"groove_sf" <dockv@hot-NOSPAM-mail.com> wrote in message
news:cfpu70dvqh0s8c2p1etalnjdrvos9et1mf@4ax.com...
> Hi - I've got a dimensional modelling question that's got me stuck.
>
> I have a "Student" entity and a "Student Transaction" entity.
>
> The Student Transaction table will be a fact table -- that's easy.
>
> And the Student will be a dimension of the Student Transaction table.
>
> HOWEVER, the Student dimension is HUGE and has a lot of sub-dimensions
> of its own -- things like State, Country, etc. It's basically what
> Kimball calls a rapidly changing monster dimension! :)
>
> First - isn't this snowflaking, and is that bad? Should the Student
> be another fact? But then how do I relate the Student to the Student
> Transaction if they're both facts.
>
> Also, the student has attributes like test scores and GPA that seem
> like measures -- but a dimension can't have a measure. So how could I
> get average test scores and gpa, etc...
>
> The other thing I was thinking of doing was treating the Student as
> both a dimension AND a fact! Basically create 2 cubes:
>
> Student Transaction cube, which has Student table as a dimension
> Student cube, which actually uses the same Student table, but as a
> fact.
>
> This seems to work, but it seems awfully weird to use the same
> physical table as both a fact and a dimension.... even if it is in
> different cubes....
>
> IF anyone has insight, i would appreciate it very much!
>
> thanks
>