KPI Dictionary
Your fund's single agreed list of metrics — definition, unit, frequency, aggregation and methodology.
The KPI Dictionary is your fund's agreed list of metrics. It is the thing that makes "collect once, report to many" possible: one definition per metric, however many LPs ask for it in their own words.
What each KPI holds
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Name | Unique within your fund, case-insensitively — the same metric cannot exist twice |
| Definition & methodology | The clear definition, calculation method, numerator and denominator |
| Unit | What the number is measured in |
| Frequency | Quarterly, half-yearly, annual or monthly |
| Theme | Environmental, social, governance, impact or financial |
| Level | Investee, GP or fund — who reports it |
| Aggregation rule | How periods and companies roll up (see below) |
| Standards | IFC Performance Standards, IRIS+, GRI, HIPSO, 2X or other |
Where KPIs come from
- Approved from a template — the usual route, via template review.
- Imported from Nia's reference library — browse the shared library and import or link an entry. The import carries the library's methodology prose (clear definition, calculation method, numerator, denominator) into your KPI, which is the single biggest saving on manual entry.
- Added by hand — create a KPI directly when you need one no template asked for.
Linking a KPI to its reference-library entry does more than save typing: it is how the platform resolves that KPI's aggregation rule reliably, instead of falling back on matching by name.
Aggregation rules
Every KPI carries a rule that governs how figures roll up across periods and across portfolio companies:
| Rule | Meaning |
|---|---|
sum | Add the contributing figures |
average | Take the mean, weighted where the reference library says so |
period_end | Take the value as at the end of the period |
none | Not safe to aggregate — the KPI is flagged rather than guessed |
Rules come from Nia's KPI reference library where the KPI is linked to it. Where a rule cannot be resolved safely, the platform flags the KPI instead of guessing at a number.
The time-axis rules supplied in Nia's KPI workbook are stored but do not yet override the platform's own rule. This is awaiting a client decision.
Seeing which LPs need each KPI
The dictionary table shows, per KPI, which LPs require it. The LP's own wording for the field — which is often nothing like your KPI name — is shown on the KPI Mapping screen.
Filtering
The dictionary filters by theme, level and frequency.
Standards tagging works and standards appear in the Excel export, but the KPI Dictionary screen does not yet offer a filter by standard.
Exporting
Export the dictionary to Excel to send to your investees, so they know exactly what they are being asked for and how it is defined. The export includes each KPI's standards, and is scoped to the investee-level KPIs an investee actually reports against.
For a single sheet that covers every LP at once without duplication, use the deduplicated collection sheet on KPI Mapping instead.