Creating Dimensions in the Dimension Map Using Relational Data Sources

You need to create a dimension for each aspect of the business that your users want to analyze.

For a relational data source, the steps are basically the same for regular and time dimensions. However, for the latter, you must specify whether to create the standard time levels (Year, Quarter, and Month) or a custom set (Lunar Week, Lunar Day, and so on).

Procedure

In the Dimension Map, click a dimension in the dimension line to ensure that no level is currently selected.
From the Edit menu, click Insert Dimension.

A new dimension is inserted to the right of the selected dimension.

Tip: If the Dimension Map is active, but no dimension is selected, the new dimension will be inserted at the left-most position on the Dimension Map.
In the Dimension name box, type a name for the new dimension.
In the Dimension type box, do one of the following:
- Click Regular to create any dimension that does not track time.
  For more information, see Adding Levels and Categories to a Dimension.
- Click Time to create a dimension that contains periods such as years, quarters, months, and days.
  For more information, see Setting Up the Time Dimension.
When you have finished setting the required properties on each of the other tabs in the Dimension property sheet, click OK.