Introduction to MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services Custom Cubes: Financial Reporting (Part I) - Page 8

January 6, 2003

We will add dimensions next.

8.      Add the following dimensions to the Dimensions folder, by dragging each from the expense_fact table onto the folder, in the following order:

• time_id
• store_id
• category_id

The selected dimension key fields appear in the Dimensions folder (sans underscores, and with initial caps, once again) as shown below:

The dimensions that we have added are private dimensions, meaning that they belong to this cube only. Now let's make some adjustments to the measure and dimension properties, to make them more useful to our model, as well as to refresh our memories, in some cases, of member properties attributes.

9.      Click the Time Id dimension to select it in the cube tree.

10.  Click Properties beneath the tree pane to display the properties of the Time Id dimension.

11.  Click the Basic tab in the Properties pane.

12.  Rename the dimension to Calendar.Time.

The Basic tab of the Properties pane for the Calendar.Time dimension appears as shown below:

13.  Click the Time Id level underneath the Calendar.Time dimension to select it in the cube tree.

14.  Ensure the Basic tab in the Properties pane is selected.

15.  Rename the level to Calendar Time (note that the delimiter "." is not allowed here).

The Basic tab of the Properties pane for the single Time level appears as shown below:

16.  Click the Calendar.Time dimension again, to select it in the cube tree.

17.  Click the Advanced tab in the Properties pane.

18.  Modify the All Caption to read All Calendar Time.

The Advanced tab of the Properties pane for the Calendar.Time dimension appears as shown below:

19.  Complete steps 9 through 18 above, for each of the other two dimensions, Store Id, and Category Id, to rename the dimensions (and their associated single underlying levels) to Store and Category, respectively, on the associated Properties panes, Basic tab.

20.  Modify the All Caption fields, on the Advanced tab in the Properties panes for Store and Category, to read All Stores, and All Categories, respectively.

At this juncture, the cube tree should appear as shown below:

Keep in mind that the dimensions we have defined are, again, private dimensions. Because private dimensions (and the associated dimension levels) are defined for the individual cube, they are created / modified, as we have seen above, using the Cube Editor. We must be "inside" the cube with the Editor to readily see the private dimensions exposed in the cube tree.

We will process the cube at this stage.