Learn About Dimensions and Measures

In SAP Analytics Cloud, dimensions and measures are data objects that represent categorical, transactional and numerical data in a dataset; for example, Products, Sales or Revenue.

The following types of dimension and measure are available:
  • The Dimension type is a generic, free-format dimension. For example, a dimension could be based on products, channels, or sales representatives.

    Whenever you create generic dimensions, a MemberID and a Description attributes are automatically added.

    Values related to dimension members appear in different columns in the dimension grid.

    A model can have any number of dimensions.

    Note
    The Description and Member ID attributes of dimensions must be of data type Text.
  • A Measure is a dimension that represents transactional data. Measures aren’t represented visually in the modeler graph, but the associated data is visible in the data foundation preview.

    In a classic account model, model values are stored in a single default measure, and you use the account structure to add calculations, specify units, and set aggregation types for all the data.

    In the new model type, measures are exposed as single entities and you can add and configure multiple measures with aggregation and units to fit your data.

  • Date is a built-in dimension that defines the start and end dates of the model's timeline. The date dimension also specifies the granularity – the smallest time units that will be used in the model: years, quarters, months, weeks, or days. The week granularity must be enabled in the model preferences. See Planning on Data on a Weekly Basis for more information.
    Note
    The week granularity isn't available for classic account models.

    You can specify a default time hierarchy to display in stories, and optionally configure the date dimension to organize data by fiscal year instead of calendar year. You can also have more than one date dimension in a model or story. For planning models with multiple date dimensions, the first date dimension is used by default for planning, but you can choose a different date dimension in the model preferences.

    The Fiscal Year switch determines whether that date dimension is based on a calendar year or fiscal year.

    You can create multiple date dimensions in a model, and use them together in stories. For example, you could create two date dimensions to analyze shipping dates and order dates.

    Date dimensions can be extensively customized to match your planning and reporting needs. Check out Customize Date Dimensions for more information.

  • The Organization dimension type is optional in a model. The organizational structure of your business can be defined as a special organization dimension in the model. It often identifies the currency and the responsible user for each member and provides an organizational analysis of the account data. For example, an organization dimension could be based on operating units, geographic entities, or cost centers. A Region column in a dataset often maps to an organization dimension. Whenever you create organization dimensions, a currency and person responsible attributes are automatically added. See table below for more info.

    Each planning model may include a single organization dimension that describes the structure of the business. Only one organization dimension is allowed in each model, but additional hierarchies can be added to any model dimension, if needed.

  • A model is based on a single Account dimension (often containing multiple accounts) that may contain financial or any other business data. You can analyze the account data based on the dimensions defined in the model.

    Example: you import some key-figure-based data into the Modeler as measures. Each column that you mapped as a measure will appear as members in the Account dimension.

    The account dimension is mandatory in a classic account model, but optional in the new model type. See Choosing a Model Configuration for more information on the different configurations available depending on the model type. If you're using a model with measures and an account dimension, you can decide whether settings like aggregation, formatting, and units are taken from accounts or measures. See Set Structure Priority and Create Custom Solve Order.

    Both models can have only one account dimension.

    Note
    • In live data models, the account dimension is named Measure
    • For models based on HANA views, a reduced set of attributes is available; hierarchies, financial data types, and currency types are not relevant. Also, a different set of values for Aggregation types is available.
    • For models based on S/4HANA views, these attributes are available: ID, Description, Scale, Decimal Places, and Visible.
  • Version is a built-in dimension that defines the data versions available in stories: Actual, Budget, Planning, Forecast, and Rolling Forecast.

    Versioning is a financial planning concept that represents a way of providing calculations such as actual vs. budget.

    In a model that uses a currency conversion table with Rate Versions, you can use the Rate Version column for the Version dimension to set specific conversion rates for each version.

  • The Timestamp dimension type is similar to the Date dimension type, except that it includes hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds, and isn’t hierarchical.

    The Timestamp dimension type is useful for data that is recorded very frequently, like sensor data.

Along with their name, type and description, dimensions also have additional settings. In the application, you’ll find them in the Details panel, under the Dimensions Settings pane. They’re listed in the table below for reference.

Preference Description
Type The dimension type. This setting can't be changed.
Name The dimension's name. You can't change a dimension's name after you save the model.
Description The dimension's description. You can modify the description at any time.
Data Access Control

Switch on this option to enable security for the dimension.

The Read and Write columns are added to the dimension grid.

