What are Dimensions and various types of Dimensions?

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. Egs. Geography, time, customer and product.

Editorial / Best Answer

ManishTewatia  

  • Member Since Jul-2010 | Jul 22nd, 2010


What Md.Rehman is trying to say is catagorizing the SCD which are the Slowly Changing Dimensions which are used to maintain historical data.

Dimension
:A dimension is an organized hierarchy of categories, known as levels, that describes data in data warehouse fact tables

The various types of dimensions are :

1) Shared and Private Dimensions: Describes the basic differences between shared and private dimensions and their uses

2) Regular Dimensions: Provides information about regular dimensions and their variations

3) Parent-Child Dimensions: Describes the creation of parent-child dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

4) Data Mining Dimensions: Describes the creation of data mining dimensions and identifies advantages and restrictions to their use

5) Virtual Dimensions:Describes the creation of virtual dimensions and their advantages and restrictions

6) Dependent Dimensions: Describes the creation of dependent dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

7) Write-Enabled Dimensions: Describes the creation of write-enabled dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

Showing Answers 1 - 75 of 87 Answers

md.rahman

  • May 8th, 2006
 

Dimensions are classified to 3 types.

  1.SCD TYPE 1(Slowly Changing Dimension): which contains current data.

  2.SCD TYPE 2(Slowly Changing Dimension): which contains current data,+complete  historical data.

  3.SCD TYPE 3(Slowly Changing Dimension): which contains current data.

mrahman

  • May 8th, 2006
 

The DWH contains two types of tables,

    1.Dimension table  2.Fact table.

The Dimensions are classified 3 types.

1.SCD TYPE1(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data.

2.SCD TYPE2(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data + complete   historical data.

3.SCD TYPE3(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data + one type historical data.

vizaik

  • Apr 4th, 2007
 

See dude rahaman,

scd1 is usual as you said :   current data.
scd2 is usual as you said:    current data + historical data.
scd3 is unusual :  current data + just previous overwritten data.

than q

sharath S. N.

  • Apr 14th, 2007
 

Dimensions table keeps the context of  measure/metric indicated in the fact table
Dimension table answers on of the following questions

(1) Who purchased ?
(2) What was purchased?
(3) When it was purchased?

Sudheer Reddy

  • Apr 18th, 2007
 

Dimensions are the tables that contains vital information to analyse the business.
There are degenerated dimensions, confirmed dimensions, junk dimension, time varient dimensions.

naga_wh

  • May 1st, 2007
 

Can you pls explain me what is degenerated dimensions, confirmed dimensions, junk dimension, time varient dimensions

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

vijay

  • May 7th, 2007
 

The data warehousing  is logical or physical? explain? what  is difference between two(logical&physical)?

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Sriram N

  • May 9th, 2007
 

Dimensions are attributes or some times tables.

Types

1) Slowly growing dimensions
2) Slowly changing dimensions(SCD)

         1) Type 1 SCD
         2) Type II SCD
         3) Type III SCD

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Hemant

  • May 22nd, 2007
 

Please check SCD2 and SCD3 again. SCD2 contains the current as well as the latest previous record but SCD3 contains the current as well as the entire historical records

Rahul

  • May 22nd, 2007
 

A dimension is an object with respect to which the analysis is being made.
Various types of dimensions are Confirmed Dimension, Junk Dimension, .........

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

pkishoreroy

  • May 29th, 2007
 

Hai,
     What u told is correct but in SCD type3 it will have not only current data but also ONE TIME HISTORICAL DATA.
    
