# Semantic Layer error

**URL:** <https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/semantic-layer-error/11465>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [January 9, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/semantic-layer-error/11465 "2024-01-09T12:57:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![n1k40](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discourse.getdbt.com/n1k40/32/3451_2.png) [@n1k40](https://discourse.getdbt.com/u/n1k40)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2024, 12:57pm UTC](https://discourse.getdbt.com/t/semantic-layer-error/11465/1 "2024-01-09T12:57:04Z")

</div>

## The problem I’m having

dbt Semantic Layer throws an error that’s not clear to me what’s wrong.  
It starts doing this when I add a second metric of type ‘rate’. Both the metrics in the numerator and denominator are defined and working. As soon as I add the rate however, it starts giving an error.

It is worth to note that it does work with the first rate metric, but for some reason when I add the 2nd one it starts giving the error that is mentioning the measure behind the simple metric that is the denominator.

`Encountered an error: error querying against the semantic layer: Matched with [MetricInputMeasureSpec(measure_spec=MeasureSpec(element_name='some_measure', non_additive_dimension_spec=None, fill_nulls_with=None), fill_nulls_with=None, offset_window=None, offset_to_grain=None, culmination_description=None, filter_specs=(), alias=None, before_aggregation_time_spine_join_description=None, after_aggregation_time_spine_join_description=None), MetricInputMeasureSpec(measure_spec=MeasureSpec(element_name='some_measure', non_additive_dimension_spec=None, fill_nulls_with=None), fill_nulls_with=None, offset_window=None, offset_to_grain=None, culmination_description=None, filter_specs=(), alias=None, before_aggregation_time_spine_join_description=None, after_aggregation_time_spine_join_description=None)] for measure instance MeasureInstance(defined_from=(SemanticModelElementReference(semantic_model_name='some_model', element_name='some_measure'),), associated_columns=(ColumnAssociation(column_name='searches', single_column_correlation_key=SingleColumnCorrelationKey(PYDANTIC_BUG_WORKAROUND=True)),), spec=MeasureSpec(element_name='some_measure', non_additive_dimension_spec=None, fill_nulls_with=None), aggregation_state=AggregationState.COMPLETE).`

## The Code

the measurements in the semantic layer yaml looks like this:

```auto
    measures:
      - name: measure_1
        description: 
        agg: sum
      - name: some_measure
        description: 
        agg: sum
      - name: measure_3
        description: 
        agg: sum

```

The metrics yaml looks like this:

```auto
metrics:

# We first define the base metrics because of order of parsing in the IDE, 
# and afterwards we parse the metrics that are using these base metrics in their definitions

# BASE METRICS

  - name: metric_1
    description: 
    type: simple
    label: metric_1
    type_params:
      measure: measure_1

  - name: some_metric
    description: 
    type: simple
    label: some_metric
    type_params:
      measure: some_measure

  - name: metric_2
    description: 
    type: simple
    label: metric_2
    type_params:
      measure: measure_2

# RATES

  - name:metric_1_rate
    description: 
    type: ratio
    label: metric_1_rate
    type_params:
      numerator: metric_1
      denominator: some_metric

  - name: metric_2_rate
    description: 
    type: ratio
    label: metric_2_rate
    type_params:
      numerator: metric_2
      denominator: some_metric

```

## What I’ve already tried

renaming `some_metric` so that’s it has a different name as the measure.  
when I remove only the metric\_2\_rate metric , I don’t get the error.  
so the metric\_1\_rate is working, even though it uses the same denominator!