Dimensions & Analytics

Dimensions are custom analysis axes that let you slice and dice financial data in multiple ways beyond the standard chart of accounts. They enable multi-dimensional reporting so you can answer questions like "How much revenue came from the Engineering department in the West region on Project Alpha?"

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Why Dimensions Matter#

Without dimensions:

• Revenue: $1,000,000
• Where did it come from? Which department? Which region? Which project? (Unknown)

With dimensions:

• Revenue: $1,000,000
  • By Department: Engineering ($400K), Sales ($350K), Marketing ($250K)
  • By Location: US ($600K), EU ($300K), APAC ($100K)
  • By Project: Project Alpha ($500K), Project Beta ($300K), Other ($200K)
  • By Business Segment: B2B ($700K), B2C ($300K)

Another example:

• Salary Expense: $100,000
  • Department: Engineering -- $60,000
  • Department: Sales -- $40,000
• Full visibility across any combination of dimensions

Key Benefits#

1. Multi-dimensional analysis -- analyze by any combination of dimensions
2. Hierarchical structure -- parent/child relationships (USA > West > California)
3. Cross-entity flexibility -- shared or entity-specific dimension values
4. Report flexibility -- slice data multiple ways without restructuring your chart of accounts
5. Complete audit trail -- track all dimension changes

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Architecture Overview#

Dimensions use two levels of the Master + Entity Override pattern:

Dimension Types (Organization-wide)
  department, project, location, cost_center
        |
        v
Dimension Values (Under each type)
  department: ENG, SALES, MKT, HR, FIN
  location: USA > West > California > Los Angeles
  project: PROJ-001, PROJ-002, ...
        |
        v
Entity-Specific Overrides (Sparse)
  Entity 9 hides: department "HR" (not applicable)
  Entity 13 renames: "Sales" to "Revenue Operations"
  Entity 10 adds: "APAC" location (entity-only)
        |
        v
Effective Views (What each entity sees)
  Resolved types and values per entity

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Dimension Types#

Dimension types define the categories of analysis available in your organization.

Standard Dimension Types#

Dimension Type Properties#

Applies-To Options#

Each dimension type specifies which record types it can be assigned to. For example, "department" might apply to accounts and transactions, while "location" applies to customers and vendors.

Naming Rules#

• Must be lowercase
• No spaces (use underscores)
• Alphanumeric characters only
• Examples: department, cost_center, product_line

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Dimension Values#

Dimension values are the specific entries within each dimension type.

Value Properties#

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Hierarchical Dimensions#

Dimensions support parent/child relationships for structured analysis:

Example: Location Hierarchy#

Location (hierarchy_depth: 3)
|-- USA (Level 1)
|   |-- West (Level 2)
|   |   |-- California (Level 3)
|   |   +-- Oregon (Level 3)
|   +-- East (Level 2)
|       +-- New York (Level 3)
+-- Europe (Level 1)
    |-- UK (Level 2)
    +-- Germany (Level 2)

Example: Department Hierarchy#

Department (hierarchy_depth: 3)
|-- Technology Division (Level 1)
|   |-- Engineering (Level 2)
|   |   +-- Frontend Team (Level 3)
|   +-- IT Operations (Level 2)
+-- Business Division (Level 1)
    |-- Sales (Level 2)
    +-- Marketing (Level 2)

Auto-Calculated Fields#

When you create a hierarchical value with a parent code:

• Level is automatically determined from the parent's level
• Full path is automatically built (e.g., USA/WEST/CA)

Hierarchy Rules#

1. Parent must exist -- cannot reference a non-existent parent code
2. Depth limit -- respects the dimension type's maximum hierarchy depth (1-5)
3. No circular references -- A cannot be parent of B if B is parent of A
4. Full path auto-calculated -- no manual entry needed

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Entity-Specific Overrides#

Each entity can customize dimension types and values without affecting other entities:

Hiding a Value#

Entity 9 can hide the "HR" department dimension if it's not applicable to that entity. Other entities continue to see it.

Renaming a Value#

Entity 13 can see "Revenue Operations" instead of "Sales" for the same dimension value code. Other entities see the master name.

Entity-Only Values#

Entity 10 can add an "APAC" location that only appears for that entity. No override records needed for other entities.

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Bulk Import#

Import dimension types and values from templates, legacy systems, or CSV files.

Dimension Type Import#

Import multiple dimension types at once with validation:

• Field validation (name format, applies-to values, hierarchy depth)
• Duplicate detection by name
• Industry templates for common setups (manufacturing, professional services, etc.)

Dimension Value Import#

Import dimension values with hierarchy support:

• Parent-child relationships resolved automatically
• Level and full path calculated during import
• Duplicate detection by code within type

Dimension Hierarchy Import#

Import complete hierarchies including parent-child relationships in a single operation.

Import Options#

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Transaction Dimensions#

Dimensions can be assigned at the transaction line level for granular financial analysis.

How It Works#

When posting a transaction (invoice, journal entry, bill), each line can carry dimension assignments:

• Line 1: Revenue $5,000 -- Department: Engineering, Project: Alpha
• Line 2: Revenue $3,000 -- Department: Sales, Project: Beta

This enables reports like:

• "Total revenue by department and project"
• "All expenses for Project Alpha across all accounts"
• "Cost center P&L for Q1"

Required vs. Optional Dimensions#

Dimension types marked as "required" must be specified on applicable transaction lines. Optional dimensions can be added for additional analysis when available.

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Budget Dimensions#

Dimensions integrate with the budgeting system to enable dimensional budget tracking:

• Set budgets by department, project, or cost center
• Track actual vs. budget by any dimension combination
• Alert when spending exceeds dimensional budgets

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Approval Workflows#

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Current Statistics#

A typical organization setup includes:

• 4 master dimension types (department, project, location, cost center)
• 90+ dimension values stored once at the master level
• Entity-specific overrides only where customization is needed
• Full visibility across all entities through effective views