Analytics dimensions¶

Analytics dimensions classify your IT budget for reporting, outside your accounting structure. You choose your own ways of reading the budget, such as the nature of the spend or the program it serves, without reworking companies, departments, accounts or cost centers.

Dimensions and values¶

A dimension is one way of classifying budget lines, for example Nature or Program. Its values are the choices it offers, for example Licenses, Cloud and Services for Nature.

Each dimension has its own list of values.
Each OPEX and CAPEX line can hold one value per dimension. A line can be Licenses on Nature and Workplace on Program at the same time.
A line can also have no value on a dimension. Reports show these lines as "Unassigned".

For example:

Nature          Program
  Licenses        Workplace
  Cloud           ERP
  Services        Security

The default dimension¶

Every workspace starts with one dimension, the default dimension. Until you give it a name, it shows as Analytics dimension, in each person's language. If your workspace already had analytics values, they belong to this dimension and every line keeps its value.

The default dimension has a special role:

It cannot be disabled or deleted. Its workspace has no Delete button, and one line under Lifecycle says why: "This dimension cannot be disabled or deleted: older files and AI questions use it."
Questions to Plaid about the analytics category use it. See Analytics dimensions in Plaid. In a budget file each dimension has its own column, the default one included: see Load a budget from a spreadsheet.
It stays the default dimension when you rename it, change its code or change its order.
Its label is reserved: no other dimension can be named "Analytics dimension", in any of the app's languages.

Getting started¶

Navigate to Master data > Analytics dimensions (in the Finance section).

Name the default dimension if "Analytics dimension" does not suit you: select it in the selector bar, click Edit, then type a name in its workspace, for example Nature.
Add its values: click New value.
Add a dimension when you need another way of reading the budget: click New in the selector bar, then add its values.

Tip: Start with one or two dimensions and 5 to 10 values each. Consistent naming makes the lists easier to scan.

The Analytics dimensions page¶

Dimension selector¶

Under the title, a grey band shows your dimensions in order, with one square toggle each. It looks and works like the selector of the charts of accounts. A disabled dimension is marked Disabled. With many dimensions, the band scrolls sideways.

Click a toggle to list the values of that dimension. The selected toggle is filled. The page address keeps your choice, so a bookmarked link opens on the same dimension. Without a choice, the page opens on the default dimension.
On the right of the band, Edit opens the workspace of the selected dimension. If you can only read dimensions, the button reads Open.
New, next to it, creates a dimension (requires analytics:member).

With a single dimension, the band shows one toggle and the values.

Values list¶

The list shows the values of the selected dimension.

Columns:

Column	What it shows
Name	The name of the value
Description	What the value covers
Status	Enabled or Disabled
Updated	Date and time of the last change

Click any cell to open the value's workspace.

Filtering:

Quick search: searches the name and the description
Status filter: a checkbox filter on the Status column. Clicking Clear in it, or unticking both values, lists nothing, whatever Show says
Status scope: the Show: All / Enabled / Disabled toggle above the list. The list shows enabled values by default

Actions:

New value: create a value in the selected dimension (requires analytics:member). While the selected dimension is disabled, the button is disabled and its tooltip says "Enable this dimension to add values."
Import CSV: load values from a file (requires analytics:admin)
Export CSV: download the values of every dimension (requires analytics:admin)
Delete selected: delete the selected values (requires analytics:admin). Values used by budget lines are kept

Dimensions¶

Creating a dimension¶

Click New in the selector bar, fill in the fields, then click Create. The workspace of the new dimension opens. A new dimension is enabled.

Name is required.
Code is proposed from the name: lowercase, accents removed, spaces replaced by -. You can change it before you create the dimension.
Order is proposed so the new dimension comes last.
Description is optional.

Then go back to the page to add the values of the new dimension.

The dimension workspace¶

Open it with Edit (Open if you can only read) in the selector bar, with the dimension selected.

Header: the name of the dimension. Click it to rename the dimension. Prev / Next move through the dimensions in order, and the close button returns to the page on this dimension
Main area: a usage line, for example "12 values, used by 27 OPEX lines and 2 CAPEX lines.", then the Description
Properties panel on the right: Name, Code, Order and Lifecycle

Autosave: Every change saves on its own. There is no Save button. Text fields save when you leave them (in Name, Code and Order, press Enter to save at once); the lifecycle saves as soon as you change it. When a change is refused, the reason shows under the field that caused it, for example a duplicate code under Code. A name refused in the header shows at the top of the page.

Dimension fields¶

Field	What to enter
Name	Up to 200 characters. Names are unique regardless of case. Required, except on the default dimension: leave it empty there to show "Analytics dimension" in each person's language. The default dimension's label is reserved in every app language ("Analytics dimension", "Dimension analytique", "Analysedimension", "Dimensión analítica"), regardless of case: another dimension with one of these names is refused with "This name is reserved for the default dimension."
Code	1 to 40 characters: lowercase letters, digits, `-` or `_`, starting with a letter or a digit. Each code is unique. The code names the dimension's column in the OPEX and CAPEX CSV files, so changing it changes that column name. Budget lines keep their values when the code changes
Order	A whole number. Dimensions are listed by this number, lowest first: on this page, on budget lines, in the report filters and in the report's dimension picker
Description	What the dimension is for, so teammates classify lines the same way
Lifecycle	The status switch, labelled with the current state (Enabled or Disabled), and the End of validity date. See Status and lifecycle. Locked on the default dimension, with one line under it: "This dimension cannot be disabled or deleted: older files and AI questions use it."

Deleting a dimension¶

The Delete button in the header deletes the dimension at once (requires analytics:admin). While the dimension still has values, the button is disabled and one line under the usage line says why: "To delete this dimension, delete its values first."

The default dimension has no Delete button: it cannot be deleted.

To keep the values on the lines instead, disable the dimension.

Values¶

Creating a value¶

Click New value. The Dimension field starts on the dimension selected on the page and offers the enabled dimensions only. Enter the Name, and a Description if you like, then click Create. The workspace of the new value opens. A new value is enabled.

The value workspace¶

Header: the name of the value. Click it to rename the value. Prev / Next move through the values of the same dimension, in the list's current order and filters. The close button returns to the list
Main area: a line such as "Used by 3 OPEX lines and 1 CAPEX line." when budget lines use the value, then the Description
Properties panel on the right: Dimension (read only) and Lifecycle

Changes save on their own, as in the dimension workspace. A name refused in the header shows at the top of the page.

Rules for values¶

One list per dimension: names are unique within a dimension, regardless of case. Two dimensions can each have a value called "Other". A duplicate is refused, for example "A value named Licenses already exists in Nature."
A value stays in its dimension: the dimension is set when the value is created and cannot change. To move a value, create it in the other dimension, change the lines, then delete the old value.
Renaming keeps the lines: lines point to the value itself, so the new name shows at once in lists and reports.
Deleting: the Delete button in the header deletes the value at once (requires analytics:admin). It is disabled when budget lines use the value, with the reason, for example "Used by 3 OPEX lines and 1 CAPEX line. Disable it instead." Remove the value from these lines first, or disable it.

Status and lifecycle¶

Dimensions and values each have a status (Enabled or Disabled) and an optional End of validity. Use them to retire a dimension or a value without deleting it.

End of validity: the date it stops. Leave it blank to keep it active. You can also schedule a future date.
Switching to Disabled without a date sets the end of validity to today. Switching back to Enabled clears the date.
When the end of validity passes, the status switches to Disabled on its own within the hour.

A disabled value:

Cannot be picked for a line, in the app, in a CSV file or through Plaid.
Stays on the lines that already have it and keeps counting in reports. In the field's list it is marked Disabled.

A disabled dimension:

Disappears from the item forms, the OPEX and CAPEX lists, the report filters, the report's dimension picker, the OPEX and CAPEX CSV exports and Plaid. Only the Analytics dimensions page shows it, marked Disabled.
Keeps its values on the lines. Enable the dimension again and they show again.
Takes no new values. New value is disabled while the dimension is selected, and CSV files cannot add or change its values.

The default dimension cannot be disabled.

Prefer disabling over deleting: disabling keeps reports consistent while keeping the lists clean.

Values on budget lines¶

In the Properties panel of an OPEX or CAPEX item, and when you create one, each enabled dimension has its own field, named after the dimension, in dimension order. The default dimension shows as Analytics dimension until you rename it.

Pick a value, or clear the field to leave the line without a value on that dimension. The change saves at once.
The field lists the enabled values of its dimension. A disabled value stays shown on the lines that have it.
The field cannot create a value. Create values on the Analytics dimensions page, or let an OPEX or CAPEX CSV import create them.
A value applies to the whole line, across all years.
If the dimensions cannot be loaded, one line replaces these fields: "Dimensions could not be loaded."

The OPEX and CAPEX lists have one column per enabled dimension, hidden by default, with checkbox filters. See OPEX and CAPEX.

Reports¶

The Analytics dimensions report (under Reporting) shows how the budget of your OPEX or CAPEX lines is spread across the values of one dimension. See Reporting for the full description.

Item type: OPEX or CAPEX
Dimension: the dimension the report groups on. It shows when you have two or more enabled dimensions, and starts on the default dimension
Year range: single year (pie or bar chart) or several years (line chart)
Metric: any budget column your organization shows, under its name. Starts on the default column
Exclude values: leave out some values to focus on the others

The seven budget reports can also be narrowed to one value of a dimension, with one filter per dimension. See Cost center, run or build and analytics filters.

Analytics dimensions in Plaid¶

Plaid can filter and group OPEX and CAPEX lines on every enabled dimension.
A question about the analytics category uses the default dimension, whatever its name or order.
Plaid can change a line's value on the default dimension only. Set the other dimensions in the app or with a CSV file.

CSV import/export¶

Load or update the values of every dimension from one file. Dimensions are created on the page.

To set values on budget lines from a file, use the OPEX and CAPEX budget files. In those files, one analytics:<code> column holds each dimension, the default dimension included. See Load a budget from a spreadsheet.

Export: click Export CSV, then Export data. The file lists the values of every dimension, enabled or disabled, dimension by dimension. For an empty file with the headers only, use Download template in the import dialog.

CSV structure:

Headers: axis_code, name, description, status, disabled_at
The export writes the separator of the screen language. See CSV files for the encoding, the separator, the date forms and the two import steps

Column	Content
`axis_code`	The code of the value's dimension, regardless of case. Empty means the default dimension
`name`	Required. The name of the value
`description`	Free text
`status`	`enabled` or `disabled`. Empty means `enabled` for a new value and keeps the stored status on an update
`disabled_at`	The end of validity: a date (`2026-12-31`) or a full date and time. Empty if there is no end. On an update, a blank `status` and a blank `disabled_at` keep the stored values. `enabled` with an empty date clears the end of validity. `disabled` with an empty date keeps a date that has already passed, and otherwise ends the value today

Only name is a required column. When the description, status or disabled_at column is missing, existing values keep what is stored for it, and new values are enabled with no description. A file without axis_code puts every row in the default dimension.

Import:

Click Import CSV on the page
Choose your file
Click Preflight check. The report gives the number of rows, the values to create and update, and the rows that change nothing
If the preflight is clean, click Load

How the import works:

The whole file is checked before anything is written. A file with any error loads nothing: fix the rows and run the preflight again. Each error names its row by the line of the file as a text editor shows it, blank lines and cells that span several lines included.
Matching by dimension and name: a row whose name exists in its dimension updates that value; any other row creates one. Each cell replaces the stored value, so an empty description clears it. A name written with another case finds the stored value and does not rename it. To rename a value, rename it on the page.
Unchanged rows: a row identical to the stored value changes nothing. Exporting and importing the same file reports every row as unchanged.
Disabled dimensions: a row of a disabled dimension is accepted when it changes nothing, so an exported file imports as it is. A row that would create or change a value there is refused.
Values missing from the file are left as they are. The import never deletes.

Common errors:

"Unknown dimension '...'.": the axis_code cell matches no dimension. Check the code in the dimension's workspace, or create the dimension first.
"The ... dimension is disabled. Enable it or leave it out.": a row creates or changes a value in a disabled dimension. Enable the dimension, or remove the row.
"... is already on row N.": two rows carry the same name for the same dimension. Keep one.
"Invalid status '...'. Use 'enabled' or 'disabled'.": fix the status cell.
"Status is enabled but the end of validity has passed. Clear the date or set the status to disabled. If the file comes from an older export, export the data again.": the row is enabled with a date that has passed. A file exported before the date passed still says enabled: export it again, or fix the cell.
"Status is disabled but the end of validity is still to come. Set the status to enabled or set a date that has passed.": the row is disabled with a date still to come. Fix the status or the disabled_at cell.
"Header mismatch": download a fresh template.

Permissions¶

Level	What it allows
`analytics:reader`	View the Analytics dimensions page and open dimensions and values
`analytics:member`	Create dimensions and values, and edit them
`analytics:admin`	Everything above, plus CSV import and export, and deletion

The built-in Budget Administrator role is admin, Budget Member is member and Budget Reader is reader. Anyone who can read OPEX, CAPEX or reporting sees the dimensions and their values on budget lines, in the lists and in the reports, without access to this page.

Tips¶

Keep it simple: a few dimensions with 5 to 10 broad values each usually reveal more than dozens of detailed values.
One question per dimension: each dimension should answer one question about the spend, such as "what kind of spend is it?" or "which program does it serve?".
Document with descriptions: a short description goes a long way toward consistent use across teams.
Leave gaps when you have to: "Unassigned" is a valid state. Avoid vague catch-all values just to fill the gap.
Disable, do not delete: retiring a value keeps reports accurate.
Use reports to refine: run the Analytics dimensions report from time to time. If a value captures too much or too little spend, split or merge it.

Frequently asked questions¶

Can a line have several analytics values? Yes, one per dimension. A line can be Licenses on Nature and Workplace on Program. Within one dimension, a line has one value or none.

Do analytics dimensions affect allocations or accounting? No. They are for reporting only and have no impact on cost allocations or formal accounting.

How many values should I create? Start with 5 to 10 per dimension. More than 20 usually means the dimension tries to answer too many questions: split it into two dimensions.

What is the difference between analytics dimensions, departments and cost centers? Departments are formal organizational units with precise allocation drivers. Cost centers say who owns and answers for the spend. Analytics dimensions are free, optional classifications for reporting, with no allocation or ownership attached.

Why do some lines show "Unassigned"? In the Analytics dimensions report, lines without a value on the chosen dimension appear as "Unassigned". This is expected: values are optional.

What happens to the lines when I rename a value or a dimension? Nothing changes on the lines. Lists and reports show the new name at once.