Understanding Dimension Attributes

A dimension attribute is an OLAP metadata entity. This means that it is a logical object, identified by name and owner, within the OLAP 2 Catalog.

Dimension attributes are child entities of dimension entities. Dimension attributes define sets of level attributes, which map to columns on a per level basis. Each level attribute column is associated with a level and must exist in the same dimension table as the level column. Dimension attributes may include level attributes for some or all of the dimension's levels.

Examples of dimension attributes are end date and time span, which are required for time dimensions. In order for a time dimension to be valid, end date and time span dimension attributes must be defined for all levels. For example, if a time dimension has month, quarter, and year levels, end date must identify the last date of each month, each quarter, and each year. Likewise time span must identify the length of each month, each quarter, and each year.