 Regards,
 Kishore Roy. P

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

vizaik

  • Jun 8th, 2007
 

Various types of dimensions are

Rapid changing dimensions
Slowly growing targets (only inserts no updates in incremental loading)
Slowly changing dimensions

Thank u

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Any specific aspect/perspective to analyze or look at a measure in dimensional modeling

these r various types

1.conformed :which can be sharable among the other fact tables

2.junk and degenerate dimension: which can be used in ad-hoc reporting

3.Role and mini and large dimension:which can be used in any specific aspect of analysis

4.scd's

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

sandeep Vaishy

  • Jul 11th, 2007
 

SCD1 & SCD3 are not same.
The difference is that
SCD TYPE 1= Current Data
SCD TYPE 3 =Initial Data+Current Data

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

dp

  • Jul 24th, 2007
 

Degenerated dimensions: The columns in fact tables, those which have any direct connection with any dimension table in star schema.

Junked dimensions: Some dimensions are kept separately in separate table from star schema, and they are used very rarely.

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Prodyot Sarkar

  • Jul 31st, 2007
 

Dimensions


A dimension is a structure that categorizes data in order to enable users to
answer
business questions. Commonly used dimensions are customers, products, and
time. For example, each sales channel of a clothing retailer might gather and
store
data regarding sales and reclamations of their Cloth assortment. The retail
chain
management can build a data warehouse to analyze the sales of its products
across
all stores over time and help answer questions such as:


$ What is the effect of promoting one product on the sale of a related
product that
is not promoted?
$ What are the sales of a product before and after a promotion?
$ How does a promotion affect the various distribution channels?


The data in the retailer's data warehouse system has two important
components:
dimensions and facts. The dimensions are products, customers, promotions,
channels, and time. One approach for identifying your dimensions is to review
your
reference tables, such as a product table that contains everything about a
product,
or a promotion table containing all information about promotions. The facts are
sales (units sold) and profits. A data warehouse contains facts about the sales
of
each product at on a daily basis.


A typical relational implementation for such a data warehouse is a Star
Schema. The
fact information is stored in the so-called fact table, whereas the dimensional
information is stored in the so-called dimension tables. In our example, each
sales
transaction record is uniquely defined as for each customer, for each product,
for
each sales channel, for each promotion, and for each day (time).


Totally there are 3 types of dimensions
1. type-1 slowly changing dimension
2. type-2 slowly changing dimension
3. type-3 slowly changing dimension


Other then this dimensions we have another dimensions called
1. Junk dimension
2. Degenarate dimension
3. Conformed dimension

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

prakash.bhashyam

  • Aug 10th, 2007
 

No Vijay, SCD2 is current + Historical
SCD 3 is current + Partial Historical data

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

femi

  • Aug 24th, 2007
 

dimensions are table which contains the primary key and the fields that are required for calculations

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

rameshkumar

  • Aug 24th, 2007
 

three type of dimension table

one is star scheme
second snow flex schema
third     galaxy schema

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

chandrarekha

  • Sep 20th, 2007
 

Dimension: 
Dimensions are the textual representation of the businees
Types:
Slowly changing dimeniosns
Type1 SCD
Type 2 SCD
Type3 SCD
Slowly Growing Target
Hybrid Slowly Changing Dimension
 

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

subrat parida

  • Oct 12th, 2007
 

In data warehousing,there are 2-tables
                                              1. Dimension table
                                              2.Fact table
 There are 3-types of dimensions tables:-
   A. Slowly changing dimension table-1(SCD-1):-Contains only current data.
   B. Slowly changing dimension table-2(SCD-2):-Contains current data & historical data.
   C. Slowly changing dimension table-3(SCD-3):-Contains partial data.

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

P.SuneethaRoy

  • Nov 7th, 2007
 

A Dimension is that have attributes reguarding to some particular type of data like the table referring time, customer information, sales information etc.
There are various types of dimensions like 
  Time Dimension
  Roll play Dimension
  Degenerate Dimension
  Junk Dimension
  Demographic Dimensions
  Small & Large Dimension     
  Confirmed Dimension
  Slowly changing Dimensions (Type1,2,3) & so on 

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Dimensions that change over time are called Slowly Changing Dimensions.
Slowly Changing Dimensions are often categorized into three types namely Type1, Type2 and Type3.


