BPC. Change Dimensions

Question

Hello BPC Experts,
We are trying to rebuilt an application set, so we are going to change some of its applications.
The idea that we have is to select some properties of several dimensions and make new dimensions with them.
These are the questions we are facing:
     - Which are the main implications of this process?
     - Shall we do it in some order? Any steps we should never forget?
     - When we are adding new dimensions, we should do one process for each dimension we create, or we can do the process of the dimension at the end?
     - Do yo know any precaution measures we should take (I mean, copying the database, with what frequency)?
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

The only key precaution to take is, do this in a development environment, not your production appset.
Secondly, consider making a copy of the original application, and working on the copy -- within the same appset. Depending on how you plan to restructure the dimensionality, you may want to build an empty shell (with no data), map things in a specific way into the new dimensions, and then pump data from the old app to the new app using some *transfer_app logic.
If you take this route, you may also need to create new dimensions for the "old" ones that you plan to slim down. For example, if you have a dimension "KitchenSink" in the existing app, and you want to split it into KitchenSink, Cups, and Plates when you're done -- you may have problems in slimming down KitchenSink, since it'll also mess everything up in the existing app, as soon as you do it. Instead, use three entirely new dimensions Cups, Plates, and NewKitchenSink. Then you can adjust the new stuff without messing up the old stuff, and it helps to keep things straight in your mind -- and in the data -- as you progress through the reorganization.
The main implication of changing an application's dimensionality is that everything else will need to be updated to reflect the newly-added dimensions: reports, input schedules, data management routines, logic, security, etc.
There's a good chance you'll forget something, which you'll only remember when you see that it isn't working. Be prepared in the worst case to just start over, and think through the data migration carefully -- including how you'll port over all these changes to your production environment, once it's been fully tested in Dev.
I can't really be more helpful than that, since there are so many ways that BPC can be customized, and it's all built around the data model & thus the dimensionality. Plan on revising (or at least inspecting) everything.