Creating Multidimensional Data Structures

Creation of multidimensional data structures is a multidimensional model that is a logical data organization as multidimensional data cubes. A cube is a multidimensional object with cells containing data (facts) and axes (dictionaries) determining dimensions (characteristics) of indicators stored in a cube.

Cubes in Foresight Analytics Platform can be built on several data sources. The sources can be located both in the current repository and in other repositories or files. Cube dimensions can also be built on various data, for example, one dimension can be built on Microsoft SQL Server data and another on Microsoft Excel data. To extract data from cubes, the solution uses complex (multi-pass) SQL queries enabling to minimize data transferred through the network.

To create a cube in the object navigator click the Create button in the main menu and select the object type on the New Object side panel.

Cubes come in a variety of types:

Standard Cube. Cube structure is determined by the set of dictionaries and the combination of facts. Facts describe the data stored in dimensions that are determined by a set of cube dictionaries. In other words, dictionaries determine the coordinate axes of the cube and facts determine various values in each point of the obtained coordinate system. Along with the facts that store data, one can create calculated facts and relations in a cube. Calculated fact values are determined by a formula based on data of other facts or relations. Relations enable the user to get fact values by shifting relative to the current calculation point. It enables the user, for example, to calculate difference between the current and any previous or next value. Various data aggregation types can also be set up in a cube:

Cube View. The cube based on the data of another cube but having smaller dimensions. The number of dimensions is reduced by means of fixing dimensions:

Virtual Cube. The cube is created using the other cube data. A cube fact dimension is created on the selected elements of fixed dimensions. When viewing virtual cube data in an express report, the dimensions panel shows non-fixed shared dimensions of source cubes and the dimension of virtual cube facts:

Calculated Cube. This cube enables the user to calculate the values of facts using the values of other cube facts and defined formulas: