Importing Metadata

In This Section:

The Dimension Library is a central location for Financial Management, Profitability and Cost Management, Essbase, Data Relationship Management, and Planning administrators to view, create, and manage dimensions and hierarchies.

You can import dimension information (metadata) into the Shared Library or into individual applications by: 1) Creating and importing import flat files, 2) Importing metadata from interface tables, or 3) Importing metadata from Data Relationship Management applications.

For information on preparing to import from flat files, see Creating Flat Files.
For information on preparing to import from interface tables, see Using Interface Tables.
For information on preparing to import from Data Relationship Management applications, see the Oracle Data Relationship Management EPM Architect Integration Guide.

Caution!

To access dimensions in the Dimension Library, you must have the appropriate security credentials. For example, the Dimension Editor security role permits access to all Dimension Library functionality, such as creating, deleting, and changing dimensions and members, creating import profiles, and running transaction logs. Alternatively, dimension level security can also be used to control user access to individual dimensions. See the Oracle Hyperion Enterprise Performance Management System User and Role Security Guide.

The following table describes the dimension types that Performance Management Architect supports. Each dimension type is represented by an icon in the Shared Library.

Table 11. Dimension Types

Icon	Type	Description
	Account	Chart of account type information, for example, Net Income and Sales, in applications
	Alias	Defines the set of descriptions or languages for dimension members in Financial Management applications and to create alias tables for Planning, Profitability and Cost Management, and Essbase applications.
	AllocationType	Stores direct allocations and allocation genealogy. Required for Profitability applications.
	Attribute	Classifies members in dimensions in Planning and Essbase applications.
	Consolidation Method	Denotes consolidation behavior for Financial Management applications.
	Country	Tracks business activities in multiple countries in Essbase applications. If you tag dimensions as Country, you can enter the currency name in the Currency text box. Note: This dimension type does not apply to aggregate storage outlines.
	Currency	Currencies in multi-currency applications
	Entity	Entity or organizational structures in applications
	Generic	Custom dimensions that can be used in all application types
	ICP	Specifies intercompany information, such as ICP Entities, in Financial Management applications. When you include an ICP dimension in a Consolidation application, it is automatically populated with members from the Entity dimension in that application. These members cannot be edited or changed. This dimension must be included in Consolidation applications.
	Measures	Required to build, validate and calculate a Profitability and Cost Management model
	Period	The period structure for applications, for example month, quarter, and half year
	Scenario	Scenarios for applications, for example Actual and Budget
	Security Class	Security class information in Financial Management applications
	Smart List	Smart List information in Planning applications
	Time	Specifies how often you collect and update data in Essbase applications. You can tag only one dimension in an Essbase outline as Time.
	UDA	Specifies user-defined attribute (UDA) information.
	Value	Corresponds to the Value dimension in Financial Management applications. When you include a Value dimension in a Consolidation application, its currency triplet members are automatically generated based on the members of the Currency dimension in that application. These members cannot be edited or changed. This dimension must be included in Consolidation applications.
	Version	Version information, such as Version 1 and Final Version in Planning applications
	View	Corresponds to the View dimension in Financial Management applications. In addition to the system Periodic member this dimension should contain members that correspond to each level in the Period dimension in a particular application. For example, if the Period dimension contains moths, quarters and half years, the View dimension should contain the following members: Periodic, MTD, QTD, HTD, YTD.
	Year	Years used in applications

Before you create applications, you need to define some of the dimensions that will be contained in these applications.

To access the Dimension Library, select Navigate, Administer, Dimension Library.