Cubes & Dimensions

Multi-dimensional metadata refers to the logical organization of data used for analysis in OLAP applications. This logical organization is generally specialised for the most efficient data representation and access by end users of the OLAP application.

What is Multi-Dimensional Metadata?

The multi-dimensional model is a key aspect of data warehouse design. A well-designed dimensional model can help you organize large amounts of data. The dimensional model was originally created for the retail industry, where analysts view business data by simple dimensions, such as products and geographies. This dimensional model consists of a large central fact table and smaller dimension tables. The fact table contains the measurable facts, such as total sales and units sold, and disjoint dimensions represent the attributes pertaining to various business segments of the industry. The central fact table is the only table in the schema with multiple joins connecting it to the dimension tables. The dimension tables in turn each have a single join connecting them to the central fact table. There are different types of multi-dimensional models depending on the degree of redundancy in the logical schema. More redundancy can improve the efficiency of data access but represents a less normalized view of the logical schema. The most common type of a multi-dimensional schema is called a star schema. A star schema is a normalized multidimensional model where each of its disjoint dimensions is represented in a single table. Another type of a normalized multi-dimensional model is a snowflake schema. A snowflake schema is logically similar to a star-schema except that at least one dimension is represented in two or more hierarchically-related tables. The star schema can become a snowflake schema if the product dimension is represented by means of multiple tables. For example, you could add one dimension table for the main product attributes, one for the brand attributes, and one for a specific brand attributes. Non-normalized multi-dimensional models have duplicate attributes (or redundant data) in tables that are associated with a dimension. This allows you to quickly retrieve various attributes of a dimension without having to perform multiple joins between tables in the dimension.

Key Elements of Multi-Dimensional Metadata

Term Aggregate Level Cube Dimension Drilling Definition Pre-stored summary of data or grouping of detailed data which satisfies a specific business rule. Example rules: sum, min, count, or combinations of them. A specific property of a dimension. Examples: size, type, and color. A set of related factual measures, aggregates, and dimensions for a specific dimensional analysis problem. Example: regional product sales. A set of level properties that describe a specific aspect of a business, used for analyzing the factual measures of one or more cubes which use that dimension. Examples: geography, time, customer and product. Drilling is the term used for navigating through a cube. This navigation is usually performed to access a summary level of information or to provide more detailed properties of a dimension in a hierarchy.

Fact Hierarchy Measure Normalization Redundancy Star Schema Snowflake Schema

A fact is a time variant measurement of quantitative data in a cube; for example, units sold, sales dollars, or total profit. The hierarchy concept refers to the level of granularity represented by the data in a particular dimension of a cube. For example, state, county, district, and city represent different granularity in the hierarchy of the geography dimension. The means for representing quantitative data in facts or aggregates. Example measures are total sales or units sold per year. A process used for reducing redundancies and removing anomalies in related dimension tables in various hierarchies. The term used for referring to duplication of data among related tables for the sake of improving the speed of query processing. A normalized multi-dimensional model in which each disjoint dimension is represented by a single table. A normalized multi-dimensional model in which at least one dimensions is represented by two or more hierarchically related tables.