---
title: "Volatile Metrics"
slug: "volatile-metrics"
updated: 2024-10-23T14:07:16Z
published: 2024-10-23T14:07:16Z
canonical: "learn.servitly.com/volatile-metrics"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.servitly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Volatile Metrics

This type of metric allows data to be retrieved from an external data source.

With this metric, data is retrieved only on demand, for example when a widget asks for the metric values of a specific period.

# Creating a Volatile metric

To add a new *Volatile Metric* to a *Thing Definition*, you should:

1. Ensure to have activated and configure a plugin providing external data source access. The plugins supporting volatile metrics are: InfluxDB, Snowflake.
2. Enter the *RAW Data* page.
3. Select the *Thing Definitions* tab.
4. Select the *Thing Definition* to edit.
5. Press the *Add Metric* button.
6. Select the *Volatile Metric* type and provide the required information.
7. Press the Save button and edit the additional information, if needed.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/6759e9c9-3ce3-49df-965a-7231d2d9a10a/Images/Documentation/image(78).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-16T18%3A26%3A23Z&se=2026-10-16T19%3A26%3A23Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=CCy3fJgLKoBq09bmew7BSV08%2BwZ7WmMvoo2FKmcmhxw%3D)

# Editing a Volatile metric

Once created, a volatile metric requires configuring the query to retrieve data from the remote data source.

The way the metric is configured depends on the selected data source; for more details, refer to one of the following plugins:

- [InfluxDB](/docs/influxdb)
- [Snowflake](/docs/snowflake)

# Displaying Volatile metric data

Once configured, within dashboards, you can insert any type of widget that supports metrics.

From a UI point of view, volatile metrics are the same as other metrics.

# Limitations

- Volatile metrics cannot be used within periodic computations such as (Events, Automations, Computed Metrics and Insights).
- Volatile metrics cannot be used within a property bound to a metric.