Introduction

Cube editor represents a convenient visual interface to change the contents and the properties of the Cube elements, namely dimensions, hierarchies of various types, and measures. Using the Editor, you can delete, add and tune the properties of all Cube elements.

Main Menu

The main Editor window consists of the following elements:

• Menu toolbar
• Cube Structure panel
• Data Schema panel
• Additional information panel
• Properties panel

Menu toolbar

The Toolbar has the following icons: 

Menu Item	Description
	Saves changes in the Cube and closes the Editor.
	Saves changes in the Cube. Note that changes in the history will be erased. To cancel previous actions will be impossible.
	Cancels changes and closes the Editor.
	Cancels or repeats (Undo/Redo function) changes made in the Cube structure.
	Automatically places tables in the data schema panel.
	Shows/hides the Cube structure tree.
	Shows/hides the Properties panel. The Properties panel can be called automatically by double-clicking any tree item of the Cube structure. If the selected item has any properties, they will be displayed on the panel.
	Shows the popup menu to сreate/delete measure.
	Shows the popup menu to create/delete hierarchy.
	Deletes the selected element.
	Shows/hides the Information panel.
	Opens the developer's site http://www.radar-soft.com.

Cube Structure panel

The Cube structure content is represented on a specified panel. The main task of the panel is selecting a Cube element to edit, create, delete or change its location.

Cube Structure Elements symbols

Editing Element properties

To edit element properties, click any Cube element. If the properties panel was hidden, then it will be displayed. If the panel already was visible, then it will display properties of the selected element. Don't double-click it.

You can view properties via the context menu by selecting the appropriate item.

Measures

To delete a measure, choose the appropriate element and select Remove in the main menu, or Remove measure in the context menu.

 

See also "Editing Element properties".

Dimensions and hierarchies

To create a new dimension, double-click the additional tree node:

At that, the new dimension name dialog will appear:

After typing the name an empty dimension will be created in a cube.

To delete a dimension, choose the appropriate element and select Remove in the main menu, or the appropriate item in the context menu. At that, all hierarchies within it will be deleted as well.

 

To create a multilevel hierarchy in this dimension, you can select the appropriate item of the context menu, or double-click the additional node:

 

In a dialog box that appeared, enter a hierarchy name.

Also see "Element properties editing", "multilevel hierarchies".

To delete hierarchies, choose the appropriate element and select Remove in the main menu, or the appropriate item in the context menu.

 

Location of attribute and Parent-Child hierarchies can be changed by dragging it in other dimensions.

Order of attribute hierarchies of the DateTime type as part of the multilevel can be changed by using a drag operation.

Also see "Element properties editing".

Data schema panel

The data schema panel displays the contents of the cube data source. By using this panel you can create/delete, edit cube structure elements. All actions will occur with the selected element. By default, it is highlighted with the blue frame.

When running, the table editor is automatically placed in the panel area. The fact table is determined automatically and has much more bright color for header. On picture is the fact table - "Order Details".

Position of the tables in the data area can be changed by dragging the header. The cube will remember the changes and restore it during the next opening. This relates to the sizes, location and the editor window state.

 

Table area elements icons

Icon	Description
	Key field.
	Foreign key field.
	The string field.
	The numeric field.
	The boolean field.
	The assigned DateTime field.
	The DateTime field.
	The BLOB filed.
	Attribute hierarchy.
	Parent-Child hierarchy.
	Measure.
	Calculated measure.
	Calculated hierarchy.
	A button for creation of the calculated fields to create on its basis calculated hierarchies.

Element properties editing

To edit element properties, click the element in the table list. If the properties panel was hidden, then make it visible by pressing the appropriate button in a menu. You can show properties via the context menu by selecting the appropriate item.

 

Measures

You can select any unassigned fact table field as measure for a cube. To assign it, select this field and click the appropriate item in the context or main menu, or drag the field on the cube structure measures node in the left part.

After assignment, the picture of this field will be changed for the picture of a measure. Now you can edit the measure properties, accordingly.

Hierarchies

You can select an unassigned field in any table and click the appropriate item in the context or main menu, or drag the field on the cube structure dimension node in the left part.

