Analysis dimensions and codes

Analysis Dimensions

Global analysis is a term given to the SunSystems facility that allows selected types of reference and transaction data to be grouped together under predefined headings, for inquiry and reporting purposes. These predefined headings are referred to as 'analysis dimensions'.

There are an unlimited number of uses for analysis dimensions but some common examples include enabling cost centre, product, location, branch or sales area reporting.

You define analysis dimensions to provide the information that meets your unique business operating and reporting requirements. The powerful SunSystems inquiry and reporting facilities can then be used to extract, sort and summarize data using the analysis codes.

The analysis dimensions are available throughout SunSystems modules. For example, if you define an analysis dimension for sales area, you could use sales area codes to analyze ledger transactions in Financials, and sales orders and sales invoices in Order Fulfilment, as well as customers.

If you require more detailed analysis, you can use Extended Analysis, depending on your serialization. These are extension fields added to analysis codes which are optional and user definable so that you can store and use extra attributes on analysis codes. It allows you to store additional information directly on an analysis code, where the analysis code represents a particular static data item.

Analysis Codes

An analysis dimension identifies an analysis heading. For each dimension, you can define an unlimited number of analysis codes, and it is these codes that you enter on the transactions and static data entities.

For example, if you need to analyze your sales transactions by sales area, you could define an analysis dimension called Sales Area and then create the following sales area codes:


Code	Sales Area
NTH	UK Northern sales area
MID	UK Midlands sales area
STH	UK Southern sales area
FR	France
IT	Italy
HK	Hong Kong
AU	Australia
US	USA

There are two ways of setting up analysis codes:

You can set up the valid analysis codes manually by entering the codes and their descriptions using Analysis Codes (ANC).
You can reference a set of codes that has already been defined in another SunSystems table. For example, you may wish to analyze the ledger transactions relating to employee expenses by Employee code. Employees are defined in the Order Fulfilment module. You can use the existing Employee codes as the analysis codes for the Employee code dimension.

You can also define an analysis dimension that does not require pre-defined analysis codes. In this situation, any code can be entered for the analysis dimension as they are not validated. This should be used with caution because it potentially allows incorrect codes to entered. However, it may be useful if you need to enter one-off codes, or codes that are always changing, for example transaction references, or insurance policy numbers, customer reference codes and so on.

Note: You can build analysis hierarchies to add an additional level of analysis, for example to analyze the sales area codes in the sales area dimension, into sales regions.

Setting Up the Analysis Dimensions and Codes

You can create up to 100 different analysis dimensions, and within each dimension you can define as many different analysis codes as you require. The analysis dimensions are created using Analysis Dimensions (AND).

You can define any number of analysis codes for an analysis dimension. Analysis codes are created using Analysis Codes (ANC).

Up to ten analysis dimensions are assigned to each analyzable entity using Analysis Structure (ANS).