Data Visualization on Report Sheet: Regular report, web application

A dimension is a structural unit of a multidimensional data source. As dimensions, one can use dictionaries of repository.

If the visualizer uses several data sources, all source dimensions are divided into the following groups:

To work with data source dimensions, use the Dimensions area on the Sources side panel, selection control panel, and selection panel.

To display the Dimensions area on the Sources side panel:

Click the Source button on the tab panel. The Sources side panel opens.
Select the slice, table or chart of the selected data source on the panel.

Select the table cell or chart.
Click the Selection Control Panel button on the View toolbar tab.

The Dimensions area Selection control panel

To select the selected dimension layout option:

Using Drag&Drop.
Select the context menu item in the Dimensions area.
Select item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button in the Dimensions area.
Select the item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button on the selection control panel. Button color depends on the dimension location: if the dimension is in row, the button is blue, if the dimension is in column, the button is green.

Available dimension layout options:

To Columns. Specify the dimension that will be displayed in columns.
To Rows. Specify the dimensions that will be displayed in rows.
To Fixed. Specify the dimensions that will be excluded from rows and columns, that is, will be fixed.

Dimension fixation is used to hide a dimension from the rows and columns, based on which data views are created.

Filter in Source. Specify the dimensions that will not be used in building a data view:

This layout option is available:

For all data sources, except for the sources having two or more cubes.
For source cubes with enabled method of fact aggregation.
For all dimensions, except for facts dimensions, dimensions with configured link and dimensions with configured access to elements of MDM dictionaries, table and calculated dictionaries.

When source cubes are added with enabled aggregation method to a report, the Filter in Source layout option is used for dimensions if dimensions are excluded from rows and columns:

If aggregation is disabled in the cube, the Fixed position option is applied for these dimensions.

Determine the optimal view for analyzed data by experimenting with dimension positions.

The option is available if data sources contain several shared dimensions.

A private dimension can be created based on a shared dimension.

To create a private dimension based on a shared one:

Select the shared dimension.
Execute one of the operations:

Select the To Private context menu item.
Select the To Private item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button.

To set up selection of the selected dimension:

In the Dimensions area on the Sources side panel:

Select the Selection context menu item.
Select the Selection context menu item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button.

On the selection control panel select the Selection item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button. Button color depends on the dimension location: if the dimension is in row, the button is blue, if the dimension is in column, the button is green.

The selection panel opens.

To view selection of the selected dimension, hover the cursor on the dimension. A tooltip is displayed:

[Dimension_name] (All). Full selection.
[Dimension_name] (No selection). No selection.
[Dimension_name] ([Number of selected] of [Total]). Partial selection.
[Dimension_name] ([Element_name]). Single selection.

For details see the Working with Dimension Elements section.

To reorder displaying of dimensions, use Drag&Drop.

To add a control for the selected dimension in the Dimensions area on the Sources side panel:

Select the Control context menu item.
Select the Control item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button.

For details about setting up controls see the Adding Interactive Report Contents Controls section.

NOTE. If the visualizer uses several data sources, adding a control is available only for shared dimensions.

To search for a dimension:

Click the Search button in the upper part of the Dimensions area on the Sources side panel.
Enter the searched text to the search string. Search is executed automatically as the searched text is entered in the search string. The dimensions, which contain the specified substring, will be displayed in the Dimensions area according to their position.

To reset the search results, click the Clear button.

To use dictionary attributes as separate dimensions, set up dimension visibility. The obtained additional dimension can be used as an alternative hierarchy.

As a data source, one should use a cube, which has an attribute-based alternative hierarchy configured for one or several dimensions. The data source should include one cube. The data sources that include two or more cubes do not support the setting. If these conditions are satisfied, the Dimensions area on the Sources panel displays the Set Up Dimension Visibility button:

To display the dimension, click the Set Up Dimension Visibility button, and the Set Up Dimension Visibility dialog box opens:

The dialog box displays all the dimensions, for which one can set up an alternative hierarchy. Each dimension has all the attributes configured for alternative hierarchy. Only the dimensions are selected by default.

Select checkbox of the attribute, by which an alternative hierarchy should be set, and click the Apply button.

As a result, new dimensions with the default names: Dimension name. Attribute name are added in the Dimension area.

The dimension that is the first one in the list of attributes is added to the same position as the main dimension. The rest of additional dimensions are located in fixed or in filter in source if such layout option is available for the data source.

If a control is added for the additional dimension, one should edit the control after deleting the additional dimension.

Constraints when working with additional dimensions in attribute:

One cannot use alternative hierarchy.
One cannot use custom hierarchy.
One cannot grouping.

To resize panel:

Put the cursor to the border between the Sources Dimensions areas. The mouse cursor changes to the two-headed arrow.

Hold down the mouse button and move drag the border to the required position.

Working with Dimension Elements

The selection panel is used to work with dimension elements. If the data source contains private/fixed private dimensions, the Private Dimensions/Fixed Private panel is used for selection.

Click the Source button on the tab panel. The Sources side panel opens.
Select the slice, table, or chart of the selected data source.
Execute one of the operations for the selected dimension/private dimension:

Select the Selection context menu item.
Select the Selection context menu item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button.
Select the Selection item in the drop-down menu.

Selection panel The Private Dimensions panel The Fixed Private panel

The Private Dimensions panel contains a list of private dimensions with their data sources.

The Fixed Private panel contains a list of fixed private dimensions with their data sources.

