Dimensions can be aliased for the sake of more understandable reporting

Description

Aliasing dimensions in Corporate Performance Management (CPM) software indicates the capability to rename data fields and metrics using terms that are easier to comprehend by end-users. This functionality turns complex dimension names into more straightforward, meaningful, and business-specific terminologies.

Example Use Case

Scenario: A leading global organization is using CPM software to manage and monitor their performance metrics. The CPM software uses complex dimension names like SKU6485 to describe a specific product and QTR328 for quarterly sales data. This naming convention is seen difficult to decipher by the end-users.

Solution: With the use of aliasing dimensions in CPM software, the cryptic dimension names can be translated. For instance, SKU6485 can be renamed to “4 Ton Forklift” and QTR328 can be replaced with 2028 Q3 Sales Revenue. This simple alteration can significantly improve the understandability of their reports and provide insights in a more user-friendly manner.

Considerations

Beyond dates and products like in the example above, this can be useful for renaming accounts to something understandable for your department heads. Or you can apply it to dimensions as a whole. What if you named your SKU dimension “Item” but in reality, “Products” would make more sense?

Some products will offer aliasing in a one-size-fits-all format, meaning that a specific value can only be aliased once. This is usually adequate, but may not be in certain circumstances (like multi-lingual). If this matters to you, make sure to ask.

Most systems on the market do not support aliasing. It is an incredibly helpful feature for presentations, and we expect it to be more widely available over time.

Questions to Ask a Vendor

• Customization Capabilities: How simple it is to alias dimensions in your software? Is this something that can be handled by end-users or does it require professional tech support?
• Alias Flexibility: Can we change the aliases per report, or are we only able to change it in a centralized location one time?
• Changing Aliases: If I change the alias, will all reports that refer to it change as well?