Creating and Modifying Dimension Values

Creating dimension values

You choose Dimension Value from the Maintain menu to create a new dimension value. This opens the Maintain Dimension Value dialog box, where you choose the dimension for which you want to create the dimension value. From this starting point you can perform the following functions:

• Enter a name for the dimension value.

• Enter a dimension value name. The dimension value name is the internal identifier for by which the system references the dimension value.

• Specify the text for row and column labels.

• For a dimension value in a custom time dimension, select the time period. You can choose Month, Quarter, Year, or Year-to-Date.

• For a dimension value in a model dimension that supports aggregation, select an aggregation type for rolling up the data associated with the dimension value. You can choose one of the following:
  • Add month into quarters -- Data for each month is added into quarterly totals. Used for line items on income statements.

  • First month only into quarter -- Only the first month of the quarter is used in quarterly totals, or only the first month of the year is used in yearly totals. Used for line items on cash flow statements.

  • Last month only into quarter -- Only the last month of the quarter is used in quarterly totals, or only the last month of the year is used in yearly totals. Used for line items on balance sheets.

  • Average months into quarter -- Values are averaged over the quarter or over the year. Used for line items such as Head Count.

  • Average across time and org -- Values are averaged over all organizations and over the quarter of the year. Used for line items such as Unit Price.

  • Recalculate quarter -- Values are recalculated at the end of the quarter or year, using the line item equation. Used for line items such as Return on Sales, which represents a ratio.

  • Do not aggregate -- Values for or dimension values marked with this aggregation type are removed from status before any rollups or worksheet spread operations are performed.

• For a dimension value in a dimension that supports best case and worst case variance reporting, specify the variance to use when displaying a financial data item involving a variance. You can choose ACT - BUD or BUD - ACT.

• For a dimension value in a dimension for which the Control Dimension Value Scaling property was selected when the dimension was created, you can disable numeric scaling.

Note: If you are creating a new dimension value that is similar to a saved dimension value, you can save time by copying information for row and column labels, time period, aggregation type, variance, and scaling from the saved value to the new value. Choose Copy in the New Dimension Value dialog box to copy dimension value information.

Example: Dimension value information

The following example shows the Maintain Dimension value dialog box with information for a Product dimension value.

In this example:

• The dimension name is 110- Sentinel Standard

• The row label is Sentinel Standard

• The column label is Sent Std

• Aggregation Type is not applicable because the Product dimension does not aggregate over time

• Variance Type is not applicable because the Product dimension does not support best and worse case variance indicators

• Users can apply numeric scaling to this dimension value

Modifying dimension values

You choose Dimension Value from the Maintain menu to modify dimension values. This opens the Maintain Dimension Value dialog box, from which you can choose the dimension and the dimension value and perform the following modifications:

• You can give a dimension value a new name.

• You can delete a dimension value from your personal database. As an administrator, you can also delete a dimension value from the shared database by deleting it from your personal database, and then distributing the change to the shared database and to other users.

• Edit row and column labels.

• You can move a dimension to a new position in the list of dimension values maintained by the system.

• For a dimension value in a custom time dimension, you can change the time period.

• For a dimension value in a dimension that supports aggregation over time, you can change the aggregation type.

• For a dimension value in a dimension that supports best case and worst case variance reporting, you can change the variance type.

• For a dimension value in a dimension for which the Control Dimension Value Scaling option was selected when the dimension was created, you can disable numeric scaling.

If you delete and then redefine a dimension value

If you delete a dimension value and then attempt to define a dimension value with the same object name before distributing the deletion, the system prompts you to specify whether to process the deletion.

• If you indicate that the dimension value is a new object that is intended to replace the deleted object, the system creates a system deletion task on the distribution list.

• If you indicate that the deletion was inadvertent, the system removes the deletion task from the distribution list. If you choose this option, it is your responsibility to redefine the dimension value exactly as it was prior to the deletion. The system will not check for this.

Related information

For more information about working with dimension values, search for the following topics in the Financial Analyzer Help system:

"Creating Dimension Values"

"Modifying Dimension Values"

"Moving Dimension Values"

"Renaming Dimension Values"

"Deleting Dimension Values"