Hierarchies

Hierarchies define the levels of analysis and aggregation along a dimension. A hierarchy defines multiple levels that describe relationships between attributes, and the attributes that belong to each level. For example, in a Location dimension a hierarchy could be defined as Region - Country - Province - City.

A hierarchy and its levels are not linked to a specific data source. Data sources are displayed only to make it easier to find columns that represent the hierarchy level keys. After hierarchies and levels have been set up, if you select a hierarchy or level on the left, the data source that is highlighted in the data source box may not be the original data source that was used to select the level keys, however, the selected source contains the level key columns that were assigned. The level key columns can be changed as necessary without regard for the data source that is used.