Let's
take a look at each of the individual properties, starting with the Advanced
properties group, examining the possible settings with which we can come
into contact.
Advanced
Property: AllMemberAggregationUsage
The AllMemberAggregationUsage property governs the manner
in which the Aggregation Designer designs aggregations within Analysis
Services.
3.
Click the
input box to the right of the box marked AllMemberAggregationUsage within
the Properties pane, to enable the selector for the setting.
The selector for the AllMemberAggregationUsage property displays our selection
options as shown in Illustration
8.
Illustration 8: The
Available Settings for the AllMemberAggregationUsage Property
The
values we might assign to the AllMemberAggregationUsage property field from the selector
are as follows:
-
Full: Every cube aggregation is to
include the All member.
-
None: No cube aggregation is to include
the All member. (This is the default value.)
-
Unrestricted:
No restrictions
are placed upon the Aggregation Designer
-
Default: The same functionality as
Unrestricted.
Advanced
Property: DimensionID
The DimensionID property contains the unique identifier
assigned to the underlying Database dimension. This property cannot be
altered, and is therefore “grayed” within the property settings.
Advanced
Property: HierarchyUniqueNameStyle
The HierarchyUniqueNameStyle property dictates the manner
in which unique names are generated for hierarchies contained within the Cube
dimension.
4.
Click the
input box to the right of the box marked HierarchyUniqueNameStyle within the Properties pane,
to enable the selector for the setting.
The selector
for the HierarchyUniqueNameStyle property displays our selection options
as depicted in Illustration
9.
Illustration 9: The
Available Settings for the HierarchyUniqueNameStyle Property
The
values we might assign to the HierarchyUniqueNameStyle property field
the selector are as follows:
-
IncludeDimensionName:
The dimension
name is to be included as part of the name of the hierarchy. (This is the
default value.)
-
ExcludeDimensionName:
The dimension
name is to be included as part of the name of the hierarchy.
Advanced
Property: MemberUniqueNameStyle
The MemberUniqueNameStyle
property dictates the manner in which unique names are generated for members of
hierarchies contained within the Cube dimension.
5.
Click the
input box to the right of the box marked MemberUniqueNameStyle within the Properties pane,
to enable the selector for the setting.
The selector
for the MemberUniqueNameStyle property displays our selection options as
shown in Illustration
10.
Illustration 10: The
Available Settings for the MemberUniqueNameStyle Property
The
values we might assign to the Member UniqueNameStyle property
field via the selector are as follows:
-
Native: The unique names of members
are automatically determined by Analysis Services. (This is the default
value.)
-
NamePath: A name is compounded based upon
the name of each of the member level and caption.
Advanced
Property: Visible
The Visible
property dictates Cube dimension visibility.
6.
Click the
input box to the right of the box marked Visible within the Properties pane,
to enable the selector for the setting.
The selector
for the Visible property displays our selection
options as depicted in Illustration
11.
Illustration 11: The
Available Settings for the Visible Property
The
values we might assign to the Visible property field using the selector
are as follows:
-
True: The Cube dimension is
visible. (This is the default value.)
-
False: The Cube dimension is not visible.
The
individual properties of the Basic properties group are straightforward.
Basic
Property: Description
The Description
property simply supplies a descriptive name for the level. The default setting
is blank.
Basic
Property: ID
The ID
property contains the unique identifier assigned to the Cube dimension.
This property cannot be altered, and is therefore “grayed” within the property
settings.
Basic
Property: Name
The
optional Name property allows us to assign a friendly name to the Cube
dimension. The name of a given Cube dimension is identical to its
underlying Database dimension, unless another existing Cube dimension
has the same name.
We will extend our examination of dimensions within
our next article, where we will introduce and overview dimension attributes.
Subsequent articles will focus upon characteristics and properties of attributes,
including member keys and names, relationships, discretization and other
considerations.
NOTE: Please consider saving the
project we have created to this point for use in subsequent related articles of
this subseries, so as to avoid the need to repeat the preparation process we
have undertaken above.
7.
Select File
-> Save All to save our work, up to this
point, within the originally chosen location, where it can be easily accessed
for our activities within subsequent articles of this subseries.
8.
Select File
-> Exit to leave the design environment,
when ready, and to close the Business Intelligence Development Studio.
Conclusion
In this, the
second half of a two-part article, we continued the initial article within a new
subseries focusing upon dimensional model components, with an objective
of discussing the associated concepts, and of providing hands-on exposure to the
properties supporting each. We reviewed our Part I introduction to the dimensional
model and summarized its role in meeting the primary objectives of business
intelligence. Next, we provided a brief review of dimensions in
general, including the two primary dimension types within Analysis
Services, Database dimensions and Cube dimensions.
Having examined the Database and Cube dimension types
within the design environment in Part I (primarily
as a means of comparing the two types, and explaining their differences), we
began our focus upon the Properties associated with a Cube dimension,
based upon the examination of a representative dimension within our
sample cube. Finally, we looked forward to subsequent articles of this subseries, where
we explore the attribute, hierarchy, and other components of the dimensional
model as implemented by Analysis Services.
»
See All Articles by Columnist William E. Pearson, III
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