During a recent SQL Server session at a Tech Ed On Road event in India, I was asked a very interesting question during the ‘Stump the Speaker’ session. The question was: “Can you tell me in simple words what is dimension, member, and other terms of multidimensional space?”

This is an extremely fundamental question for those familiar with Analysis Services, but it can be a bit difficult for those who have no exposure to the subject. In this blog post, I will explain these terms in simple terms.

Dimension

A dimension is a point of interest for analysis. It describes the different aspects or categories that we want to analyze. For example, in the context of distance, the dimension could be “Distance” itself.

Member

A member is one of the points of interest within a dimension. It represents a specific value or category within the dimension. Using the distance example, a member could be “Kilometer” as a unit of measurement.

Value

A value uniquely describes a member within a dimension. It represents a specific measurement or quantity. In our distance example, a value could be “4” kilometers.

Attribute

An attribute is a collection of multiple members within a dimension. It represents a set of related categories or values. In the distance example, the attribute could be a collection of units of measurement such as “Kilometer,” “Miles,” and “Meter.”

Size

The size refers to the total number of members within a dimension. It represents the maximum capacity or range of values within the dimension. In our distance example, the size could be “100 KM,” indicating that the dimension can accommodate values up to 100 kilometers.

These terms can also be understood using a different example, such as time. In the context of time, the dimension could be “Time,” with members like “Date” and values like “25.” The attribute could be a collection of dates from 1 to 31, representing the days of a month.

I hope this explanation helps in understanding the concepts of multidimensional space and its terms in SQL Server. These concepts are fundamental to working with Analysis Services and can greatly enhance your data analysis capabilities.