Set Dimension and Member Properties

Open the Outline in Edit Mode

Before you can change or set member properties, you need to open the outline in Edit mode.

From the Applications page, expand <yourapplication>.
Click the Actions menu to the right of the cube name and select Outline.
Click Edit.

Set Member Properties while in Edit Mode

With the outline in Edit mode, you can set properties for individual members. You can make these changes using the keyboard or the member inspector.

To enable inline editing, double click on a member or in one of the columns to the right of the member name in the outline. For example, if you click along a row for a member you want to edit in the Data Storage Type column, you can use a menu to select a storage type for the highlighted member. If you double-click in the formula column, you can type a member formula.

With inline editing enabled you can:

Type member names, or rename existing members.
Use the Tab key to move from left to right between columns.
Use the Enter key to move down in the outline tree.
Use the space bar to expand menus, and use the up and down arrows to navigate the menu items.

You can also select multiple rows and change member properties in all selected rows at one time. For example, you can select several rows and change the member consolidation to + by clicking the + sign on the toolbar.

Set Properties in the Member Inspector

You can view and set member properties in the member inspector.

To open the Member Inspector:

On the Applications page, expand the application.
Click the Actions menu to the right of the cube name and select Outline.
Click Edit.
Drill into the outline to find the member you want to update and select it.
Right click and select Inspect.
In the Member Inspector, choose a tab on which to make your modifications:
- General
- Aliases
- Formula
- Attributes
- User-defined Attributes

See Setting Dimension and Member Properties.

Set General Properties

On the General tab, you can view or modify basic dimension or member information (such as consolidation properties, storage properties, and comments).

The options available on the tab vary, depending on the outline type, and the dimension and member type. For example, the items available vary depending on whether the cube is block storage or aggregate storage, or whether you selected a dimension name or a member within a dimension.

The following is a partial list of properties.

Table 11-5 Dimension and Member General Properties

Field Name	Description	Applies to...
Name	Enter a dimension or member name. Use no more than 1024 bytes when naming dimensions, members, or aliases.	Aggregate storage dimensions and members Block storage dimensions and members
Comment	Enter a comment. Comments can contain up to 255 characters.	Aggregate storage dimensions and members Block storage dimensions and members
Dimension type	For a dimension, select: None Accounts Time Attribute	Aggregate storage dimensions Block storage dimensions
Consolidation	For a member that is not a dimension or an attribute, select a consolidation operator: + (addition) – (subtraction) * (multiplication) / (division) % (percentage) ~ (ignore) ^ (nonconsolidating) Addition (+) is the default. The ^ (nonconsolidating) operator applies only to block storage cubes.	Aggregate storage members Block storage members
Two-Pass	Select the Two-Pass calc check box to calculate the member during a second pass through the outline.	Block storage stored members For dynamic members, set solve order instead
Data Storage	Select an option to determine how data values for the current dimension or member are stored: Store data Dynamic calc (This option does not apply to aggregate storage cubes.) Never share Label only Shared member	Aggregate storage dimensions and members Block storage dimensions and members
Member solve order	Specify a solve order between 0 and 127 to indicate the priority in which the member is calculated.	Aggregate storage members Dynamic block storage members
Hierarchy	Specify Stored (the default) or Dynamic or, for a dimension within an aggregate storage outline, select the Multiple hierarchy enabled option (which equates to selecting both Stored and Dynamic). The storage option that you select is applied to the hierarchy headed by the dimension or generation 2 member.	Aggregate storage dimensions Generation 2 aggregate storage members
Aggregate level usage	Select one of these options to provide a way for an administrator to influence both default and query-based view selection: Default: Internal mechanisms decide how to create aggregations. No aggregation: Aggregation is not performed along this hierarchy. All views selected are at the input level. Top level only: (Applies to primary hierarchies.) Queries are answered directly from input data. No intermediate levels: (Applies to primary hierarchies.) This selects top and bottom levels only.	Aggregate storage dimensions
Variance reporting expense	Members from the dimension tagged as type Accounts can have an Expense property value of True or False. When @VAR or @VARPER formulas are evaluated, Account members whose expense property is False will have opposite sign to those whose expense property is True. Example: Scenario dimension member Variance with formula @VAR(Actual, Budget). For Account dimension member Sales [with Expense property False], Variance member will be calculated as Actual-Budget. For Account dimension member COGS [with Expense property True], Variance member will be calculated as Budget-Actual.	Block storage accounts dimension and members
Account information	Time Balance: To use time balance properties, you must have a dimension tagged as Accounts and a dimension tagged as Time. None: Apply no time balance property. Member values are calculated in the default manner. Average: A parent value represents the average value of a time period. First: A parent value represents the value at the beginning of a time period. Last: A parent value represents the value at the end of a time period. Skip option: Select an option (None or Missing) to determine what values are ignored during time balance calculations. If you select None, then no values are ignored, and, if you select Missing, then #MISSING values are ignored. You can specify skip settings only if the time balance property is set as first, last, or average. None Missing You can set these properties for any members except Label Only members.	Block storage Accounts dimension only

Create Aliases

On the Aliases tab, you can assign alternate names, or aliases, to a dimension, member, or shared member. For example, in the <yourapplication>.Basic cube outline, members of the Product dimension are identified by product codes, such as 100, and by descriptive aliases, such as Cola.

