View Attributes in Dimension Designer

Article
04/01/2012

Attributes are created on dimension objects. You can view and configure attributes by using Dimension Designer in Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services. The Attributes pane of the Dimension Structure tab of Dimension Designer lists the attributes that are in a dimension. Use this pane to add, remove, or configure attributes. You can also select attributes to use as a level in a new hierarchy or to add as a level in an existing hierarchy.

To view the attributes in a dimension, open Dimension Designer for the dimension. The Attributes pane of the Dimension Structure tab of the designer shows the attributes that are in the dimension. You can switch between a list, tree, or grid view by pointing to Show Attributes in on the Dimension menu of SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and then clicking one of the commands shown in the following table.

Show Attributes in	Description
List	Displays the attributes in list format. Right-click an attribute to delete it from the list, to rename the attribute, or to change the usage of the attribute. Use this view for building hierarchies. Attribute information and member properties are not visible.
Tree	Display the attributes in tree format, with the dimension as the top-level node in the tree. Expand an attribute to view attribute relationships for it or to create a new attribute relationship, by performing the following actions: Click the dimension, an attribute, or a member property to view its properties in the Properties window. Right-click an attribute or a member property to delete it from the list, to rename it, or to change its usage. Use this view for viewing and creating member properties. You can also use this view to build hierarchies.
Grid	Display the attributes in grid format. The grid displays the following columns: Name shows the value of the Name property. Type a different name to change the setting. Usage specifies whether this is a Regular, Key, Parent, or AccountType attribute. Click a value in this column to select a different setting. Type specifies the business intelligence category for the attribute. Click this cell to select a different setting. Key Column shows the OLE DB data type for the KeyColumn property on the attribute. This column cannot be changed. Name Column indicates whether the NameColumn property setting on the attribute is the same column as the setting for the KeyColumn property. This column cannot be changed. Click any row in the grid to view properties for that attribute. Use this view for creating and configuring attributes.

List

Displays the attributes in list format.

Right-click an attribute to delete it from the list, to rename the attribute, or to change the usage of the attribute.

Use this view for building hierarchies. Attribute information and member properties are not visible.

Tree

Display the attributes in tree format, with the dimension as the top-level node in the tree. Expand an attribute to view attribute relationships for it or to create a new attribute relationship, by performing the following actions:

Click the dimension, an attribute, or a member property to view its properties in the Properties window.
Right-click an attribute or a member property to delete it from the list, to rename it, or to change its usage.

Use this view for viewing and creating member properties. You can also use this view to build hierarchies.

Grid

Display the attributes in grid format. The grid displays the following columns:

Name shows the value of the Name property. Type a different name to change the setting.
Usage specifies whether this is a Regular, Key, Parent, or AccountType attribute. Click a value in this column to select a different setting.
Type specifies the business intelligence category for the attribute. Click this cell to select a different setting.
Key Column shows the OLE DB data type for the KeyColumn property on the attribute. This column cannot be changed.
Name Column indicates whether the NameColumn property setting on the attribute is the same column as the setting for the KeyColumn property. This column cannot be changed.

Click any row in the grid to view properties for that attribute.

Use this view for creating and configuring attributes.

In SQL Server Data Tools, the icons shown in the following table mark attributes according to their usage.

Icon	Attribute Usage
	Regular or AccountType
	Key
	Parent

View Attributes in Dimension Designer

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