Setting Up Attributes for Attribute Hierarchies

Before creating an Attribute Hierarchy, you'll define attributes. Attributes are used to report and aggregate dimension data based on traits. For example, a Department dimension is associated with the division attribute dimension. Members of the division attribute dimension are categorized based on profits. The attributes defined here are used in the Budget Entity Definition and reports.

1.  Navigate to Maintenance > Hierarchy > Hierarchy Management.
2.  Make the required selections and click on the Setup option under the Hierarchy Selection section of the Hierarchy Management interface.
3. On the Financial Hierarchy Setup page, click the More option and select Attribute Setup. The Finance Attribute page appears.
   
   
4. Select a Dimension to which you want to add the Attribute (such as Account). You will see the following options on the Finance Attributes page:
   • Add: To add an attribute.
   • Edit: To edit an existing attribute. Note that you can edit an attribute ONLY if Used in Reporting is No.
   • Delete: To delete an existing attribute. 
   • Move Up / Move Down: Position attributes on the page.
   • Save Display Order: Saves the position of the attributes on the page.
   • Attribute Member(s): Click to access the Attribute Members List page. View, delete, and export attribute members (of attributes that have an attribute type of "Text"). Click Output to export the Attribute Members List to Excel for printing, viewing, or reporting purposes.
   • Filter and Export: To export the Attribute Members List to Excel for printing, viewing, or reporting purposes.
     
     

To add a new attribute, do the following:

1. Click the Add button to add a new Attribute.
2. Enter a Name and Description.
   
   
3. Select the attribute Type:
   • Reference to Segment: Links the attribute to another dimension. For instance, utilizing leaf members from a country hierarchy as attribute values for another dimension like Customer.
     
     
     For Example

     Dimension = Countries

     Hierarchy:

     Americas	Europe	Asia Pac
     United States	U.K	India
     Canada	Germany	China
     Brazil	France	Japan
     Mexico	Italy	Singapore
     Columbia	Switzerland
     Peru

     Let's say you want to use the leaf members in the hierarchy above as the attribute value on another dimension (like Customer). Use the Reference to Segment attribute type and reference Customer. The setup would look as follows:

     • Dimension – Customer
     • Attribute – Country
     • Attribute Values – India, China, USA etc (all leaf members are displayed in the Customer hierarchy properties pane and you can select the country as applicable)

     For Sales budgeting and forecasting, select this option to create an attribute on the Sales dimension as a separate reporting hierarchy, or, an association with an existing sales dimension.

     
     
   • Text: For alphanumeric values that differ between hierarchy members, like City names or Contact Numbers.
     
     
     For Example

     Dimension – Customer

     Attribute – City

     Values – Edinburgh, Peterborough, Cambridge etc

     Or

     Dimension – Customer

     Attribute – ContactNo

     Attribute Values – 0131 123456, 1223 222222, 1223 444444

     Or

     Dimension – Customer

     Attribute Values – EmailID

     Values – john@gmail.com, org@cvcpipes.com 

     
     
   • Date: When the attribute's value is a date (e.g., Date of Incorporation).
     
     
     For Example

     Dimension – Company

     Attribute – DateofIncorporationOrEstablishment

     Attribute Values – 2/15/2000, 5/20/1998, 7/25/2004
     
     

     
     
   • Month/Year: For associating months/years with attributes (e.g., Subscription Renewal Month or Year of Introduction). For example:
     Dimension – Product
     Attribute – YearofIntroductionOrLaunch
     Attribute Values – 2000, 1998, 2004
     
     
   • List: Specifies allowed values for an attribute, useful for categorizing items within a dimension (e.g., different types of routers under the Product dimension). For example:
     Dimension – Product
     Attribute – MRP$(MaxRetailPrice)
     Attribute Values – 14.20, 20,40, 128.75
     
     
   • Float/Integer: For numerical data (Float for decimal values and Integer for whole numbers) like pricing (MRP) or shelf life. For example:
     Dimension – Product
     Attribute – ShelfLife(hrs)
     Attribute Values – 32, 48, 64 etc
4. Based on the selected type, fill in the relevant details for Default Value:
   • For instance, for Reference to Segment, like using leaf members from a country hierarchy under the Customer dimension for Country.
   • For Text, such as City names or Contact Numbers.
   • For Date, Month, Year, List, Float, or Integer, enter respective values as applicable.
     
     
5. Click Save.
   

6.