An externally-created dimension describes a logical hierarchy of a data set; however, the dimension hierarchy is transformed from its source format to Guided Search compatible XML outside of Developer Studio.
The logical hierarchy of
an externally-created dimension must conform to the Guided Search external
interface for describing a data hierarchy (found in
external_dimensions.dtd) before you import the
dimension into your project. As soon as you import an externally-created
dimension, its ownership is transferred to Developer Studio, so that afterwards
you can modify the dimension with Developer Studio.
Related links
The following table describes how to perform common operations on an external dimension in Developer Studio.
|
Operation |
Description |
|---|---|
|
How do you modify or update the hierarchy after it is in the project? |
You generally do not update the source file for the hierarchy after you import it into your project. If you do update the file and re-import, then any changes you made to the dimension using Developer Studio are discarded. After importing the hierarchy, you can modify a dimension just as if you created it manually using Developer Studio. |
|
How does Developer Studio manage the hierarchy? |
After you import the file, Developer Studio takes full ownership of the dimension and its dimension values. You can modify any characteristics of the dimension and its dimension values. |
|
How do you create the XML file? |
Created either directly in an XML file or created using a third-party tool. |
|
How do you include the file in a Developer Studio project? |
By choosing
Import External Dimension on the
File menu. During import, Developer
Studio creates internal dimensions and dimension values for each node in the
file's hierarchy. If you create the file using a third-party tool and any XML
transformation is necessary, you must transform the file outside the project
before you choose
Import External Dimension on the
File menu. The file must conform to
|
You can use Developer Studio to include an externally-created
dimension file in your project, as long as the dimension file conforms to the
external_dimensions.dtd file.
Ensure that you are working with an
externally-created dimension, and not an externally-managed taxonomy. Any
created dimension files must conform to the
external_dimensions.dtd file.
To include an externally-created dimension in a Developer Studio project, follow these steps:
