Categories of a dimension

At run time, a dimension is filled with categories. The number of categories can be an indication to:

• Present a different type of graph;
• Decide to use replacement instead of insertion of the categories of the level below;
• Split the categories automatically into smaller groups.

If the number of categories exceeds the limit of 6, a pie chart would be inappropriate (Zelazny, 1996) or the rest of the categories should taken together in a single group ‘Other...’. Moreover, pie charts cannot be used if among the categories there are positive as well as negative numbers. In that case, a bar chart is a better choice.

Dimensions of a measure

Dimensions are points of view from where a user can look at the measures stored in the cube. They form the structure of the multidimensional model. A measure without dimensions does not make sense. This can be compared with a record with numbers having no corresponding primary key attributes or secondary explanatory data attributes. It is important, as indicated by the title of this blog, to allocate measures to a dimension, because not all measures do hold sensible values for a dimension.

Variations of measures

Now we have discussed the upper region of the steering model I will take a look at the lower region of the model. The physical storage for the measures and dimensions are often called cubes. Cubes are three-dimensional. Many people are familiar with two dimensional spreadsheet software packages, which establish a co-ordinate system by using rows and columns.

Processes and business intelligence systems

Organizations accomplish their goals within the organizational structure by processing input into output in order to generate business and fulfill the needs of their customers . An organizational process is a collection of activities that is performed in order to reach a certain organizational goal or business objective (operational, strategic, tactical).

This transformation process adds a margin of value (referred to as the value chain model), enriches input and processes the input in a way that the output is more valuable compared to the input (Porter, 1985).