¶ 1. Overview
The Dimension Relationship within T6 aims to filter the context of what is being displayed in the form, showing only what makes sense for the customer's business rule.
Dimension Relationships aim to filter data in forms more efficiently. One example would be filtering by entities the products that those entities sell.
¶ 1.1. Prerequisites
To create and use this feature, we will need to enable some user permissions.
For Manager permissions, the user will need the following permissions enabled:
- Create and View Data Entry Forms;
- Manage Data Table Structure;
¶ 2. Types of Relationship
There are 2 types of dimension relationships in T6: Classic and Dynamic;
The Classic relationship depends on the cube's publication, while the Dynamic relationship does not, making the dynamic relationship more performant and flexible.
¶ 2.1. Classic Type
In the classic type, our dimension relationship uses its own structure to store the members that are correlated in the dimension.
We load these data with an internal structure, and it stays loaded in memory; it only alters our intersection between dimensions when we publish a cube.
¶ 2.2. Dynamic Type
To use it, we need to use a data table with dimension-type columns.
We can have a much larger volume of data, which does not impact performance, compared to the classic method; The structure is not loaded into memory; everything stays in the database.
¶ 3. Creation and Use
¶ 3.1. Creating Dimension Relationship - Classic Creation Method
To create a dimension relationship using the Classic method, follow these steps:
- In the T6 main menu, go to Explorer;
- Select where to create the dimension relationship object and click New Item on the ribbon;
- After clicking on New Item, expand the Modeling option and select Dimension Relationship;
- Select the created object and click Edit;
- A new screen will open, where we need to configure Application, Creation Method, Dimension A, and Dimension B;
- In Application, click the dropdown to list the available applications and select one;
- In Creation Method, by default, the Dynamic method will be selected; click the dropdown and select Classic;
- In Dimension A, select the first dimension of the relationship by clicking the dropdown and selecting the desired dimension;
- In Dimension B, select the second dimension of the relationship by clicking the dropdown and selecting the desired dimension;
- After configuring the above fields, click Next;
- You will be directed to the mapping screen, where you will configure and map the relationship details. In this screen, the two dimensions selected earlier will be displayed, and you will select the hierarchy for each dimension and the members to be related in each dimension;
- In each dimension, click the dropdown and select the hierarchy (this will serve as a filter for the dropdown of members);
- At this stage, each dimension will be displayed by its own name, not as "Dimension A" or "Dimension B";
- The next step is selecting the members of each dimension (you can click the dropdown, which will show the members according to the hierarchy selected earlier, and select the members that will be related). This will be displayed in a hierarchical tree form;
- After selecting the members for both dimensions, click Add Selected, which will add the members to a listing below the fields;
- If you prefer, you can add the related members directly through the listing displayed below the member selection boxes;
- Through the listing, hover over the blank cell and the dropdown arrow will appear. Click the dropdown arrow and select the relationship members. Repeat this process for all the members you want to relate;
- After adding 2 members, a new blank row will be automatically created in the listing;
- If you want to delete a relationship between members, click on the trash icon
next to the member's name in the listing; - To proceed to the next step, click Next;
- You will be directed to the Summary screen to review what was configured in the previous screen. The summary screen will display the dimensions being related and the summary of the related members. At this stage, you cannot alter the displayed data;
- If any configuration needs to be changed, click Previous to return to the previous screen to edit the dimensions and members;
- After confirming that everything is correct, click Save;
¶ 3.2. Creating Dimension Relationship - Dynamic Creation Method
To use the dynamic creation method, we first need a data table configured with dimension-type columns linked to the dimensions we will be working with.
Without the creation of the data table, we cannot create a dynamic dimension relationship.
- In the T6 main menu, go to Explorer;
- Select where to create the dimension relationship object and click New Item on the ribbon;
- After clicking on New Item, expand the Modeling option and select Dimension Relationship;
- Select the created object and click Edit;
- A new screen will open, where we need to configure Application, Creation Method, Dimension A, and Dimension B;
- In Application, click the dropdown to list the available applications and select one;
- In Creation Method, by default, the Dynamic method will be selected. You can click the dropdown and choose between Dynamic and Classic;
- In Dimension A, select the first dimension of the relationship by clicking the dropdown and selecting the desired dimension;
- In the case of a Dynamic Creation Method, when you select Dimension A, Dimension B will automatically be selected due to the data table configuration with dimension-type columns;
- In Dimension B, you can still manually select the second dimension of the relationship by clicking the dropdown and selecting the desired dimension;
- After configuring the above fields, click Next;
- Select the data table where you will relate the members of Dimension A with the members of Dimension B by clicking the dropdown and selecting the desired Data Table;
- For the Dynamic Creation Method, you will be directed to the Summary screen to review the configuration from the previous screen. The summary will display the data table used, the dimensions being related, and a summary of the related members. At this stage, you cannot alter the displayed data;
- After confirming the configuration and ensuring everything is correct, click Save;
¶ 3.3. Using the Dimension Relationship
You will need an existing form or create a new one.
- In Explorer, select the form in which you will use the dimension relationship and click Edit;
- Make the initial configurations in the form and go to the Dimension Relationship tab;
- You will see a screen with 2 listings: Available and Selected. In the Available listing, the available dimension relationships will be shown for selection, and in Selected, the dimension relationships already added to this form will appear;
- Select the previously created dimension relationship in the Available listing and click the
to add it to the Selected listing; - If you have any dimension relationship added to the form that you do not want to use, click the
to remove it from the Selected listing; - After adding the desired dimension relationship, click the
;
For dimension relationships with the Classic creation method, you will only see changes in the rows and columns of the form after the cube is published;
For dimension relationships with the Dynamic creation method, when you modify the data form with dimension-type columns and save it, the change will be applied automatically;