---
title: Continuous metrics
description: A continuous metric is a measurement of a value where the thing being measured always has a valid value at each measurement point.
component: pingdirectory
version: 9.3
page_id: pingdirectory:pingdatametrics_server_administration_guide:pd_met_continuous_metrics
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/9.3/pingdatametrics_server_administration_guide/pd_met_continuous_metrics.html
revdate: September 13, 2023
---

# Continuous metrics

A continuous metric is a measurement of a value where the thing being measured always has a valid value at each measurement point.

For example, CPU percent busy is a continuous metric. For every sample CPU interval, a valid CPU percent busy measurement can be taken. A continuous metric differs from a count metric in that continuous metric samples cannot be added across time in a meaningful way. Instead, continuous metric samples use average, minimum, and maximum statistics. To determine how busy the CPU has been since midnight, average, rather than sum, the samples since midnight.