For more information, see Set Up Data Access Control.
Hide Parents

Switch on this option to choose how you want hidden hierarchy nodes to be handled, when using Data Access Control.

If this option is on, users who don't have either Update or Maintain Rights will see only the dimension members that they have at least Read access to in the Modeler.

For more information, see Set Up Data Access Control.
Responsible

Switch on this option to add a Person Responsible column to the dimension and select a person responsible for an organization member.

A lookup feature is available for this attribute to select the ID.

This option is available only for Generic and Organization dimensions.

For more information, see Gather Planning Data with Input Tasks.
Data Locking Ownership

Switch on this option to add the Data Locking Owner column to the dimension. This column lets you specify owners for data locks applied to each member.

For more information, see Set Up Data Locking.
Properties You can add properties to enrich a dimension.
Each property that you add has an associated column in the dimension. When creating a property you define the ID, a description and select the property type. Please note the following:

  • If you select the property type Currency, you add a Currency column to the dimension.

    Using three-character currency codes, this column identifies the source currency for data that belongs to each leaf member. For models that use currency conversion, you can rename the column header (for example, Source Currency or Local Currency) to help users identify it in a story.

    The Currency column is enabled by default for the Organization dimension, and can also be added to generic dimensions.

    For a classic account model model, a single dimension is set as the currency dimension. For more information, see Set Up Model Preferences. For models with measures, each monetary measure can have a currency dimension.

    For more information about currency settings, see Work with Currencies in a Classic Account Model for classic account models, or Work with Currencies in a Model with Measures for models with measures.

    Note
    For models with currency conversion enabled, the name of the Currency column appears in stories as a currency calculation. You should give this column a meaningful name such as Source Currency or Local Currency.
  • When you add new properties of type Text of generic, account, organization, and version dimensions, you can set the maximum text length for the property’s values from 1 up to 5000 characters.
    Note

    In the user interface, very long property values may be displayed in abbreviated form.

  • When you edit existing properties of type Text of generic, account, organization, and version dimensions, you can increase the maximum text length for the property’s values up to 5000 characters.
    Note

    You can only increase the maximum text length but not decrease it. This is for safety reasons to avoid potential data loss.
Make this a Public Dimension

Select this option to create a new dimension as a public dimension.

This option is available only when you're creating a new generic or organization dimension.

For more information, see Adding Dimensions to a Model and Public and Private Dimensions.
Translation

Select Request Dimension Translation to enable a public dimension for translation.

When you enable translation, the following metadata is translated:
  • Dimension descriptions (for live connections, the dimension descriptions are taken from the live data source)
  • Dimension property descriptions
  • Dimension hierarchy descriptions

See the following topics for information about translating public dimension metadata, the Translator role, the Translation Dashboard, and translation tasks that you can perform there.

Learn About the Translation Process

Translate Content

Delete Translations

Edit Translations Manually

Dimensions in Live Data Models

Because live data models can contain many dimensions, the dimensions are listed on the All Dimensions tab, where you can manage the dimensions. For example, you can edit dimension descriptions, show or hide dimensions, or group dimensions.
Note
SAP BW hierarchies and other attributes aren't visible in SAP Analytics Cloud, and must be viewed in the underlying BW system.

You can edit the descriptions of the dimensions. You can also edit dimension descriptions for “import data” models.

Show/Hide Dimensions

If you don't need to use all of a model's dimensions in your stories, you can use the All Dimensions tab to select which dimensions will be available for the model.

With a live data model open, select the All Dimensions tab. All dimensions in the model are shown in the list.

You can filter out any dimensions that aren't relevant by selecting the Hide check boxes. The selected dimensions will then not be available when you work with the data in stories.
Note
Hiding dimensions isn't available with SAP BW live data models.

Required Dimensions

Some dimensions may be required for the calculation of a measure; for example, in a Lookup formula. If not all required dimensions are in the current drill state, users are notified that the displayed numbers could be incorrect. You can set certain dimensions for a measure to be required, so that in stories and in the Explorer, users are informed if those dimensions are missing. For more information, see Specify Required Dimensions.

If a dimension is a required dimension, it's not possible to hide this dimension. Also, if a dimension is hidden, it isn't possible to select this dimension as a required dimension.

Note
In formulas, it's possible to use the hidden dimensions.

Group Dimensions

If there are many dimensions, you can manage them more easily by adding them to groups. Simply type in the same group name beside the dimensions that should be categorized together.

Attributes of an Account Dimension

The Account dimension defines the set of account members and the format of the account data.

