Understanding Causes and Inputs

Any data cube that affects another data cube is a cause or precedent of that data cube. A data cube can be a direct cause or an indirect cause of another data cube. A direct cause is used in the data cube's formula. An indirect cause is not used in the formula, but it appears somewhere in the chain of formulas that ultimately affect the data cube.

For example, suppose the GROSS_MARGIN and NET_INCOME data cubes contain these formulas:

• Formula for the GROSS_MARGIN data cube:

  SALES - COST_OF_GOODS

• Formula for the NET_INCOME data cube:

  GROSS_MARGIN - TOTAL_EXPENSE

In this example, SALES is a direct cause of GROSS_MARGIN because it is used in GROSS_MARGIN's formula. SALES is an indirect cause of NET_INCOME because it affects GROSS_MARGIN, which in turn affects NET_INCOME.

You can display the causes of a data cube to view the assumptions behind a result or to find a formula that is not working properly.

Using the All Inputs option, you can also display all of the input data cubes that affect a data cube, either directly or indirectly.