In some situations, consider one of the following approaches:
UDAs. Although UDAs provide less flexibility than attributes, you can use them to group and retrieve data based on its characteristics. See Comparing Attributes and UDAs.
Shared members. For example, to include a seasonal analysis in the Year dimension, repeat the months as shared members under the appropriate season; Winter: Jan (shared member), Feb (shared member), and so on. A major disadvantage of using shared members is that the outline becomes large if the categories repeat many members.
Standard dimensions and members. Additional standard dimensions provide flexibility but add storage requirements and complexity to a database. For guidelines on evaluating the impact of additional dimensions, see Analyzing and Planning.
Table 23 describes situations in which you might consider an alternative approach to managing attribute data in a database.
Table 23. Considering Alternatives to Attribute Dimensions