Defining Analysis Services Dimensions - SQL Server Analysis Services 2012 Cube Development - page 65

To create a time dimension based on an existing relational table, complete the fol-
lowing steps:
1. Invoke the Dimension Wizard and select the Use an existing table option.
Choose appropriate columns for time dimension key and name.
2. On the Select Dimension Attributes screen, choose the attributes you
wish to include in your time dimension. Additionally, change the Attribute
Type option by clicking on the drop-down menu and choosing the respective
attribute type. For example, for English Month Name you would select
Date→Calendar→Month .
3. Once you provide a descriptive name for the dimension, click on Finish . If
you check the dimension's Type property, it will be set to Time , and the Eng-
lish Month Name attribute's type property will be set to Months . If you forget
to set some attribute properties while working through the wizard, you can
correct the property value within the dimension designer.
There's more...
This chapter taught you how to define and configure data sources, create and extend
DSVs, and design the most commonly encountered dimensions. There are other
types of dimensions, which are seldom used in real-world applications. With the
knowledge you acquired in this chapter, you are ready to build typical dimensions.
You should refer to product documentation for any intricate scenarios requiring more
specialized dimension types.
A common requirement for enterprise-level cubes is to handle transactions that oc-
cur in multiple timezones. The simplest approach is to convert all time-related val-
ues into a common timezone within the relational database. Although you could im-
plement support for various time zones in the Analysis Services solution, doing so
will require significant effort and could impose significant overhead for your quer-
ies. Please refer to http://cwebbbi.wordpress.com/2005/11/01/handling-time-zones/
for further information.