Key Concepts

Tracenable uses a few core concepts throughout the platform. Understanding them will help you unlock the platform’s full potential.

Company Universe

A company universe is the set of companies you select for analysis or export.

It can be built interactively in the Company Screener, or defined through a reference list you share with us. That list can be an existing index (e.g., MSCI World, S&P 500, DAX 40) or any custom list containing company- or security-level identifiers (e.g., ISINs, SEDOLs, FIGIs, tickers).
Once defined, the same universe can be reused across datasets and exports.
Universes give you control over which companies you are analyzing, whether it’s a small peer group or the entire Tracenable coverage.

Tracenable datasets follow a dimensional model.

Dimensions are the ways you can analyze or slice the data. Each dataset is defined by one or more dimensions.
Metrics are the most granular layer: each one represents a unique combination of dimension values that defines a specific data point.

Example: GHG Emissions Dataset

The GHG dataset is structured around three dimensions:

A metric is created by setting one value for each dimension. For example:

Total Scope 1 (Absolute): Level = Total • Scope = Scope 1 • Type = Absolute
Scope 3 by Category (Absolute): Level = Categories • Scope = Scope 3 • Type = Absolute (this yields values across the 15 Scope 3 categories reported by the company).

The dimensional model is a transparent way to structure data: it removes ambiguity in naming and makes metric definitions predictable.