Configuring cascading for dimension refinement

When users can refine by dimension values on a component, you can configure the dimension to use cascading. You can configure cascading for the Chart and Pivot Table components.

Cascading means that when the data is refined to a single value for the dimension value, the component is updated to use a different dimension.

When there are no more dimensions to cascade to, the component remains on the last dimension in the cascade.

For example, a component includes a Country dimension. The Country dimension is configured to cascade to State and then to Supplier. With this configuration:
  1. When users refine the data to only show records for the United States, the component uses the State dimension (for states within the United States).
  2. If users then refine the data to only show records for California, the component uses the Supplier dimension (for suppliers within California).
  3. If users then refine the data by a specific supplier, the component displays the data for the selected supplier, and the cascade stops.
Important: Some behaviors to be aware of when dealing with refinement and cascades:
  • As a general rule, if the dimension is not available in the Available Refinements component, then on the component, the dimension cannot be used for hierarchical refinement, and is skipped in a cascade.
  • For multi-or or multi-and dimensions, where users can refine by more than one value, then if the data is refined by any one of the dimension values, the cascade continues to the next dimension, even if there are still available values to refine by.
  • For dimensions based on managed attributes, whether the dimension can be used in a cascade is based on precedence rules and other settings in the Endeca Server. See the Oracle Endeca Server Developer's Guide for more information. These rules may cause a managed attribute in a cascade to be skipped unexpectedly, even if it is at the top of the cascade.

When configuring a dimension, to configure cascading for refinement:

  1. Check the Enable dimension cascade checkbox.

    The cascade configuration is displayed. The current dimension is automatically at the top of the cascade.


    Initial display when dimension cascading is enabled

    A drop-down list is displayed for you to select the next dimension in the cascade.

  2. To add a new layer to the cascade, select the dimension for that layer from the drop-down list, then click Add Layer.

    The new layer is added to the end of the cascade.


    Dimension cascade with a layer added
  3. To remove a layer from the cascade, click the delete icon next to that layer.
  4. To clear the entire cascade, click Clear Cascade.