Level-Level Relationships

Users may want to ask questions about relationships between any combination of level entities in a dimension hierarchy. This can be accomplished by creating the minimum number of relationships necessary to allow a connection from any entity to any other entity, given the restriction that only two relationships can be used. Start by creating a relationship from each level entity to the next highest level entity. In the Customer dimension example, the following trait phrasing and preposition phrasing relationships are necessary:

• customers names are the names of customers
  
  
• customers have cities, customers are in cities
  
  
• cities have states, cities are in states
  
  
• states have countries, states are in countries

With the addition of customers have states, customers are in states relationship, users can ask the question, "What stores are in the United States?"