Concept: Level Dimensions and Attributes
When you associate levels with custom dimensions, you create level dimensions. When you tag
levels with attributes, you create level attributes.
Simplify Formulas
Level dimensions and attributes simplify formulas. Example: Instead of referencing
the 10 levels in the Northwest Region, you can reference Northwest Region and
automatically include all the data of the 10 levels.
Create Alternate Hierarchy
Level dimensions and attributes also create various ways of looking at the data that
you collect for your levels. We call this variation an alternate level hierarchy.
Example: Your level organization reflects the departmental structure of your company,
as shown in the first column of the table. With this structure you can see the
totals for each department: G&A, Product Development, and Sales. The locations
of the departments are in different regions of the United States. To report on
totals for regions across departments, tag departments with Region attributes. Now,
you can report on rollups of the regional data across departments, as shown in the
last column. We total untagged levels as Uncategorized in the alternate
hierarchy.
Level Hierarchy by Department | Alternate Level Hierarchy by Region |
|---|---|
G&A
Product Development
Sales
| East Coast Region
West Coast Region
Region (Uncategorized)
|
Naming Convention Best Practices
- Include the wordLevel Dimension/Attributein the name of the dimension or attribute . Example: the attribute name isRegion Level Attributeinstead ofRegion. Now, you can easily filter the levels with attributes in cube sheets. The reports are also easier to read.
- Differentiate the name of the levels from the level dimension or attribute values. Example: Name the sales levels:West Coast SalesorWest Coast Sales Level. Name the dimension or attribute values:West Coast Regionor West Coast Region Dimension.
- Avoid using words that are common formula commands, such asThis.
- Avoid emojis.