Attributes and UDAs enable analysis based on characteristics of the data. Attributes provide greater capability than UDAs. The tables in this topic describe the differences between attributes and UDAs in these areas of functionality:
Data storage (Table 19, Data Storage—Comparing Attributes and UDAs)
Data retrieval (Table 20, Data Retrieval—Comparing Attributes and UDAs)
Data conversion (Table 21, Data Conversion—Comparing Attributes and UDAs)
Calculation scripts (Table 22, Calculation Scripts—Comparing Attributes and UDAs)
Table 19. Data Storage—Comparing Attributes and UDAs
Data storage | Attributes | UDAs |
---|---|---|
You can associate with sparse dimensions. | Supported | Supported |
You can associate with dense dimensions. | Not supported | Supported |
Table 20. Data Retrieval—Comparing Attributes and UDAs
Table 21. Data Conversion—Comparing Attributes and UDAs
Data Conversion | Attributes | UDAs |
---|---|---|
Based on the value of a UDA, you can change the sign of the data as it is loaded into the database. For example, you can reverse the sign of all members with the UDA Debit. | Not supported | Supported |
Table 22. Calculation Scripts—Comparing Attributes and UDAs
Calculation Scripts | Attributes | UDAs |
---|---|---|
You can perform calculations on a member if its attribute or UDA value matches a specific value. For example, you can increase the price by 10% of all products with the attribute or UDA of Bottle. | Supported | Supported |
You can perform calculations on base members whose attribute value satisfies conditions that you specify. For example, you can calculate the Profit per Ounce of each base member. | Supported | Not supported |