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How to: Specify Dimension Usage for a Cube Dimension

When you create a new cube by using the Cube Wizard in Business Intelligence Development Studio, Cube Designer automatically analyzes your schema and attempts to define relationships between dimensions and measure groups. You can specify the dimension usage (how the dimensions relate to the measure groups in the cube) yourself, if desired. To modify these dimensions after the cube has been created, use Cube Designer.

To specify dimension usage for a cube

  1. In Cube Designer, under View, click the Dimension Usage tab.

  2. Under Measure Groups, click the row next to the dimension whose usage you want to define, click the ellipsis (...) button to open the Define Relationship dialog box, and then select one of the following relationship types from the drop-down list:

    • No relationship. This specifies that the dimension and measure group are not related.
    • Regular. If you choose this option, select a granularity attribute from the Granularity attribute drop-down list.
    • Fact. This option is similar to the Regular relationship above, but here the dimension table and fact table refer to the same table.
    • Referenced. If you choose this option, select an intermediate dimension from the Intermediate dimension drop-down list, and under Relationship, select a dimension attribute for both the indirect dimension and the intermediate dimension.
    • Many-to-Many. If you choose this option, select an intermediate measure group from the Intermediate measure group drop-down list.
    • Data Mining. If you choose this option, select a source dimension from the Source Dimension drop-down list.
  3. Click OK.

See Also

Concepts

Defining and Configuring Dimension Usage and Dimension Relationships

Other Resources

Working with Cubes and Cube Properties How-to Topics

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance