Building a Parent-Child Dimension in Timextender Classic¶

A parent-child dimension is a specialized structure that establishes hierarchical relationships between dimension members using two key columns in a dimension table. These relationships are defined through:

• A member key column that uniquely identifies each member
• A parent key column that identifies the parent of each member

Creating a Parent-Child Dimension¶

Step 1: Access the Dimension Settings Navigate to the Cubes tab and locate the Dimension node. Select "Add Parent Child Dimension" from the available options.

Step 2: Configure Dimension Properties Configure the following essential properties:

1. Dimension name
2. Source Data Warehouse table
3. Member key column selection
4. Parent key column selection
5. Appearance settings

Step 3: Level Structure The dimension automatically creates two levels:

• Member Key level
• Parent Key level

Step 4: Rename the Parent Key Level For better organization, rename the Parent Key level to match the parent-child dimension name, as this level contains the actual hierarchical structure.

Step 5: Finalize Complete the setup by deploying and executing the dimension.

Best Practices¶

When implementing a parent-child dimension, ensure your source table contains clear hierarchical relationships. For example, an employee table with reporting relationships makes an ideal candidate for this type of dimension structure.