# Stage VI: Analytics

Create dashboards to review tool life, usage cost, and inventory performance.

Source: https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/start-here/quickstart/analytics/
Updated: 2026-10-29

**Role:** Production Manager  
**Prerequisites:** Stage V complete — runtime and condition data recorded

With a completed production cycle, the Analytics module provides visibility into tool costs, usage patterns, and inventory health.

## Tasks

1. [Create a dashboard](https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/analytics/guides/create-dashboard/) — start from a template dashboard if your organization has one, or build one from scratch
2. [Configure a widget](https://support.toolingmetrics.com/en/analytics/guides/configure-widget/) — add widgets and set each one's data source, metric, filters, and grouping; for the demo, the most useful starting points are **Inventory Valuation**, **Tool Conditions**, and **Usage Cost**

## What to look for

After one production cycle:

- **Inventory Valuation** — total stock value across storage devices and in-machine tools; Tooling Metrics tracks valuation for items in circulation (picked out, assembled into tools) not just items in stock
- **Tool Conditions** — how many serialized cutting edges came back needing service or scrapped; click any tool ID in a table widget to jump directly to that tool's record
- **Usage Cost** — which tool assemblies consumed the most cost during the job; group by machine, item, user, or date for different perspectives

## What's next

You have completed the full Tooling Metrics loop: library → engineering → inventory → purchasing → production → analytics.

Return to any module to explore its guides for task-specific workflows, or browse the reference documentation for field definitions.