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Instructions

1. Core Standards​

  1. Naming Convention: Use snake_case for all dimension names.
    • Boolean: Prefix with is_ or has_ (e.g., is_active, has_churned).
    • Dates: Avoid "date" or "time" suffix (e.g., created, NOT created_date).
    • Logical: Rename cryptic database columns to human-readable names (e.g., product_n -> product_name).
  2. Required Parameters:
    • sql: 100% Coverage. Every dimension MUST have a sql parameter.
      • Use ${TABLE}.col_name to refer to the view's table.
      • Use ${field_name} to reference other fields (inheritance).
    • description: 100% Coverage. Every dimension MUST have a description.
    • type: defaults to string. Common: number, string, yesno, tier, distance, location.
  3. Primary Keys:
    • primary_key: yes on the unique identifier for the view.
    • Must be placed in group_label: "IDs".
    • Must be truly unique (verified by test).
  4. Visibility:
    • Use hidden: yes for fields that should not be visible in the Explore (e.g., raw IDs, intermediate calculations).

2. Advanced Features​

  • group_label: Group related fields in the field picker.
  • drill_fields: List of fields to show when drilling into this dimension.
  • link: Create external links (e.g., Google, Salesforce) or internal links.
  • html: formatting using Liquid (e.g., color coding).

Examples

Basic Dimensions​

dimension: order_id {
  primary_key: yes
  type: number
  sql: ${TABLE}.id ;;
  group_label: "IDs"
  description: "Unique identifier for the order."
}

dimension: status {
  type: string
  sql: ${TABLE}.status ;;
  description: "Current status of the order (e.g., pending, complete)."
}

dimension: is_active {
  type: yesno
  sql: ${TABLE}.is_active ;;
  description: "Indicates if the user account is currently active."
}

Advanced Dimension (HTML & Links)​

dimension: website {
  type: string
  sql: ${TABLE}.website ;;
  description: "Customer website URL."

  html: <a href="{{ value }}" target="_blank">{{ value }}</a> ;;

  link: {
    label: "Google Search"
    url: "http://www.google.com/search?q={{ value }}"
    icon_url: "http://google.com/favicon.ico"
  }
}

Tier Dimension​

dimension: age_tier {
  type: tier
  tiers: [0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80]
  style: integer
  sql: ${age} ;;
  description: "Age groups in 10-year increments."
}