In addition to the basic columns of Member ID, Description, and Account Type, a set of technical properties is automatically created when the dimension is first set up.

Account Types

The Account dimension uses an Account Type attribute to automatically handle positive and negative values. From an accounting perspective, account members belonging to the Profit and Loss statement and the Balance Sheet have to be correctly stored in the database with either a positive or negative value so that the accounts balance correctly. In SAP Analytics Cloud, you can enter all values as positive numbers, and the switching of signs from positive to negative is handled automatically on the basis of the Account Type setting.

There are four financial account types: Income (INC) and Expense (EXP) items are included in the Profit and Loss account, and Assets (AST) and Liabilities (LEQ) are Balance sheet items. Automatic switching is applied to the account types INC and LEQ. Note that all formulas work on the displayed value, not the value saved in the database.

When importing data from an external system, a mapping feature is available to ensure that imported data also fits into this schema. This feature is switched on using the Reverse the Sign of the Data Based on Account Type check box in the Details panel when importing data. When this check box is activated, imported data will also be identified by account type and stored and handled correctly.

The signs (+/-) of INC and LEQ account values in a model are automatically reversed during data analysis when displayed in tables, charts, and so on. If you want your INC and LEQ values to show up as positive, import them as negative values, and vice-versa. Before importing data, make sure to check the signs of the original source values first, and then set the Reverse the Sign of the Data Based on Account Type option accordingly.

If you’re importing account values with the same signs and want to keep them unchanged during analysis, select this option. Your INC and LEQ values will be imported with reversed signs, too. For example, a positive gross sales value (an INC account value) in your draft data will be imported to the model as a negative value, and displayed for analysis as a positive value.

A model with measures lets you use calculated measures to customize which accounts show negative and positive values. This way, you can set up different views for different tasks like controlling, accounting, and management. For details, see Changing the Signs of Your Account Values Using Numeric Properties.

Currency Rate Types

If you are using currencies with this account, and you have added specific exchange rates based on rate types to the currency table, you can add the Rate Type column to the account grid by switching on Currency Conversion in the model preferences.

Attribute Details
Account Type
Select the account type for this type of data:
  • INC (Income – uses automatic sign-switching)
  • EXP (Expense)
  • AST (Asset)
  • LEQ (Liabilities and Equity – uses automatic sign-switching)
  • NFIN (Non-Financial)

The asset and liability types are aggregated over time and must be linked to an aggregation dimension in the model (such as the built-in Date dimension).

Rate Type

This attribute column appears when you switch on Currency Conversion in the model preferences. With currency conversion switched on, set the Rate Type to Average for INC and EXP accounts, and to Closing for AST and LEQ accounts. This setting corresponds to the rate type for exchange rates in your currency table. It lets you distinguish between the average exchange rate over a period and the closing rate at the end of the period. For more details, see Learn About Currency Conversion Tables.
Units & Currencies

Use this attribute to set the value type and display units. Select one of the following from the list:

  • Currency: Use this option for all monetary values. In this case, the unit defined in Scale is shown in all data output and the appropriate currency symbol is displayed after the numerical value.
    Note
    For the currency conversion feature, each Account has to have Currency set for this attribute. For more information, see Work with Currencies in a Classic Account Model or Work with Currencies in a Model with Measures.
  • Label: You can enter a text label (up to 30 characters in length) for this member to define your own display units; this can be a unit of measure or a packaging unit such as Bottles. The label you enter is displayed after the numeric value; for example, 25 Bottles.
  • %: The percentage option works in the same way, showing the percentage symbol after the value. In this case, the Scale attribute is also automatically set to percent.

The attribute can also be left blank. In this case, the abbreviated unit from Scale is displayed (see below).
Aggregation Type

For account members that are parent nodes, the aggregation type determines how values are accumulated from the leaf nodes. These aggregation types don't relate to any dimension.

  • SUM: This is the default aggregation type for income and expense values; this simply adds all values together.
  • NONE: If the value types of numerical data cells are different, aggregation may not be possible; this may be the case, for example, for price information or cells containing different currencies. For these account members, set the aggregation type to NONE. In tables in stories, cells that have not been aggregated are shown with a diagonal line drawn through them. The cell will be either empty, or, if all child values for a node in the hierarchy are the same, this single value is shown at the node level.
  • LABEL: Set the aggregation type to Label for any dummy nodes on the hierarchy where you want a text label to appear in the data grid without any calculation of values. In this case, the Description Text for the member is displayed as a label, and a simple dash character is used where otherwise an aggregated value would normally be displayed. You cannot set leaf nodes to type Label – this is immediately flagged on screen as an error.
Note
  • Accounts with a formula can't have an aggregation.
  • For models based on HANA views, a different set of aggregation types is available: SUM, MIN, MAX, AVG, and COUNT.
Exception Aggregation Type

Use exception aggregation when you want to aggregate non-cumulative quantities. For example, if you have the quantity Inventory Count, you might want to aggregate the inventory count across all products, but not across time periods, because it doesn't make sense to add up inventory counts from multiple time periods.

