Alternate hierarchies

A dimension structure can have more than one hierarchy, which results in consolidating the input members in more than one way.

 Example:  Cost centers might be aggregated one way for management reporting and another way for legal entity reporting.

Only level-based dimensions can have alternate hierarchies (up to 20).

Dimension types that can have alternate hierarchies

  • Geography
  • Time
  • Detailed Planning Object
  • Counterparty
  • Entity
  • Other

 Note:  Time has the pre-defined hierarchies HalfYears, Months, and Quarters.

Dimension types that can't have alternate hierarchies

  • Account
  • Version
  • Time Perspective
  • Currency
  • Allocation
  • Classification

Add an alternate hierarchy to a dimension

 Caution:  Adding or removing an alternate hierarchy removes any existing Cell Comments or Page Notes in the cube.

  1. Open Model Manager and select the cube.
  2. Select the dimension.
  3. In the lip, click . The Edit Alternate Hierarchies dialog opens.
  4. Click .
  5. Type a name (up to 40 characters) and a description.
  6. For each level that you want to add to the hierarchy, type a Name and select a Member Property.
  7. To see how the hierarchy appears, select the Preview tab.
  8. Click OK.

Manage alternate hierarchies

You can use the Edit Alternate Hierarchies dialog to edit and delete hierarchies.

 Note:  You cannot rename an alternate hierarchy, though its other attributes are editable.

About selecting dimensions

Note that if you select an existing Version dimension, you must also select the corresponding Time dimension; if you select an existing Account dimension, you must select the corresponding Version and Time dimensions. An existing Time dimension can be used without using any of its corresponding dimensions.

Selected Shared (Existing) Dimension Options
Accounts – Shared Version, Shared Time
Version

– Shared Time, New Accounts

– Shared Time, Shared Accounts
Time

– Shared Accounts, Shared Versions

– New Accounts, Shared Versions

– New Accounts, New Versions

 Use Case:  Reporting with alternate hierarchies.