On the Applications page, expand the application.
From the Actions menu, to the right of the cube name, select Outline.
Click Edit.
Drill into the outline to find the member you want to update and select it.
Right click and select Inspect.
Click Aliases.
In the field for the alias table you want to use, enter the value of the alias.
Click Apply and Close.
Click Save.

See Understand and Create Alias Tables and Setting Aliases.

Create Member Formulas

Build an example member formula in the outline editor, and learn how formulas are constructed using Calc language for block storage cubes and MDX for aggregate storage cubes.

On the Formula tab of the Member Inspector, you can create and edit member formulas for both block storage and aggregate storage cubes. These formulas are calculated through default cube calculations and calculation-script calculations.

You can construct block storage member formulas from operators, functions, dimension names, member names, substitution variables, and numeric constants. To write formulas for block storage outlines, a set of calculation functions and operators is provided. For syntax and examples, see Calculation Functions.

Aggregate storage member formulas cannot be created using Calculator language. Instead, create them using Multidimensional Expression Language (MDX).

Let’s create an example member formula. Suppose you have a dynamic calc member called “Watchlist Products” and you want it to be the sum of products “100-10”, “200-10” and “300-10.”

On the Applications page, expand <yourapplication> and select the Basic cube.
Click the Actions menu and select Outline.
Click Edit.
Select the Product dimension, add a child called Watchlist_Products, and press the Tab key.
Right click on Watchlist_Products and select Inspect.
Select the Formula tab.
In the member tree, in the left panel of the Formula Editor, drill into Product to find the first product member to add to your formula, “100-10.” Right click the member name and click Insert Name to insert it into your formula.
Place the cursor after "100-10" and press the + key.
Use the member tree to pick the next product member to insert, 200-10. Right click the member name and click Insert Name to insert it into your formula.
Repeat for the last product member, 300-10 and put a semi-colon (;) at the end of the formula.
The formula should look like this: "100-10"+"200-10"+"300-10";
Click Verify and fix any errors.
Click Apply and Close.
In the Data Storage Type column for Watchlist_Products, select Dynamic Calculation.
Click Save to save the outline.

Member formulas like the one you just created can also include Essbase functions. When using Essbase functions in member formulas, use the Function Name menu on the right side of the formula editor to find and add calculation functions the script. See the Function description under the menu to read descriptions of each function.

See Developing Formulas for Block Storage Databases.

To write formulas for block storage outlines, a set of calculation functions and operators, known as the Calculator, or Calc, language, is provided. For descriptions of calculation commands and functions, see Calculation Commands and Calculation Functions.

Aggregate storage member formulas cannot be created using Calculator language. Instead, create them using Multidimensional Expression Language (MDX). See Aggregate Storage and MDX Outline Formulas and Developing Formulas on Aggregate Storage Outlines.

Set Attribute Associations

When manually working with attributes, use the outline editor and the Attributes tab in the member inspector. First you associate attribute dimensions with base dimensions and then you associate attribute members with members of the base dimension.

Attributes are associated with Base dimensions; base dimensions are sparse standard dimensions containing members with which you would like to associate attributes.

Associate an Attribute Dimension with a Base Dimension

To associate an attribute dimension in <yourapplication> with a base dimension:

On the Applications page, expand <yourapplication>.
From the Actions menu to the right of the cube name, select Outline.
Select a base dimension to which you want to associate an attribute dimension. For this exercise, choose Market.
If you are not already in Edit mode, click Edit.
Right click on Market and select Inspect.
Click Attributes.
Select an attribute dimension, Intro Date from the Attribute Name column.
Click the right arrow next to Associated Attributes to associate the selected attribute to the regular dimension you selected in step 4.
Click Apply.
Click Close.
Click Save to save the outline.

After you associate an attribute dimension with a base dimension, you must associate members of the attribute dimension with members of the base dimension; these members must all be from the same level in the base dimension.

Associate an Attribute Member with a Member of the Base Dimension

To associate an attribute member in <yourapplication> with a member of a base dimension:

With the <yourapplication> outline still open, click Edit.
Expand Market, then East and select New York.
New York is the base member to which we'll associate an attribute.
Right click on New York and select Inspect.
Select Attributes.
From the member tree, expand Population and select the attribute member you want to associate to New York.
Click Apply and Close.
Click Save to save the outline.

See Working with Attributes.

Create User-Defined Attributes

You can create, assign, and unassign user-defined attributes (UDAs). A UDA is a word or phrase that describes the member. For example, you might create a UDA called Major Market and assign it to all members in the outline that are part of a major market.

Like attributes, UDAs are used to filter data retrievals. Unlike attributes, UDAs have no built-in calculation functionality. However, UDAs can be assigned to dense and sparse dimensions, whereas attributes can be assigned to only sparse dimensions. Also, a UDA can be assigned to any level or generation in a dimension.

On the applications page, expand <yourapplication>.
Click the Actions menu to the right of the cube name and select Outline.
Click Edit.
Highlight a member to which you would like to assign a UDA.
Right click the member and select Inspect.
Click the User-defined Attributes tab.
In the User-defined Attributes field, enter a UDA name and press the Enter key.
Click Apply and Close to create the UDA for the dimension and assign the new UDA to the member.
Click Save to save the outline.