Attributes are extra layers of detail stored at the line level of your dimensions. They can be added or viewed from your spreadsheet to allow additional detail or an extra layer of granularity to a range you’ve built.
Attributes are retained with each publish, allowing you to capture key information for reference and drilldown analysis.
For example, instead of creating separate dimensions for every employee, you can use attributes to track Employee ID, Annual Salary, and Location alongside a single Salary Expense account. This allows you to analyze total salary expenses while still having access to individual employee details when needed.
Consider easily tracking attributes, such as text, dates, or values, by saving them as a table.
Set attributes before publishing
All columns to be marked as attributes must be unique from Cube dimensions (for example, you cannot have "Location" as an attribute column if "Location" exists as a dimension in your Cube).
1. Insert new columns
In our example, we have added four new columns - Trip Description, Destination, Est Cost per Month, Airfare, and Notes - between the top-level dimensions to the right and left.
2. Set range
Select your range in Cube, or if you already have a range configured, reselect it to ensure the new columns are included.
If your attribute column headers contain the same names as any of your Cube dimensions, Cube will alert you during your range selection so you can update them.
3. Identify attribute columns
Highlight the column headers you wish to use as attributes.
Navigate to the Publish section and click Set attributes. Then click Mark for Attributes.
You'll receive a confirmation message that your attributes have been set, and you'll see them noted here.
You've successfully set attributes and are ready to publish the range.
Having trouble? Here's what might be going wrong.
4. Publish to Cube
Select the Publish Data button to finalize your changes and save them to Cube.
Attributes differentiate individual values when working with multiple transactions or line items that roll up to a single dimension. Learn more about publishing when working with line-level or transaction-level details.
Retrieve published attribute details
Select a value in your spreadsheet and click Drilldown under Analyze to confirm your attributes are showing.
Attributes have correctly been captured if you see them listed in the drilldown tab in your spreadsheet. See example below: