Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Configuring Relationships
When you create a dimension with the wizard, it tries to implicitly map the relationships for you. But more often
than not, you will have to adjust them yourself.
To adjust the relationships, begin by removing the incorrect ones on the Attribute Relationships tab. Locate
the Attribute Relationships pane at the bottom portion of Visual Studio (Figure
10-19
), highlight the existing
relationships, right-click, and select Delete from the context menu.
Once the relationships are removed, the Attribute Relationships tab will look like Figure
10-20
, where the
attributes are shown independent of each other.
Figure 10-20.
The DimAuthors Attribute Relationships tab
Now your job is to map the relationships correctly. A simple way to accomplish this is to right-click a child
attribute and then click the New Attribute Relationship option from the context menu (Figure
10-20
). A new
dialog window will appear allowing you to map the relationship child to a parent (Figure
10-21
). To map the
relationship, select the related attribute in the Name dropdown box and then determine whether the relationship
is expected to change over time or whether it should be considered an inflexible (aka rigid) relationship. Clicking
OK will configure the relationship.
■
The Edit Attribute Relationship dialog window is the same for both sibling and parent-child relation-
ships. Visual studio will automatically determine the type of relationship based on the attribute's appearance in a
user-defined hierarchy. You may wonder how it was wrong in the first place, but occasionally it is! As you will see in
the upcoming exercise, this automapping feature works well, even though it may not give you the level of control you
would like. simply delete any incorrect relations, remake them, and move on.
Important