In this case, you would choose the aggregation type SUM for Inventory Count, because you want to add up the inventory counts for all products. But if you don't specify an exception aggregation type, the inventory counts will also be summed across time. To prevent summing inventory counts across time periods, specify an exception aggregation type for the time periods.

For example, you might want to choose just the most recent set of Inventory Count values. In this case, you would choose the exception aggregation type LAST, and the exception aggregation dimension Date.

Exception aggregations relate to one or more dimensions. For example, for the AVG and LAST exception aggregations, a Date dimension is appropriate. If you select an exception aggregation type, you must also select an exception aggregation dimension.

You can also use exception aggregation when you've included aggregated quantities in formulas, to ensure that the formula calculations are performed before the aggregation. For more information, see Price * Volume Formulas and Aggregations in Formulas.

Note
Although NULL and NO_DATA cells are visually identical, the application still distinguishes them in the backend.

NULL cells are retrieved directly from the database, and can also be created using formulas. For example, IF( cost > 1000; NULL; 1).

NO_DATA cells are empty cells that are use jointly with the unbooked mode for example, or to create a cross-join of the rows and columns axis.

The AVG and COUNT functions only account for NULL cells in the aggregation, and discard the NO_DATA cells.

Type Description Formula Allowed?
SUM Adds all values together. Yes
MIN The minimum value. Yes
MAX The maximum value. Yes
COUNT Counts all the entries, including null values. Yes
COUNT excl. NULL Counts all the entries, excluding null values. This exception aggregation type is available for models based on “import data” connections (where the data is replicated into SAP Analytics Cloud), including models created only in SAP Analytics Cloud (for example, models created from Excel files). Yes, mandatory
COUNT excl. 0, NULL Counts all the entries, excluding zero and null values. This exception aggregation type is available for models based on “import data” connections (where the data is replicated into SAP Analytics Cloud), including models created only in SAP Analytics Cloud (for example, models created from Excel files). Yes, mandatory
AVG Calculates the average of all aggregated values, including null values. Select one to five exception aggregation dimensions. Yes
AVG excl. NULL Calculates the average of all aggregated values, excluding null values. This exception aggregation type is available for models based on “import data” connections (where the data is replicated into SAP Analytics Cloud), including models created only in SAP Analytics Cloud (for example, models created from Excel files). Yes, mandatory
AVG excl. 0, NULL Calculates the average of all aggregated values, excluding zero and null values. This exception aggregation type is available for models based on “import data” connections (where the data is replicated into SAP Analytics Cloud), including models created only in SAP Analytics Cloud (for example, models created from Excel files). Yes, mandatory
FIRST Shows the first (oldest) value in the selected time period; it could be used, for example, to show the number of employees on the first day of a month. Select only one exception aggregation dimension. Yes
LAST Shows the last (most recent) value in the selected time period; it could be used, for example, to show the number of employees on the last day of a month. Select only one exception aggregation dimension. Yes
FIRST QUARTILE Calculates the first quartile value (25% of the data is less than this value). Yes
FIRST QUARTILE excl. NULL Calculates the first quartile value (25% of the data is less than this value), ignoring null values. Yes
FIRST QUARTILE excl. 0, NULL Calculates the first quartile value (25% of the data is less than this value), ignoring null and zero values. Yes
MEDIAN The median (middle) value (half of the data lies below the median value, and half lies above). Yes
MEDIAN excl. NULL The median (middle) value (half of the data lies below the median value, and half lies above), ignoring null values. Yes
MEDIAN excl. 0, NULL The median (middle) value (half of the data lies below the median value, and half lies above), ignoring null and zero values. Yes
THIRD QUARTILE Calculates the third quartile value (75% of the data is less than this value). Yes
THIRD QUARTILE excl. NULL Calculates the third quartile value (75% of the data is less than this value), ignoring null values. Yes
THIRD QUARTILE excl. 0, NULL Calculates the third quartile value (75% of the data is less than this value), ignoring null and zero values. Yes
Restriction
  • When the exception aggregation type COUNT is chosen, no aggregation type can be used.
  • If the exception aggregation dimension has a hierarchy, and this hierarchy is in the drill state, the aggregation along this hierarchy will not be shown (the cell will be crossed out).
  • If an account with a formula has an exception aggregation, no direct or indirect referenced base account is allowed to have an exception aggregation.

