Dimensions
The Dimensions tab of the RMD screen holds the catalog of dimensions — the attributes that measures are sliced and filtered by. Each row of the table is one dimension. The tab is edited as a spreadsheet — see the Working with RMD tables page.
Types of dimensions
| Dimension type | Description | How the values are defined |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | The dimension corresponds directly to a column of a database table | Connected source — the database column the values are read from |
| Derived | The dimension is calculated from other dimensions | Formula |
The two ways of defining values exclude each other: for a primary dimension the formula is not used, and for a derived one the connected source is not used. Selecting the connected source is described on the Working with RMD tables page, the formula syntax on the Formula syntax page.
Most dimensions belong to a dimension group, which is chosen in the Dimension group column and corresponds to a dimension table in the database. Dimensions that live directly in a fact table do not need a dimension group.
Columns in the RMD table with dimensions
| Column name | Column description | Column type | Required column |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | A text field to specify the high-level category the dimension belongs to (e.g., "Finance", "Marketing", "Sales", etc.) | Text | No |
| Block | A text field for grouping dimensions by functional blocks within a group (e.g., "Expenses", "Revenue", "KPI", etc.) | Text | No |
| Dimension name | A text field for the business name of the dimension | Text | Yes |
| Dimension description | A text field for a short description of the dimension's purpose and meaning | Text | Yes |
| Original source type | A text field for the type of source system (e.g., "Database", "CRM", "ERP", "API", "File") | Text | No |
| Original source | A text field to specify the particular instance of the data source (e.g., "PostgreSQL Prod", "Microsoft Dynamics 365") | Text | No |
| Original object | A text field to specify the name of the object in the source system (e.g., table name, view name, or API method) | Text | No |
| Dimension group | A dropdown list to select the dimension group to which the dimension belongs | Select | No |
| Display data type | A dropdown list to select the dimension's data type as it will be displayed in reports (e.g., "Number", "Percentage", "Text", etc.) | Select | Yes |
| Source data type | An automatically populated field with data type obtained from the data source for the field in Connected source (e.g. "text", "int4", "uuid", "numeric(15, 3)", etc.) | Text | Yes |
| Dimension type | A dropdown list to select the dimension's type, which indicates whether the dimension requires additional transformations ("Primary" – the dimension directly corresponds to a specific field in the database; "Derived" – the dimension is calculated based on other primary dimensions) | Select | Yes |
| Formula | A text field to enter the calculation formula (relevant for derived dimensions) | Formula | Yes |
| Connected source | A dropdown list to select the exact database table column (field) from which the values for this dimension are taken (relevant for primary dimensions) | Select from DB | Yes |
| Comment | A text field for additional comments and notes about dimension's usage | Text | No |
| Value options | A text field or list to specify the possible values for the dimension (e.g., for "Order Status" dimension: "Open", "Completed", "Cancelled") | Text | No |
| Status | A dropdown list to select the dimension's status (e.g., "In progress", "Active", "Archived", etc.) | Select | No |
| Relevance | A checkbox to indicate if the dimension is currently relevant | Checkbox | No |
| Required | A checkbox to mark whether the dimension is mandatory | Checkbox | No |
| Visibility | A checkbox to indicate whether the filter for this dimension will be displayed in reports | Checkbox | No |
| Responsible for the data | A text field to specify the role, employee, or department responsible for the provision, quality, and accuracy of the dimension's data | Text | No |
Notes:
- The dimension name identifies the row and must be unique within the project version. Renaming a dimension automatically updates every formula, fact table, dimension group, and data mart that refers to it
- Required columns cannot be hidden, and an empty required cell is outlined in red
- Only the Archived status marks a dimension as an error. The In progress status and custom statuses have no special restrictions and are treated like an empty status
- A warning icon in the Dimension type cell means that the description is incomplete: a primary dimension without a connected source, or a derived one without a formula
- The same set of columns is shown for a single dimension in the Details from RMD dialog, where it can also be edited