Measure dimension

Most front-end tools such as Ad-hoc Report or Self-Service expect that data cubes have a Measure dimension. In the Samples database, the Measure dimension of the Analysis cube is named Measure. Each element of the Measure dimension is a measure, such as Gross Margin, Revenue, Units, and Discounts. The Samples database can be enabled only in on-premises environments.

The Measure dimension of a cube can be selected in the Properties tab of the Edit Database dashboard, or with modeling tools. We recommend you choose a dimension that consists of a flat list of elements. This approach ensures optimal compatibility with the front-end tools. They inherently display dimensions classified as measures in a flattened format. By selecting a flat list, you avoid the limitations of not being able to expand or collapse parent elements. This enhances the user experience and maintains data clarity and accessibility.

If no Measure dimension is explicitly defined for a cube, OLAP uses one of the dimensions with ODBO type 2 (Measure) as the Measure dimension for this cube.

If there is no Measure dimension defined for a cube, and the cube does not contain a dimension with ODBO type 2 (Measure), then OLAP then simulates an additional dimension named DefMeDim with one element named NumValue. In this case, DefMeDim is treated as the Measure dimension.

To front-end tools, OLAP returns the Measure dimension as the first dimension in the cube, regardless of the native order of dimensions.