Units
units
The system of units that data is reported in. Each dimension (e.g. volume, weight, currency) forms a family of units, whose members are either different base units (kg vs metric tonnes vs lbs) or scalar multiples of one another (GBP millions vs GBP thousands). The conversion_factor is the multiplier needed to convert a value into the family’s standard unit.
For currencies, the global standard is USD. Currency conversion uses the end-of-day FX rate for the reporting period of the fact itself — for example, a fact dated 2025-12-31 uses the closing rate on 2025-12-31. The conversion_factor in this table is not influenced by FX rates.
| Column | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
unit_id | NUMBER | Primary key |
name | VARCHAR | Unit name, e.g. tCO2e, USD, % |
description | VARCHAR | What the unit measures |
unit_type | VARCHAR | Grouping, e.g. currency, intensity |
is_standard | BOOLEAN | Whether this is the standard unit for its group |
standard_id | NUMBER | The standard unit this unit converts to |
conversion_factor | FLOAT | Multiplier to convert into the standard unit |
iso_code | VARCHAR | ISO code for currencies |
Most values are presented in their standardised form, but in the foundation tables data is reported as both a reported or recorded figure, and a standardised one.