Dimensions are data categories used to organize data for retrieval and preservation of values. Dimensions usually contain hierarchies of related members grouped within them. For example, a Year dimension often includes members for each time period, such as quarters and months.
Dimensions represent the core components of a business plan and often relate to business functions. Product, Region, and Year are typical dimensions. In most databases, dimensions are static, rarely changing over the life of the application.
A member is an individual component of a dimension. For example, Product A, Product B, and Product C might be members of the Product dimension. Each member has a unique name. A dimension can contain an unlimited number of members.
The following topics are discussed in this overview:
To access the dimension properties tabs, see Accessing the Dimension Properties Tabs.