Type 1 -> Overwriting the old data.
Type 2 -> Creating an another additional record to maintain the history.
Type 3 ->  Creating new fields to maintain the current and latest history.

Thanks,
Thana

Dimensions are Categories by which summarized data can be viewed.
Example:
 A Profit Summary in a fact table can be viewed by a Time Dimension
(Profit by Year,Month,Quarter,Week,Day).
Region Dimension(profit by Country,State,City).
Product Dimension(Profit by Product1,Product2)

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

ASHOK1324

  • Apr 21st, 2009
 

The DWH contains two types of tables,

    1.Dimension table  2.Fact table.


Dimension Table contains master data and Fact Table contains transaction data.

The Dimensions are classified 3 types.

1.SCD TYPE1(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data.

2.SCD TYPE2(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data + complete   historical data.

3.SCD TYPE3(Slowly Changing Dimension) : contains current data + recent historical data.

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

deepthi_97

  • Sep 23rd, 2009
 

Dimensions are mainly classified as follows:
Conformed dimensions
Degenerate dimensions
Junk dimensions
Role playing dimensions
Apart from these types we mainly encounter Slowly changing dimensions which fall mainly under three categories
type 1
type 2
type 3

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Dimensions are nothing but which are used to maintain the descriptive information of a business.

Types of Dimension:

1. Slowly changing Dimension
2. Conformed Dimension
3. Degenrate Dimension
4. Junk Dimension

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Dimensions are the lookup tables for the fact tables. It contains the measures pertaining to a particular business unit of the company

Types :
1. SCD Type 1 : Current data
2. SCD Type 2 : Historic data
3. SCD Type 3 : Recent history

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

What Md.Rehman is trying to say is catagorizing the SCD which are the Slowly Changing Dimensions which are used to maintain historical data.

Dimension
:A dimension is an organized hierarchy of categories, known as levels, that describes data in data warehouse fact tables

The various types of dimensions are :

1) Shared and Private Dimensions: Describes the basic differences between shared and private dimensions and their uses

2) Regular Dimensions: Provides information about regular dimensions and their variations

3) Parent-Child Dimensions: Describes the creation of parent-child dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

4) Data Mining Dimensions: Describes the creation of data mining dimensions and identifies advantages and restrictions to their use

5) Virtual Dimensions:Describes the creation of virtual dimensions and their advantages and restrictions

6) Dependent Dimensions: Describes the creation of dependent dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

7) Write-Enabled Dimensions: Describes the creation of write-enabled dimensions and identifies their advantages and restrictions

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Venu Gaddam

  • Dec 23rd, 2010
 

Dimensions are of 3 types mainly in case of slowly changing dimensions:

Type 1 -> Does not maintain any history and is update only. --> this is normal practice mappings.

Type 2-> Maintains full history. Insert row when certain attributes change else update row. The latest record is identified by a flag or date field which is called the MRI or Most Recent Indicator---> this is also 3 types.
1)
Time
2) Flag
3) Version

Normally we are using first 2 types.

Type 3->Maintains partial history. History is maintained as columns and not rows. Hence it is pre-decided as to till how many levels of history you want to maintain.

Ex:
We are taking one employee details
type1 maintain his current details means present company address..... only.
type2 maintain all his history (start to end).
type3 maintain current and just previous data.

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

VIKRAM KUMAR

  • Feb 28th, 2018
 

Dimensions are of several types but we use few commonly which are,
1. Confirmed dim. dim. shared by all fact tables. ex- time dim.
2. Slow changing dim. it is of 3 types : SCD1. SCD2, SCD3.,
3. Role playing dim. - dim. involved in changing their roles as per fact.
4. Junk dimension. - which are unused and there in the universe structure.

  Was this answer useful?  Yes

Give your answer:

If you think the above answer is not correct, Please select a reason and add your answer below.

 

Related Answered Questions

 

Related Open Questions