Role Playing Dimensions

Question

Role Playing Dimensions

dankwart menor

Ten Centuries

Points: 1130
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March 12, 2009 at 4:11 am

#201241

Hi!
I'm trying to use role playing dimensions in my AS project.
I have a standard time dimension basing on a table in my DB. The dimension browser shows the proper result. Also i defined the needed relationships in the dimension usage tab (two time dimensions, one with a regular relationship to the start date of a measure group and one to the end date of that measure group).
When it comes to the cube browsing tab, I'm a little confused. Adding the two measures to the details area and the hierarchies of both dimensions in the column area cannot be the way to role playing dimensions, can it?
How to proceed? Describe it in full detail, please!
Dankwart
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mhegde Grasshopper Points: 17 More actions · Answer 1

Not sure what is the problem you're facing.. A simple example here - suppose there are two measures - Sales Order Value and Sales Order Count with TIme dimension directly connected to this fact based on Order creation date and with a role playing time dimension Order Delivery Date.

While browsing the cube, suppose you place regular time dimension on rows, those two measures in detail and Order Delivery Date on columns, the measure values will simply be a cell value in the cube where these two dimensions meet. I mean, for example, suppose you are looking for a Sales Order Count by Time Dimension member 'Q1 2009' and Order Delivery Date member 'Q2 2009', it'll show the value from the fact table where the records (orders) have creation date in Q1 2009 and delivery date in Q2 2009.

dankwart menor Ten Centuries Points: 1130 More actions · Answer 2

Thanks pal.

Thats a pretty straight forward example. But my scenario is the following:

I have OrderDate and ShippingDate in a fact table. Now I want to display the amount of items ordered AND the amount of items shipped on a arbitrary date/month/year.

I don't know how to connect the two dates with a single time dimension. Do I have to use two time dimensions for having role playing dimensions? AND THEN: How to display it in the cube browser. I cannot put two time hierarchies in the columns area, can I.

2008 2009

Ordered Shipped Ordered Shipped

34 35 63 36

Cheers,

Dankwart

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dankwart menor Ten Centuries Points: 1130 More actions · Answer 3

mhegde (3/15/2009)
with TIme dimension directly connected to this fact based on Order creation date and with a role playing time dimension Order Delivery Date.

Could you describe this more detailed please. How do you differentiate?

Best regards

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gtschech Ten Centuries Points: 1351 More actions · Answer 4

Dankwart,

I am afraid the meaning of 'role playing dimensions' is somewhat different from what you expect. If I see it correctly, the feature enables you to use the same dimension data in multiple visible axises. That means you can use the same 'Date' dimension for order and shipment date.

But that doesn't mean that you'll get what you want, you'll just get two dimensions to choose that have the same values...

For your target you will have to use a different table layout, i.e. use a table that has one 'date' column and a 'shipment_amount' and a 'order_amount' column. You will have to split your rows into two, one having the order date in the 'date' column and the order amount in the 'order_amount' column and the other having the shipment date in the 'date' column and the shipment amount in the 'shipment_amount' column. whith this (or a similar) method you can then achieve your browsing experience.

HTH

Günter

dankwart menor Ten Centuries Points: 1130 More actions · Answer 5

Well, that sounds interesting... maybe I have no choice but to restructure my DB. I will follow that thought.

Thanks!

////////EDIT/////////

There must be another way. I just cannot figure it out.

I do have the two measures in that tables. Both being a datetime attribute. They come directly from an object in my application. Creating a new table that contains two rows for every object seems somewhat awkward to me.

Any idea?

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