After assignment, the picture of this field will be changed for the picture of the attribute hierarchy. Now you can edit the hierarchy properties, accordingly.

Calculated measures

To create calculated measure, press the button in the bottom part of the appropriate table, select the category of the element being created and, if necessary, a dimension it will be placed into.

Creation of the calculated measure leads to the appearance of the appropriate elements in the measures branch in the tree and adding the element in the list of the current table.

 

Later, work with it doesn't differ from that with other hierarchies, with the only difference, when deleting this measure the element will be erased from the fact table. Then in the application code you should handle the TOLAPCube.OnCalculateField event in order to describe the calculation rules of a given field based on other fields of the data schema tables.

Creation of the calculated hierarchy occurs in a similar manner, you just need to additionally select, in which dimension the hierarchy will be placed, or to indicate that a new dimension will be created.

 

The hierarchies of DateTime type

You can create hierarchies of the DateTime type only on the bases of the fields of the appropriate type. To create it, you should either drag the element on one of the cube structure dimensions, or use the main or context menu.

 

After creation of the hierarchy, a button will appear on the appropriate field, and the picture will be changed:

 

and in the hierarchy tree the following set of hierarchies will appear:

• AttributeYear, Quarter, Month (full name) hierarchies which placed within one dimension and can be included in any of the multilevel hierarchies in the current dimension.
• MultilevelOrderDate hierarchy (as a name of the appropriate table field). Created by default and all three created attribute hierarchies are placed in it. If the hierarchy with that name already exists in the dimension and it is empty, then it will be used.

 

 

Attribute hierarchies can be placed/deleted in any multilevel hierarchy within the current dimension, and deleted from a dimension, if necessary. While deleting the latter one, a mark will be unmarked from the appropriate field in a table.

To change a set of the appropriate attribute hierarchies, you can use the editor. To call it, double-click the field marked as DateTime, or press the button in the right part of this field.

 

You can change a set of the data-time attribute hierarchies by checking/unchecking the checkboxes. Fulfilled actions will lead to immediate change of a set of hierarchies in the current dimension. The only restriction is that hierarchies are added directly in the dimension root; in multilevel hierarchies you should drag them manually.

If all check-boxes will be off, then while pressing OK the field mark in a table will be off as well, and all appropriate attribute hierarchies will be deleted from a dimension.

By pressing Reset, you cancel the changes you've made and revert everything in the default state that was at the initial creation of a set of hierarchies.

Pressing the OK button you apply changes and close the editor; pressing "Cancel" button you cancel all changes and close the editor.

Hierarchy members' attributes

RadarCube supports the attributes of hierarchy members - that is, allows displaying in the Grid additional information about them.

Typically, the attributes display the contents of the table fields of the hierarchy. For instance, for the Customers table - the field, containing the name of the hierarchy member may be the "Customer Name" field, while the "Address" and "Phone" fields will serve as additional attributes. For the Desktop/direct-versions of RadarCube the attributes are specified in the Cube structure editor. For an end-user the information, provided by the additional attributes may be displayed as an additional column/row in the table or as a tooltip:

Attribute displayed as a column

Attribute displayed as a tooltip

Editing the TinfoAttribute Set

The contents of the info attributes set may be defined through the Cube editor. Only the hierarchies from the table with the owner one may make up the set. Thus, for the Customers hierarchy (see the picture) these will be:

• CompanyName(corresponds to the Customers hierarchy)
• City
• Region
• Country

Hierarchy set from one of the tables

To amend the attribute set, you need to:

1. Select a hierarchy from the hierarchy tree
2. Call the context menu and select "Info attributes editor ..."

   
   Calling the attribute editor

3. Select the hierarchies from the list in the window of Info attributes editor

   
   Selecting attributes

The selected attributes will appear as hierarchy nodes:

Displaying attributes in the Cube tree

Defining the properties of the info attributes

To define the properties of an info attribute, you need to:

1. Make the properties panel visible

   
   The button for displaying the properties panel in the Cube editor

2. Select the attribute, whose properties you want to edit

   
   Selecting the info attribute

3. Edit the attribute's properties in the far right window

See Also