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Editing dimensions

You can edit a dimension according to your needs. Editing options include adding columns, adding attributes and defining filters.

Information note

Changes in a dimension expression or lookup of a column in a dimension are not updated retroactively. In order to update historical data, you would need to reload the data which could take a long time depending on the number of records and their history.

To edit a dimension:

  1. Click the Manage button in the bottom left of the Data Mart panel.The Manage Data Marts window opens.

  2. In the left pane, select the data mart containing the star schema you want to edit.

  3. Expand the list of dimensions and select the dimension you want to edit. Then either click the Edit button in the lower toolbar or right-click the star schema and select Edit.

    The Edit Conformed Dimension - Name (or Edit Dimension - Name if the dimension has not yet been added to the data mart) window opens. The following tabs are displayed:

    • General tab: In the General tab, you can edit the dimension name, the dimension table name, the dimension view name and the description. You can also change the dimension’s history type by selecting Type 1 or Type 2 from the History Type drop-down list. For more information on changing the history type, see Understanding dimension history types.

      See also Data mart views.

    • Logical Attributes tab: In the Logical Attributes tab, you can add and delete columns, edit a column’s properties, view a column’s lineage, change the column order, and define filters.

      Edit the Logical Attributes tab according to the table below.

    • Physical Table tab: The Physical Table tab provides a preview of the actual "physical" columns that will be created in the database. All editing tasks are performed in the Logical Attributes tab, except for defining table creation modifiers which is performed in the Physical Table tab.

      For an explanation of how to define table creation modifiers, see Defining Fact Table Creation Modifiers.

  4. Edit the Logical Attributes tab according to Editing star schemas.

    Information note

    You can apply or revert your changes at any time, simply by clicking the Apply or Cancel buttons respectively.

  5. Click OK to close the window and save your settings or Cancel to close the window without saving your settings.

Editing Logical Attributes

Logical attributes editing options
To Do this

Add a new column

  1. Click the New toolbar button.

    The New Column window opens.

  2. In the Name field, specify a name for the column.
  3. From the Type drop-down list, select one of the available data types.
  4. If the selected data type requires further configuration, additional fields will be displayed. For example, when Decimal is selected, the Length and Scale fields will be displayed. Set the values as required.
  5. Optionally specify a Description.
  6. Click OK to add the column and close the New Column window.

Edit a column’s properties

  1. Double-click the row containing the column.

    The Edit: Column Name window opens.

  2. Edit the properties as described in steps 2-6 of Add a new column above.

Delete a column

Select the column(s) you want to delete (multi-selection is supported) and click the Delete toolbar button.

The column(s) are deleted.

View a Column’s Lineage
  1. Select the desired column.

  2. Click the Lineage toolbar button.

    A windows displaying the column’s lineage is displayed.

    For more information about lineages, see Lineage and impact analysis.

Create a filter

Click the Filter toolbar button. The Expression Builder opens with the heading: Edit Filter - TableName.

For information on creating filters, see Creating expressions.

Information note

Using From Date (FD) and To Date (TD) columns in a filtering expression is not supported.

Information note

The assumption is that columns that are used in the filters do not change between different versions of the record. If this is not the case, the Full rebuild option should be selected in the Data Mart settings. This assumption is also true for relationships; for example, if a Sales record relates to Product which relates to Country, and the filter is applied to the product's country, then the assumption is that the sale cannot change its product so that it is filtered in or out based on a new country.

Create or edit an expression

Hover the mouse cursor over the desired table column and then click the fx button that appears to the right of the Expression column. The Expression Builder opens with the heading: Edit Expression - Column Name.

For information on creating an expression, see Creating expressions.

Change the column order

Select the column(s) you want to move and then click the Move Down/Move to Bottom or Move Up/Move to Top buttons as desired.

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