    Example:

    Account Formula Description
    A none Base account
    B [A] Account with formula based on account A
    C [B] Account with formula based on account B
    A has exception aggregation B has exception aggregation C has exception aggregation Allowed?
    Yes Yes Yes No
    Yes Yes No No
    Yes No Yes No
    Yes No No Yes
    No Yes Yes Yes
    No Yes No Yes
    No No Yes Yes
    No No No Yes
Exception Aggregation Dimension

If an exception aggregation dimension is required for the member (depending on the account type or aggregation type), enter it here. Choose a dimension from the dimension selector dialog, which shows all dimensions in the model and the built-in Date dimension.
Scale
To improve the presentation of numbers in stories, and hide numbers that are not significant, you can set this attribute to show just integers plus the specified number of decimal places. The unit value is then shown by the appropriate word or by an abbreviation. You can select one of the following options:
  • Thousand (3 numerical places – abbreviation k)
  • Million (6 numerical places – abbreviation M)
  • Billion (9 numerical places – abbreviation G. Note that G is the international standard abbreviation for billion)
  • Percent (% 2)

This feature is related to the setting of the Unit attribute that determines if the Scale word or just the abbreviated Scale letter is used (see also the example following this table):

  • If Unit is set to Currency, the word selected as the Scale value is used in the output.
  • If Unit is undefined (blank), the abbreviated Scale letter is used.
Decimal Places

This setting defines the number of digits displayed after the decimal point; select a value from 0–7.
Formula

Calculations and predefined formulas can be used for any value of the Account dimension.

Refer to the Formulas section for full details.

Calculate on

This column is still available, but deprecated, because it doesn't work in all cases. Instead, we recommend that you use exception aggregation. For details, see Aggregations in Formulas.

Public and Private Dimensions

Dimensions can either be public or private. Public dimensions can be shared between models, while private dimensions exist only in the current model.

When creating dimensions, you may want to define some dimensions as public so that they're available to other models, and define other dimensions as private so that they remain local to the model you're working on.

Public dimensions are saved separately from models. This means that models only reference public dimensions. You’ll find them under the Public Dimensions tab on the Modeler home page. When you create a new model or modify an existing one, you can add these public dimensions.

As a best practice, we recommend defining dimensions as public if they’re likely to be reused by others in your organization; for example, Country, Product, and Organizational Unit. They’re standalone entities that you can reuse in multiple models, and they not impacted by a model lifecycle (copy, deletion,…). Make sure you give them a unique name so you recognize them easily. Conversely, a dimension such as Account_1234 might not be used by others and could be defined as a private dimension.

Private dimensions are saved with the model, and don't appear in the Public Dimensions list. When you delete a model, private dimensions in that model are also deleted. If you copy a model, private dimensions are also copied. They can’t be reused in multiple models and don’t necessarily require a unique name.

Note
Version and Category dimensions are private dimensions that can’t be shared across models.

Public Account Dimensions

A public account dimension is beneficial for ensuring that the common accounts (both base accounts without formulas or exception aggregation, and calculated accounts) behave the same across all models that share that account dimension.

However, you can still edit a public account dimension within the context of a model if needed, while keeping the original public account dimension in its original state.

Let’s say your public account dimension is reused by models A, B and C. Editing the public account dimension on its own, with no model context, would impact all three models. However, editing the public account dimension within model B has no impact, be it on models A and C, or on the public account dimension itself outside of model B.

You can work with models individually in their context in the Modeler with no impacts on other models. The default data and settings of the public account dimension are displayed in italics. In the Modeler view, you overwrite them without affecting other models based on that public account dimension, or the original public account dimension. You can work with formulas that use dimensions such as LOOKUP, RESTRICT, LINK, ResultLookup, CAGR, YOY, SMA, and so on… Minimum drillstate and Exception Aggregation can also be defined within the model context.

You can’t add, delete or changes hierarchies in the public dimension account from the context of a model. If you need to make these types of edits, make sure to open the public account dimension separately using the side panel.

Tasks