A normalized key cannot be selected
Another metric may already use it. Search the catalog for that key.
Save is refused because the metric is attached to devices
The data type cannot change while devices use the metric. Detach it from every device mapping, or create a new metric for the new type.
The edit and delete icons are unavailable
The metric, key, or unit was supplied by Kilo and cannot be changed.
Delete is refused
Remove the metric from every device mapping before deleting it.
See also
Registering Devices — map raw device data during registration
Device Management — change mappings on an existing device
Chart Widget — display numeric metrics over time
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