OWB - Binding a Relational Table to a Dimensional Object

Binding is the process of connecting :

• the attributes of the dimensional object (Dimensions or Cubes)
• to the columns in the table or view that store their data.

You perform binding only for dimensional objects that have a relational implementation. For multidimensional objects, binding is implicit and is resolved in the analytic workspace.

For dimensions, you connect the level attributes and level relationships to the columns in the implementation objects. For cubes, you connect the measures and dimension references to implementation table columns.

Warehouse Builder provides two methods of binding:

• Auto binding
• Manual binding

and allow you to unbind

In auto binding, Warehouse Builder creates the implementation tables, if they do not already exist. The attributes and relationships of the dimensional object are then bound to the columns that store their data. You can perform auto binding using both the wizards and the editors.

In the case of a dimension, the number of tables used to store the dimension data depends on the options you select for the storage (Star or Snowflake). For more information on these options, see Dimension Storage

To perform auto binding:

1. In the Project Explorer, right-click the dimensional object and select Open Editor. The Data Object Editor for this dimensional object is displayed.
2. On the Dimensional tab, right-click the dimensional object node and select Bind. Alternatively, select the dimensional object node on the canvas and from the Object menu select Bind.

In manual binding, you must explicitly bind the attributes of the dimensional objects to the database columns that store their data. You use manual binding when you want to bind a dimensional object to existing tables or views.

To perform manual binding for a dimensional object:

• Create the implementation objects (tables or views) that you will use to store the dimensional object data. In the case of relational or ROLAP dimensions, create the sequence used to load the surrogate identifier of the dimension. You can choose to use an existing sequence.
• In the Project Explorer, right-click the dimensional and select Open Editor. The Data Object Editor for the dimensional object is displayed. On the canvas, the Dimensional tab is active.
• Right-click the dimensional object and select Detail View. Warehouse Builder opens a new tab that has the same name as the dimensional object.

• From the palette, drag and drop the operator that represents the implementation object onto the canvas. Warehouse Builder displays the Add a New or Existing <Object> dialog box. For example, if the dimension data is stored in a table, drag a Table operator from the Palette and drop it onto the canvas. The Add a New or Existing Table dialog box is displayed.

• Choose the Select an existing <Object> option and then select the data object from the list of objects displayed in the selection tree.
• Click OK. A node representing the object that you just added is displayed on the canvas.

1. For dimensions, if more than one data object is used to store the dimension data, add more object to the canvas
2. For dimensions, map the attributes in each level of the dimension to the columns that store their data. Also map the level relationships to the database column that store their data.

Map the measures and dimension references to the columns that store the cube data.

Warehouse Builder also enables you to unbind a dimensional object. Unbinding removes the connections between the dimensional object and the tables that store its data.

To unbind a dimensional object from its current implementation, right-click the dimensional object on the Relational tab of the Canvas and select Unbind. Unbinding removes the bindings between the dimensional object and its implementation objects. However, it does not modify the implementation objects.

• Binding Documentation