Project Indicator Disaggregation
This page covers:
Related pages:
Disaggregation Groups and Values: Slice and Dice Indicators
What is Disaggregation?
Disaggregation is the process of breaking down indicator data into sub-categories to provide a more detailed understanding of an organization’s impact—such as which populations are being reached and how different groups are affected. It enables analysis by specific characteristics, supporting targeted decision-making and more meaningful reporting.
Example:
An indicator measuring the total number of learners who improved in literacy can be disaggregated by Sex, Age Group, or Location Type to uncover deeper insights.
Disaggregating a Project Indicator in Amp Impact
Amp Impact allows users to define custom Disaggregation Groups and their associated Disaggregation Values at the catalog level. Read more about it here.
These groups can then be assigned to Project Indicators during indicator creation via the “Disaggregation Group(s)” field.
Additionally:
A Project Indicator can also be cross-disaggregated by checking the “Cross-Disaggregation by Sex” field.
Targets for the same Project Indicator will be disaggregated when “Targets Are Disaggregated?” field is checked.
As of the Phoenix Release:
Users can assign up to 5-6 custom Disaggregation Groups to a Project Indicator.
Additionally, Cross-Disaggregation by Sex can still be applied.
This allows for up to 6-7 levels of disaggregation*, supporting more detailed and flexible data analysis
Before the Phoenix Release:
Indicators could only be disaggregated in the following ways:
By One custom Disaggregation Group, and
Cross-disaggregation by Sex (Male, Female, Unknown)
This meant a maximum of two disaggregation dimensions per Project Indicator.
Defining Disaggregation Type
When multiple disaggregation groups are assigned to a Project Indicator, users must define how the they should be disaggregated using the “Disaggregation Type” field. This field determines the structure used in both the Set Targets and Add Results Lightning Web Components.
Amp Impact supports two disaggregation types:
Stacked Disaggregation:
When Disaggregation Type is defined as Stacked, each Disaggregation Group is displayed independently without intersections between groups. This provides a clear summary of totals for each group—without showing how the groups intersect.
Example:
For an indicator measuring literacy improvement:
Age Group: 5–10, 11–15
Location: Urban, Rural
Household Income: Low, Medium, High
While entering targets/results for the Project Indicator the user can view:
Total learners by Age Group
Total learners by Location
Total learners by Household Income
This type of disaggregation is useful when users want a high-level overview of their data across multiple dimensions but don’t need to analyze combinations of those categories. (e.g., low-income learners in urban areas).
Note: Stacked Indicators can be disaggregated upto 6 custom groups.
The order of how the groups are added during Project Indicator creation determines how they will be displayed on the Set Targets and Add Result data entry popups. Read more here.
Additionally users can also choose to cross-disaggregate a stacked Project Indicator by sex. For the same indicator measuring literacy improvement, when the “Cross-Disaggregate By Sex?” field is checked, then this is how users would add targets/results for the indicator:
Nested Disaggregation
When Disaggregation Type is defined as Nested, the assigned groups are displayed in a hierarchical (nested) structure, where each group is broken down within the previous one. This enables more granular analysis of how different attributes intersect.
Example:
Using the same literacy indicator, users can disaggregate as follows:
Age Group
Location Type
Household Income
This allows users to see:
How many 5–10-year-olds in urban areas are in each income group
How many 11–15-year-olds in rural areas are in each income group
Nested Disaggregation is ideal when users want to understand the intersections between groups and uncover deeper insights into their data or if data collection is done in that manner.
Note: We recommend disaggregating Nested Indicators upto 4-5 custom Disaggregation Groups keeping Record Limits in consideration. The order of assigned groups determines the nesting hierarchy. Read more here.
Additionally users can also choose to cross-disaggregate the nested indicator by sex. For the same indicator measuring literacy improvement, when the “Cross-Disaggregate By Sex?” field is checked/set to TRUE, then this is how users would add targets/results.
Note:
Multiple Disaggregation Groups can only be assigned to indicators with Result Type = Input. If Result Type = Calculated or Aggregated, then users will see the following error
The Disaggregation Group(s) field and Disaggregation Type field cannot be edited if result records already exist for the Project Indicator. Attempting to make changes will result in the following error:
System Admin Note: The default value for “Disaggregation Type” field is Nested . For Project Indicators that are non disaggregated or disaggregated by a single group the Disaggregation Type field will be defaulted to Nested.