The disclosed embodiments include a method performed by a data intake and query system. The method includes ingesting collected data including metrics data including key values and numerical values, where each numerical value is indicative of a measured characteristic of a computing resource (e.g., device), and populating a first portion of a metric-series index (msidx) file with the key values and a second portion of the msidx file with the numerical values. The first portion is distinct from the second portion. The method further includes generating metrics from the metrics data, where each metric has dimensions populated with at least some of the key values and has one of the numerical values. The method further includes indexing the metrics by at least one of the dimensions.