To set selection for private/fixed private dimension elements, first, select the dimension in the list of dimensions on the Private Dimensions/Fixed Private panel. The selection area opens.

To set up dimension selection, execute one of the operations:

Use the mouse to select or deselect the element.
Select the required selection option in the dimension element's context menu:

Select All. It selects all dimension elements.
Deselect All. It deselects all dimension elements.
Edit Selection. It sets selection by criterion.
Select Descendants by Level. It selects all elements on the same level with the specified dimension element.
Select All Descendants. It selects all descendant elements.
Deselect Descendants. It deselects all descendant elements.
Select Level. It selects dimension level.
Deselect Level. It deselects dimension level.
Apply Selection Schema. It sets the selected selection schema in the drop-down list.
Select Group. It selects the selected groups of elements of dimension in the drop-down list.

The following commands are available for non-hierarchical dimensions without hierarchy: Select All, Deselect All, Edit Selection, Apply Selection Schema, and Select Group.

NOTE. The dimension without selection will display the icon and a tooltip informing about absence of selection.

To change selection by selection criterion, select the Edit Selection item in the element's context menu.

The Edit Selection dialog box opens:

The selection area for the calendar dimension is named Select Elements by Attribute.

To edit selection by selection criterion:

Select the attribute or level, for which criterion will be set. The default attribute is that is set as name. The calendar dimension is set to display the highest level by default, excluding the root level.
Select radio button of the required attribute to determine criterion type. The available criterion type depends on the selected attribute type:

By Text. It is available for string attribute type. In the search box enter the text containing attribute values of elements to be selected. One can search by the following substitutions:

%. It can be used with any character sequence.
_. It can be used with any single character.

Select the Match Case checkbox to make search case sensitive.

Select the Match Whole Word checkbox to search words that match exactly the entered text.

By Condition. It is available for calendar dictionary levels and all attribute types, except for the String type. Select condition type:

Equal.
Not Equal.
Greater. It is available for the types: Date and Time, Integer, Real, Date.
Greater or Equal. It is available for the types: Date and Time, Integer, Real, Date.
Less. It is available for the types: Date and Time, Integer, Real, Date.
Less Than or Equal. It is available for the types: Date and Time, Integer, Real, Date.
Between. It is available for the types: Date and Time, Integer, Real, Date.

Enter a value in the box or set a value range if the Between condition type is selected. Value editor will depend on attribute type. When logical type is selected, one can select between true and false.

By List. It is available for the String and Integer attribute types. Enter a list of attribute values in the box. The list can be copied from clipboard. Elements are searched taking into account case and full match with the entered text.

Click the Check button to selected the elements matching the search criterion in the dimension element display area. To display only selected elements, toggle the Show Only Selected switch to active state. If only child elements are selected, they will be displayed with parent elements.
Click the Apply button to apply the new selection.

Hierarchy selection is available if the current dictionary has at least one alternative hierarchy created.

When alternative hierarchy is used, dimension displays elements of alternative dictionary mapped by element indexes.

To select an alternative hierarchy, select the Alternative Hierarchies item in the dimension element's context menu. Select the required alternative hierarchy in the drop-down menu.

To set the dictionary main hierarchy, select the Alternative Hierarchies > Reset item in the dimension's context menu. This item is displayed if alternative hierarchy is set for the dictionary.

NOTE. Alternative hierarchy cannot be selected for the dimensions, for which displaying of additional dimensions is set up.

Custom hierarchy is an alternative hierarchy type obtained after editing the list of dimension elements.

To set up custom hierarchy, select the > Edit item in the dimension element's context menu on the selection panel.

The Edit - <Dimension name> dialog box opens:

Move/delete dimension elements in the Total Dimension area using the Move Up, Move Down, Move One Level Up, Move One Level Down, Delete buttons. The confirmation dialog box opens before element deletion.

When the element with child elements is moved by levels, it changes its position together with child elements.

When the element is moved one level down, it becomes a child one for the element located above:

To expand or collapse the hierarchy of a dimension elements list, select the Expand All or Collapse All item in the element's context menu.

To add the previously deleted element, select it in the Original Dimension area and click the Add to Dimension button.

To apply the custom hierarchy, click the Apply button. The dialog box closes, and the custom hierarchy is applied.

To restore the original dimension, select the Dimension > Restore item in the dimension element's context menu on the selection panel. Confirm the operation in the confirmation dialog box, and the custom hierarchy will be deleted.

NOTE. One cannot select custom hierarchy of the dimensions, for which displaying of additional dimensions is set up.

It is available for data sources that include two or more cubes.

A private dimension can be moved to fixed/shared. To do this:

Select the private dimension.
Execute one of the operations:

Select the To Fixed Private/To Shared context menu item.
Select the To Fixed Private/To Shared item in the drop-down menu of the Actions button.

NOTE. When moving a private dimension to shared, the dimension layout remains the same (Columns, Rows or Fixed), in which private dimensions are located.

To expand or collapse hierarchy of a dimension elements list, select the Expand All or Collapse All item in the element's context menu.

To search for dimension element:

Click the Search button.
Enter the searched text to the search string. Search is executed automatically as the searched text is entered in the search string. The elements containing the specified substring are displayed as a list with their parent and child elements.

To reset the search results, click the Clear button.

To resize panel:

Put the cursor to the right border of the selection panel. The mouse cursor changes to the two-headed arrow.

Hold down the mouse button and move drag the border to the required position.

Data Visualization on Report Sheet

Setting Up Dimensions and Element Selection

Working with Dimension Elements