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How to: Add a Role-Playing Dimension to a Cube

SQL Server 2005

You can add a role-playing dimension to a cube by using the Dimension Usage view in Cube Designer, which you can access from Business Intelligence Development Studio. A role-playing dimension is a dimension that is used in a cube more than one time, each time for a different purpose. For example, you might add a Time dimension to a cube three times to track the times that products are ordered, shipped, and received. Each role-playing dimension is joined to a fact table on a different foreign key.

  1. In Solution Explorer, right-click the cube, and then click View Designer.

  2. In Cube Designer, click the Dimension Usage tab.

  3. Either click the Add Cube Dimension button, or right-click anywhere on the work surface and then click Add Cube Dimension.

  4. In the Add Cube Dimension dialog box, select the dimension that you want to add, and then click OK.

  5. In the Dimension Usage view, under Dimensions, right-click the dimension that you added in the previous step, click Rename, and then type a new name for the role-playing dimension. This name should describe the purpose of the dimension and should distinguish it from the other dimensions of the same type. For example, if you have added a Time dimension multiple times, you might name the instances Order Time, Ship Time, and Delivery Time.

  6. Define the relationship between the fact table or tables and the role-playing dimension.

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Role playing hierarchy instead of dimension

I would like to have 'role playing hierarchies' instead of 'role playing dimensions'. For example, if you sell to Individuals and Companies, I'd rather see one dimension for each, with time related hierarchies in each of those dimensions. If there is a hierarchy for Company Last Purchase Date, that should be in the Company dimension. Otherwise you get a crowded dimension model (especially if you put all dimensions together- a la UDM). This is possible in Analysis Services 2005, but you need to add an additonal table (or named query) to the DSV for each time 'role' per related table. So if the Company dimension has three time attributes: Last Order Date, First Order Date, and Enrollment Date, then you need to have 3 Date tables added to the DSV. Those same 3 Date tables can be used by other dimensions, for say, Individual Last Order Date, First...

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