Dimensions in the Conceptual Model - Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services - page 39

CHAPTER 5

IN THIS CHAPTER

. Dimension Attributes

Dimensions in the
Conceptual Model

. Dimension Hierarchies

. Attribute Hierarchies

Y ou define multidimensional space by specifying a set of
dimensions. Therefore, the dimension is the central object
of the multidimensional model. Many other objects are
based on the dimension. In different objects of the model,
dimensions are represented in different forms. The basic
form of dimension is the Database dimension, from which
all other dimension forms in the model derive. The
Database dimension is a major object, and therefore has
Name and ID properties. Other dimensions reference the
Database dimension and then add properties that distin-
guish them. For example, a cube uses Cube dimension,
which references a Database dimension.

Listing 5.1 is the Data Definition Language (DDL) that
describes the most generic definition of the Database
dimension. The Name property in our sample dimension is
Customer ; the ID property is also Customer . These two are
the only properties defined in our dimension (the Customer
dimension). In the next sections of this chapter, we slowly
introduce other properties of a dimension object.

LISTING 5.1 Use DDL to Define a Basic Database

Dimension

<Dimension>
<ID>Customer</ID>
<Name>Customer</Name>
<Annotations />
<Attributes />
<Hierarchies />
</Dimension>