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What are Extensible dimensions? Extensible dimensionality is a core function of OneStream Software. It allows a dimension to be expanded or condensed depending on the reporting requirements. This built-in functionality provides you with the ability to extend a system beyond its initial configuration and design. Extensible dimensionality allows the system to grow from a consolidation and statutory reporting system with high-level detail to support collection, creation of budgets and forecasts with more detail. OneStream extensible dimensions allow you to tailor the experience by altering workflows, frequencies, and levels of detail to support both types of reporting.

Extensible dimensionality allows reports, rules, and security to integrate the lower level of detail from budgets/forecast into the high level of detail of the consolidations systems. Extensible dimensionality can extend the entity, account, and unique dimensions.

Extensible Dimension Entity

The consolidations group needs to look at entity at a legal entity level for statutory, tax and audit reports. Whereas, the finance group would want to see more detail such as the stores or units that make up the legal entity, and to be able to run a full detailed P&L by store.

In the GolfStream application, the consolidation’s entity hierarchy is the CorpEntities dimension. The Parent US Clubs has children which are legal entities Augusta, Carlsbad, and Houston. The consolidations group loads to base members Augusta and Carlsbad. Also, a part of the CorpEntities dimension is Houston Heights and South Houston. These two entity dimensions both exist as independent members under the RootEntityDim part of the HoustonEntities dimension. However, Houston Heights and South Houston act as if they are hierarchical and roll up to US Clubs. These entities are members of the HoustonEntities dimension. These two stores make up the legal entity Houston.

The Houston finance group can load the data broken out by Houston Heights and South Houston. The consolidation group can report at the legal entity level. Both groups are able to load and report on the level of detail required.

Below is an example of two cubes. The Golfstream cube is using the CorpEntities. The Houston cube is using the HoustonEntities.

The entity dimension is treated differently than account or unique dimensions. When we create the cube, we assign the dimension under the cube dimension tab. In order to do this, we must first insert the extended entity dimension into the primary entity dimension hierarchy. This will populate the cube references which contain the extended entity dimensions.

We can have multiple extended dimensions within the Entity Dimension. Below we can see Atlanta, Austin, Houston, New York, Ottawa are all listed in the Cube References tab.

*Note the cube with the extended entity dimensions cannot be set as Top-Level cube is it is to be added to the cube references.

Extensible Dimension Account

The consolidations group needs to look at the chart of accounts at a detailed level. They need to see every base level account that makes up the balance sheet and profit and loss statement. The finance group has a different requirement. They would like to see high-level balance sheet accounts and all the profit and loss account with more detail in the expense section. Using extensibility allows us to do both.

Account Dimension member CorpAccounts gathers data at the five-digit account level 60000 from most of its entities. Houston can provide more granular detail by sub account 2000_100, 2000_200, 2000_300 and 2000_400. This detail is only available and relevant to the Houston entities and accounts.

Extensible Dimension Unique Dimensions

The concept to add extensibility is the same as accounts. Each entity can load detailed product data. Below we can see under the UD2 Dimension we have the Corp Products dimension with children of AustinProducts, HoustonProducts, and OttawaProducts.

Houston can load detailed product data for drivers. Ottawa and Austin can also load their detailed data to the product dimension.

Want to learn more about Extensible Dimensions and OneStream Software? The consultants at MindStream Analytics are here to help you take your consolidations and reporting to the next level.