# Measures A measure is the number a dashboard tile shows, such as the number of supporters you have or your total donations this year. [Charts](), [cubes](), [tables](), [maps](), and [number tiles]() all display at least one measure. Each measure combines: - **What you measure**: a table, a variable, an audience, a FastStats selection, a behaviour, or an expression - **How it's summarised**: a function, such as Sum, that turns the values of many records into a single number. Tables, audiences, and FastStats selections are always counted. ## Measures and dimensions Most tiles pair measures with [dimensions](). A dimension splits your data into categories, such as region or gift type, and the measure gives the number for each category. On a [column chart](), the dimension's categories run along one axis and the measure sets the height of each column. A number tile has a measure but no dimension, so it shows a single figure. ## What you can measure You choose what to measure in the same search dialogue you use across Orbit. See [Searching in Orbit](), which also lists the [types of variables](). | Measure | What the tile shows | | --- | --- | | A table | The number of records in the table, such as people or donations | | A numeric or currency variable | A summary of the variable's values, such as the total or average donation amount | | An [audience]() | The number of records in the audience | | A [FastStats selection]() | The number of records in the selection | | A [behaviour]() | Recency, frequency, or value statistics for your contacts, summarised with a function | | An [expression]() | A value you calculate for each record with a FastStats expression, then summarise with a function | Not every tile type accepts every kind of measure. For example, you can't use a behaviour as a measure on a Venn tile. To add a measure to a tile, see the page for your tile type in [Tile types](). For each measure's settings, see [Measure settings](). ## Functions A function summarises the values of many records into the single number shown in each cell, column, or tile. For a whole table, the function is always Count. For a numeric or currency variable, or an expression, choose the function that answers your question from the **Function** dropdown: | Function | What it gives you | | --- | --- | | Sum | The total of all values | | Mean | The average value | | Variable Count | The number of records with a value, ignoring missing values | | Minimum | The smallest value | | Maximum | The largest value | | Median | The middle value, when the values are sorted | | Mode | The most common value | | Variance | How widely the values are spread around the mean | | Standard Deviation | The square root of the variance, in the same units as the values | | Lower Quartile | The value a quarter of the way through the sorted values | | Upper Quartile | The value three quarters of the way through the sorted values | | Inter Quartile Range | The difference between the upper and lower quartiles | | Count Distinct | The number of different values | When you add a behaviour as a measure, you also choose a function to summarise it. ## Combining measures To show a ratio or a difference, such as the average amount given per supporter, combine two measures in a [calculated measure](). A calculated measure adds, subtracts, multiplies, or divides two measures to give one result. For a calculation that two measures can't express, use an [expression measure](). ## Putting it together One dashboard often uses several kinds of measure side by side. > [!NOTE] > > **Example use case** > > A fundraising team builds a dashboard with four number tiles: > > - **Supporters**: the People table, which counts every supporter > - **Total donations**: the Donation Amount variable, with the Sum function > - **Lapsed supporters**: the team's Lapsed Supporters audience > - **Average per supporter**: a calculated measure dividing total donations by the number of supporters ## Measures in audience workbooks You also use measures in the cubes and charts in your audience workbooks. See [Working with measures]() and [Charts in audiences]().