Work with dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) and OLAP data

For IBM® Planning Analytics for Microsoft Excel, data items are organized hierarchically. Dimensional data sources include OLAP data sources and dimensionally modeled relational (DMR) data sources. The source tree provides a hierarchical-based view of the data.
Note: The names of levels and members in a dimension come from the model. It is the responsibility of the modeler to provide meaningful names.
  1. Package

    Packages are subsets of a model, containing items that you can insert in a report.

  2. Dimension
    Dimensions are broad groupings of descriptive data about a major aspect of a business, such as products, dates, or markets. The Information dimension includes additional objects, such as System Name and Package Name that you can also drag into the worksheet.
    Tip: Ensure that all of the dimensions that you use in a report are from the same cube that was used to create the report. Using dimensions from outside of this cube can cause object reference errors.
  3. Level hierarchy

    Level hierarchies are more specific groupings within a dimension. For example, for the Years dimension, data can be organized into smaller groups, such as Years, Current Month, and All Dates.

  4. Members folder

    Members folders contain the available members for a hierarchy or level. For example, the Members folder for the Years level hierarchy contains everything found in the Year, Quarter, and Month levels.

  5. Level

    Levels are positions within the dimensional hierarchy that contain information at the same order of detail and have attributes in common. Multiple levels can exist within a level hierarchy, beginning with a root level. For example, the Years level hierarchy has the following related levels.

    Table 1. Example of related levels for the Years level hierarchy

    Level

    Level name

    Description

    Root

    Years

    The root level.

    First

    Year

    Years in the Years root level. For example, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

    Second

    Quarter

    Quarters for each year in the Year level. For example, 2004 Q1, 2004 Q2, and 2004 Q3.

    Third

    Month

    Months for each quarter in the Quarter level. For example, Jan, Feb, and Mar.
    Note: The Measures dimension, which is not shown in the table, contains the measures available in the data source.