# Assistant metrics and SQL (cheat sheet)

> Define metrics precisely and query them consistently.

Source: https://conversationalaidesign.com/cheatsheets/metrics-and-sql.html. Author: Nelson Abacherli Kawakami. Reviewed October 27, 2026.

## Definitions
| Metric | Definition |
|---|---|
| Containment | Share not escalated to a person |
| Resolution | Goal met, by confirmation or no repeat contact |
| Repeat contact | Same user and topic within 7 days |
| Fallback rate | Share of turns hitting not-understood or not-found |
| Groundedness | Share of sampled answers supported by sources |
| Latency | p50 and p95, not averages |
| Cost per resolved | All costs, including humans, divided by resolved conversations |

## Log at minimum
- conversation_id, turn_id, hashed user id, timestamp
- channel, language, market
- route, confidence, topic
- model, prompt and knowledge-base versions
- retrieval ids and scores; tool calls and status
- latency parts, tokens, costs
- outcome, escalation reason, feedback, guardrail triggers

## Cost per resolved (SQL)
```
SELECT route,
  SUM(model_cost + tool_cost + retrieval_cost + human_minutes * 0.75)
   / NULLIF(SUM(CASE WHEN resolved THEN 1 ELSE 0 END), 0) AS cost_per_resolved
FROM conversations
GROUP BY route;
```

## Dashboard rules
- Segment by language, channel, topic and complexity
- Show distributions and sample sizes
- Mark release dates
- Every chart links to an owner and an action

Related modules: Data, analytics and BI for assistants (https://conversationalaidesign.com/modules/17-analytics-and-bi.html)