Dimensions - Part 1

Dimensions and Members

  • The data in CalPlanning is organized into dimensions.
  • Dimensions are made up of members. Dimensions are like columns in a spreadsheet or fields in a database.
  • Members represent an item at any level within a Dimension.

Some dimensions have many members so it makes sense to organize the data into levels. For example the Period dimension has months that roll up to quarters and quarters that roll up to YearTotal. The Entity dimension has seven levels starting with the most detailed DeptID with department and division levels frequently used for summarization.  When data is organized in a hierarchy like this, it is possible to drill down into details or roll up to a summary.

We’ll explore some of the dimensions before we run reports; we’ll review the other dimensions a little later in the course. The CalPlanning Dimensions and Members job aid shows all of the dimensions in the CalRptg database.

Entity Dimension

The Entity hierarchy represents the Master Org Tree and is the same in all applications

  • 1_UCBKL: Hierarchy represents business unit 1 and is prefixed with 1_
  • J_UCBKL: Hierarchy represents business unit J and is prefixed with J_

This dimension has 7 levels starting from 1_UCBKL at level 1 and drilling down to the DeptID, which is the most detailed at level 7.

To learn more about entity, see the Controller's Office Organization Tree Reports web page

 Practice

Complete the FInance Community Member Profile that will download when you click the link. You will be using this information to personalize the learning in this course. Consult your Divisional Finance Leader (DFL) for assistance if needed. Email the completed profile to your instructor at least 1 day prior to the group learning session.