Working with RMD tables
The RMD screen is a spreadsheet environment in which the measures, dimensions, and facts of the current project version are described. This page explains how the screen is organized and how data is entered and changed in it.
Tabs of the RMD screen
| Tab | Content | Form |
|---|---|---|
| Measures | Catalog of the project's business measures | Editable spreadsheet |
| Dimensions | Catalog of dimensions | Editable spreadsheet |
| Facts | Catalog of facts | Editable spreadsheet |
| Dimension groups | Dimension groups and their primary keys | List |
| Fact tables | Fact tables of the project version | List |
| Relationships | Links between fact tables and dimension groups | List |
The first three tabs are spreadsheets and share the same editing tools, the table control panel, and the column settings. The other three are lists with their own actions; dimension groups are described on a separate page of this section, fact tables and relationships in the Fact tables section.
Notes:
- All data belongs to the project version selected in the top bar. Switching the version switches the whole RMD
- Switching a tab resets the text search and the column filters and clears the undo history
Editing a cell
- A single click selects a cell, a double click starts editing it
- Enter on a selected cell starts editing; in a dropdown column it opens the list, in the formula column it opens the formula editor
- Typing a character on a selected cell replaces its content with the typed character
- Space clears the cell and starts editing it
- Escape cancels editing and restores the value the cell had before
- Enter confirms the input and moves down, Tab and Shift + Tab confirm it and move sideways
While a cell is being edited, an enlarged editor is also shown above the table. Its header contains the column name and the row number, which makes long values and formulas easier to read.
Editors depend on the column type:
| Column type | Editor | When the value is saved |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Multi-line input. Alt + Enter inserts a line break | When editing ends |
| Select | Dropdown list of the column's options | Immediately after an option is picked |
| Checkbox | Checkbox | Immediately after the switch |
| Formula | Formula editor with Cancel and Save buttons | On Save |
| Select from DB | Cascading selection of a database column | Immediately after the column is picked |
There is no separate save button for the table: the value is written to the server as soon as editing of the cell ends, and only the cells that actually changed are sent. Changes are immediately visible to the other users working with the same project version.
Value checks
The system checks values while they are being entered and marks problems on the cell itself:
| Indication | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red cell border | A required column is left empty |
| Red border and an error badge | The element name is not unique in this version. The message is shown on hover. On the Measures tab the duplicates are listed in the tooltip of the health icon instead |
| Health icon after the name in Measure name | The overall health status of the measure. The tooltip shows the health summary — see the Measure health cards page |
| Warning icon in Dimension type / Fact type | The type is Primary but Connected source is empty, or the type is Derived / Constant but Formula is empty |
| Warning icon in Connected source | The connection was deleted, the connection is not connected, or the selected table or column no longer exists in it |
| Border in another user's color | The cell is being edited by that user. Their name is shown on hover |
Checks do not block saving — they inform you that the description of the element is incomplete. Of the statuses, only Archived marks an element as an error; In progress and custom statuses are treated like an empty status. Renaming an element automatically updates every formula that references it, as well as the references to it in fact tables and data marts.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key or shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrows | Move between cells |
| Tab / Shift + Tab | Move to the next / previous cell |
| Enter | Confirm input, open the editor of the selected cell |
| Escape | Cancel editing, clear the selection |
| Page Down / Page Up | Move 10 rows down / up |
| Shift + arrows | Extend the selection |
| Ctrl + click and drag | Add non-adjacent cells to the selection |
| Ctrl + A | Select the whole table |
| Ctrl + C / Ctrl + X / Ctrl + V | Copy / cut / paste |
| Delete / Backspace | Clear the contents of the selected cells |
| Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | Undo / redo |
Clicking the row number selects the whole row.
Copying and pasting
Copying and pasting work inside the RMD and between the RMD and external spreadsheet applications. Values are converted so that they stay readable: for dropdown columns the text label is copied instead of the internal identifier, and in formulas element identifiers are replaced with element names. On paste the conversion is reversed — labels are matched with the column's options and element names in formulas are turned back into references.
Pasting starts at the top-left cell of the selection and spreads to the right and down according to the size of the pasted block.
The cell context menu contains Cut, Copy, Paste, and Clear contents. Inside an open text editor a separate menu with Select all, Cut, Copy, and Paste is available.
Filling several cells at once
- Drag-fill. A small square in the bottom-right corner of the selection can be dragged down over the neighboring rows. The values of the selected cells are copied into them; the whole fill is recorded as a single action for undo
- Pasting a block of values over a rectangular selection, including a block copied from an external spreadsheet
- Clearing the contents of the whole selection with Delete or the Clear contents menu item
Rows
New rows do not need to be created explicitly: empty rows are always available below the last filled one. As soon as you type a value into an empty row, the element is created. Scrolling to the bottom of the table loads the next portion of rows, and on the last page adds more empty rows.
The cell context menu contains the row operations:
| Operation | Description |
|---|---|
| Insert row above / Insert rows above | Adds empty rows before the selection |
| Insert row below / Insert rows below | Adds empty rows after the selection |
| Duplicate row / Duplicate rows | Creates copies of the selected rows with all their values |
| Delete row / Delete rows | Deletes the selected rows after a confirmation |
The number of rows to insert or duplicate is not entered anywhere — it is equal to the number of currently selected rows. Deletion is also available as the Delete rows button on the table control panel.
Limitations:
- Insert and Duplicate are not available while a column filter, a column search, or sorting is active, and while the selected rows are not one continuous block. Clear the filtering to use them
- Deleting an element also removes the references to it in fact tables, dimension groups, and data marts
Undo and redo
Undo and redo are available as the Undo and Redo buttons on the table control panel, as items of the cell context menu, and as Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y.
They cover the operations on the data of the current table: cell edits, pasting, drag-fill, clearing, and inserting, duplicating, and deleting rows. Column settings, column visibility, frozen columns, row and column sizes, filters, sorting, and search are not affected by them.
The history is kept for the current session only and is cleared when you switch the tab, the project, or the project version.
Selecting the data source for a row
For dimensions and facts of the Primary type, the database column that the element's values are read from is specified in the Connected source column. The cell is a cascading list with the Select data source placeholder and three levels:
- Connection
- Table (shown together with its schema as
schema.table) - Column
The selected source is displayed as connection / schema.table / column. The choice is saved immediately.
Notes:
- The Source data type column is filled in automatically from the selected source and cannot be edited. It stays empty while no source is selected
- The cell is unavailable when the type of the dimension or fact is not Primary — such elements are described by a formula instead
- Only connections of the current project version are offered. If the connection or the column behind an already selected source disappears, the cell shows a warning with the reason
Who can edit the RMD
Editing the RMD requires the Developer role or above (Developer, Project manager with developer access, Administrator, Super administrator) and a valid license.
The Analyst and Viewer roles work with the RMD in read-only mode: cells cannot be edited, the cell context menu, the row operations, the Delete rows button, the import of data, and the Configure column item of the column header menu are not available to them, and the formula builder opens read-only. In Configure RMD columns they can view the column settings but cannot change them.
All roles can search, filter and sort, autofit rows and columns, choose visible columns, freeze columns, resize rows and columns, switch to full screen, export the RMD, open the comments panel and the change history, view measure health cards and re-run their checks, and compare project versions.