To start the Virtual Dimension wizard
Although all cubes require dimensions, they do not require virtual dimensions.
The main benefits of virtual dimensions are storage savings and reduced cube processing time. Aggregation data for virtual dimensions is not stored. It is calculated in memory. Therefore, if you add a virtual dimension to a cube, its storage usage and processing time do not increase as when you add an ordinary dimension.
Virtual dimensions also allow you to display categorical labels from a single dimension table on multiple axes in browsers without increasing cube size. (Without virtual dimensions, multiple ordinary dimensions would be required.) Specifically, you can display the members of a dimension level on one axis and an associated attribute (that is, member property) of those members on the other axis. This type of presentation is useful when cube users want to explore the trends of measures depending on the relationship between members and member properties. For example, a user requests to analyze Sales by Product Name and Package Material to explore customers’ preferences for recyclable Package Materials. If the Product dimension already contains Product Name, add Package Material as a member property and create a virtual dimension from it. After you add the virtual dimension to the cube, the user can cross-reference Product Names and Package Materials and compare the Sales at the intersections.
Virtual dimensions are created from member properties. You can add a virtual dimension to a cube only if the dimension that supplies the member property is also included in the cube. For more information about member properties, see Creating Member Properties.
All virtual dimensions are shared, not private.
To quickly and easily create a virtual dimension, use the Virtual Dimension wizard. The wizard allows you to select the member property that defines the virtual dimension.
To start the Virtual Dimension wizard