Exploring Dimensional Data

Dimensional data sources include OLAP and dimensionally-modeled relational (DMR) data sources. The Source tab source tab in the content pane shows a member-oriented view of the data.

For dimensional and mixed model data sources, you can view the full data tree by clicking the View Metadata Tree icon view metadata tree icon in the Source tab source tab of the content pane. You can switch to the dimensional-only data tree by clicking the View Members Tree icon view members tree icon.

Figure 1. A dimensional-only data tree
the data tree, showing 1. a package, 2. a dimension, 3. a level hierarchy, 4. a members folder, and 5. a level
Note: The names of levels and members in a dimension come from the model. It is the responsibility of the modeler to provide meaningful names.
  1. Package

    Packages are subsets of a model, containing items that you can insert in a report.

  2. Dimension

    Dimensions are broad groupings of descriptive data about a major aspect of a business, such as products, dates, or markets.

  3. Level hierarchy

    Level hierarchies are more specific groupings within a dimension. For example, for the Years dimension, data can be organized into smaller groups, such as Years, Current Month, and Last Month.

  4. Members folder

    Members folders contain the available members for a hierarchy or level. For example, the Members folder for the Years level hierarchy contains everything found in the Year, Quarter, and Month levels.

  5. Level
    Levels are positions within the dimensional hierarchy that contain information at the same order of detail and have attributes in common. Multiple levels can exist within a level hierarchy, beginning with a root level. For example, the Years level hierarchy has the following related levels.
    Table 1. The Years level hierarchy

    Level

    Level name

    Description

    Root

    Years

    The root level.

    First

    Year

    Years in the Years root level. For example, 2004, 2003, and 2002.

    Second

    Quarter

    Quarters for each year in the Year level. For example, 2004 Q1, 2004 Q2, and 2004 Q3.

    Third

    Month

    Months for each quarter in the Quarter level. For example, Jan., Feb., and Mar.
    Tip: The Measures dimension contains the measures available in the data source.
  6. Member property

    Member properties are attributes that each member possesses. For example, gender could be a property for all employee members. For more information, see Insert a Member Property.