Hierarchies for a regular dimension (SAP BW)
A hierarchy is an ordered list of levels or a collection of items. Each query item in a hierarchy must have a unique name.
You can specify multiple hierarchies on regular dimensions in IBM Cognos Framework Manager. Multiple hierarchies for a regular dimension behave as views of the same query. The first hierarchy is the primary or default hierarchy.
You can specify multiple hierarchies on regular dimensions in IBM® Cognos® Framework Manager. Multiple hierarchies for a regular dimension behave as views of the same query. The first hierarchy is the primary or default hierarchy.
You can use only one hierarchy at a time in a query. For example, you cannot use one hierarchy in the rows of a crosstab report and another hierarchy from the same dimension in the columns. If you need both hierarchies in the same report, you must create two dimensions, one for each hierarchy. For more information, see Modeling dimensions with multiple hierarchies.
For example, sales staff can be viewed either by manager or by geography and you can model it as a single dimension with two hierarchies.
IBM Cognos software uses default settings that will not fail for the hierarchy type.
- For dimensions that represent SAP BW characteristics, the Balanced property is set to true and the Ragged property is set to false.
- For dimensions that represent presentation hierarchies, the Balanced property is set to false and the Ragged property is set to true.
These settings may not reflect the appropriate values as IBM Cognos software does not determine the actual hierarchy structure. You can improve performance of SAP BW models and queries by adjusting dimension settings in IBM Cognos Framework Manager and in the IBM Cognos studios. For each dimension, check the settings for the Balanced and Ragged properties to ensure that the values are set appropriately.
In addition to hierarchies in dimensions, there are hierarchies in SAP BW metadata. For more information, see SAP BW hierarchies.