Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
Suppliers
Vendors
Accounts
The individual data elements are called
dimensional attributes
,or
reference
data
. The dimensional attributes are used as row and column headings for
reports. They are used to create lists of options to determine what to include
or exclude on a report. The relationship between these dimensional attributes
creates drill paths or the ability to navigate up and down a hierarchy.
The need for dimensional data is often recognized while gathering business
requirements. It may not be directly communicated, but realized when some-
one needs a report by region, by week, and by product category. Each of the
terms following the word ''by'' is a dimensional attribute. These should be
included in dimensions to support that type of reporting.
An example of a customer dimension is shown in Figure 7-1. This is a highly
simplified example that only shows the customer's address and date of birth
attributes. Some of these attributes relate to each other in a hierarchy, while
others are simply additional characteristics of the customer. Any of these
attributes could be used to constrain a query or for use in a report.
Customer
Country
Customer
State
Customer
Postal Code
Date of Birth
Customer City
Customer
Figure 7-1
Sample customer dimension
TIP
A dimension can include attributes that are descriptive and that relate to
each other, creating hierarchies.
