Alli Semantic Layer is where your marketing business logic is defined once. It sets shared KPI definitions, harmonizes naming across every platform and region, and gives every team, tool, and AI agent in Alli the same numbers, so meetings start with decisions.
sources brought into one place for the launch
to develop the full launch plan
revenue growth year over year
For the Momentive relaunch, Alli Datasources brought 27 sources into one place and the Alli Semantic Layer gave every metric one shared definition. Read the Momentive customer story
A semantic layer is a shared set of business definitions that sits between raw data and the people and tools that use it. It defines what each metric means, how it’s calculated, and how data from different sources relates. Without one, every team builds its own math, and the numbers drift.
Three teams bring three versions of ROAS to the same review. The first forty minutes go to whose data is right, and the decision moves to next week.
A view on TikTok and a view on YouTube are measured differently, and one campaign can carry five naming conventions across five markets.
Analysts copy the same mapping logic into spreadsheets, SQL, and each BI tool. One copy changes, and the reports stop matching.
The Semantic Layer holds your KPI definitions, maps platform labels to your business, and keeps both consistent across every region and currency.
Set how ROAS, CPA, conversion rate, and cost per lead are calculated one time. Each table definition lists its keys, entities, dimensions, and measures, so every report uses the same logic.
For your teamROAS means the same thing in every dashboard, deck, and market.
Categorizations, now part of the Semantic Layer, uses rules to map fragmented platform labels and naming conventions into one taxonomy: media channel, funnel stage, campaign type, ad format, and audience strategy.
For your teamA campaign is the same campaign whether it ran on TikTok, YouTube, or search.
See every categorizationDefinitions stay the same across regions and currencies, and fiscal and promotional calendars apply the same way everywhere, so a dashboard in one market and a spreadsheet in another agree.
For your teamGlobal reporting adds up without a week of reconciliation.
When everyone trusts the numbers, reviews move straight to what to do next. The debate about whose data is right goes away.
Marketing, finance, and operations work from the same data dictionary, so reports from different teams agree.
Channels, regions, and brands are measured against the same standards, in every currency and on the same calendar.
AI answers are only as good as the definitions underneath. The Semantic Layer keeps every agent grounded in the logic your teams already agreed on.
Who uses it
Walk into reviews where the numbers agree.
Every team brings the same KPI, calculated the same way, so the meeting time goes to the decision.
Start budget talks from agreement.
Finance works from the same definitions as marketing, so spend, revenue, and return reconcile on the first pass.
Stop rebuilding the mapping logic.
Definitions and category rules live in one place, so the hours that went into spreadsheets and SQL go into the analysis stakeholders asked for.
Change a definition once.
Regions compare fairly on one standard, and a change to a definition applies everywhere in Alli without version control problems.
The Semantic Layer models how your data fits together, then hands that model to every dashboard, analysis, and AI agent in Alli.
Performance tables link to shared entities like account, campaign, ad group, ad, and keyword, and up to the platform they came from. The map shows the whole model in one view.
For your teamAnalysts stop rebuilding joins and mapping logic for every report.
See how data arrives through DatasourcesAsk Alli and every agent in Alli resolve questions against the Semantic Layer, so an answer about revenue or Q2 matches the dashboard. Alli MCP Server extends the same definitions to agents outside Alli.
For your teamLeaders can act on an AI answer because it traces back to a defined source.
Explore Ask AlliThe Semantic Layer models your marketing data as one connected foundation that every tool in Alli reads from.
Datasources brings in performance and business data from every platform.
Performance tables link to shared entities and calendars, so data from different platforms fits together.
Set KPI logic once, for every team, region, and currency.
Categorizations rules translate platform naming into consistent business categories.
Dashboards, Data Explorer, Ask Alli, alerts, and planning tools read the same definitions.
Five layers make up the model, from the performance facts to the categories your business reports on. Categorizations is now part of the Semantic Layer.
One brand ran “Summer Sale” under five naming conventions in five markets. Categorizations maps them into one Season category. Ask about Categorizations
Most teams keep metrics consistent with spreadsheet mapping, naming conventions, and definitions built into each BI tool. Each helps. None holds up once markets move fast, platforms change fields, and people make mistakes.
| Spreadsheet mapping | Naming conventions alone | Definitions in each BI tool | Alli Semantic Layer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where logic lives | In each file | In people’s habits | In each dashboard | Defined once, used everywhere in Alli |
| When something changes | Update every file | Retrain everyone | Rebuild each view | Update the definition once |
| Cross-platform consistency | Manual | Breaks when platforms differ | Per tool | Harmonized by rules |
| Global and currency rollups | Manual and error-prone | Not covered | Varies | Consistent by default |
| AI and agents | Can’t use it | Can’t use it | Limited to that tool | Every agent uses the same definitions |
The foundation has to be something every team can trust. The Semantic Layer is governed, inspectable, and repeatable by design. Alli applies AI on top of it, so what’s built above stays explainable.
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Every definition applies the same way every time, and every number traces back to a defined source.
One standard for every region, brand, and currency, with the market-level detail local teams need.
Standards are maintained in one place, so a change reaches every dashboard and agent without forty spreadsheet updates.
The ideas behind Alli Semantic Layer
What the Semantic Layer is, how Categorizations fits in, and how it works with your data stack.
Alli Semantic Layer is where marketing business logic is defined once for all of Alli. It sets shared KPI definitions, models how performance data connects to campaigns, accounts, and calendars, and harmonizes platform naming through Categorizations. Every dashboard, report, and AI agent in Alli uses the same definitions, so teams and regions get the same numbers.
A data warehouse stores data. A semantic layer defines what that data means: how metrics are calculated, how tables relate, and how labels map to business categories. You can have a warehouse full of accurate data and still get conflicting reports if every tool defines ROAS differently. The Semantic Layer prevents that.
Categorizations is now part of the Semantic Layer. It still maps fragmented platform labels and naming conventions into consistent business categories using rule-based harmonization. Bringing it into the Semantic Layer means metric definitions and category mapping live in one place, so the whole standard is managed together.
A strong naming convention matters, but it breaks at scale. Teams move fast, markets adapt, platforms change fields, and people make mistakes. Categorizations adds a rules layer that catches variation and keeps reporting logic stable when naming discipline slips, so one mistyped campaign name doesn’t split your reporting.
Yes. Definitions stay consistent across every region and currency, and fiscal and promotional calendars are applied the same way everywhere. Global teams can compare markets fairly and roll up performance without rebuilding the logic for each region, while keeping the market-level detail local teams need.
AI agents are only as reliable as the definitions they use. Ask Alli and other agents in Alli resolve questions against the Semantic Layer, so an AI answer about revenue matches the dashboard finance already trusts. Alli MCP Server extends the same governed definitions to agents outside Alli.
You change it once in the Semantic Layer, and the new definition applies everywhere in Alli: dashboards, Data Explorer, Ask Alli, alerts, and planning tools. That removes the version control problem of updating dozens of spreadsheets and reports by hand, and keeps every team on the current definition.
Start with the KPI that causes the most arguments, usually ROAS, CPA, or revenue. Agree on one definition, set it in the Semantic Layer, and map the campaign naming that feeds it. Once the next review starts without a debate about the number, extend the standard to the rest of your metrics.
Book an intro and we’ll show you your KPIs defined once, your platform data harmonized, and the same answer in every dashboard, region, and tool.