Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 10-3.
Common setting in the Properties window
Each attribute uses the NameColumn property to determine which values are displayed to a client
application. If you do not select a column, SSAS will use the KeyColumn by default. If this happens, the results
will display integer values instead of names. For example, if someone creates a report showing the quantity
of sales based on published dates, that report will display the date key (such as 1) instead of the actual
date (such as 01/01/2012). As you might imagine, this renders the report useless. Therefore, be sure to set
a NameColumn property where appropriate. For example, in Figure
10-3
we have configured it to use the
DateName column.
In Chapter
9
we discussed how most attributes types are configured as regular. A special few, such as date
attributes, are set to other predefined types, such as Date, Month, or Year. If you did not set the attributes type in
the Dimension Wizard, you can change it in the Properties window as shown in Figure
10-3
.
The Hierarchies Pane
When you first create a dimension, each attribute is independent of each other, but user hierarchies allow you to
group attributes into one or more parent-child relationships. Each relationship forms a new level of the hierarchy
and provides reporting software with a way to browse data as a collection of levels-based attributes.
Creating Hierarchies
The act of creating a hierarchy is quite simple. All you do is drag and drop an attribute into the Hierarchies
section, and a hierarchy will be created automatically.
