Read 1st: User-defined dimension essentials

This topic covers the essentials for successfully creating user-defined dimensions:

  • Requirements that must be satisfied before you begin creating user-defined dimensions (UDDs).
  • Recommended workflow for creating user-defined dimensions.
  • Practical examples of user-defined dimensions.
Additional fees might apply for some dimensions, including user-defined dimensions. Contact your account representative for more information.

When working with customizations, avoid user-defined dimensions containing the following words in their names: restriction, event, events, and log. Using these key words can result in integration issues.

Requirements for user-defined dimensions

  1. Your company needs to be platform-enabled and you must have the correct permissions for Platform Services and General Ledger. For more information, contact your account representative.
  2. Verify, or assign, permissions for your user role. For instructions, see View permissions for a user and Assign a role to a user.
  3. Create a custom application in which to deploy the dimension. The recommended best practice is to name the application User-defined dimensions. For instructions, see Create an application.
It’s recommended that you create user-defined dimensions from General Ledger. However, you’re also able to create them from Platform Services.

About custom applications

  • You can create a custom application at any time.
  • You can deploy the application so that it appears on the application menu. If you choose not to deploy the application, the dimensions you create will still appear on the Reports page under Dimensions.
If you create your custom application in a development environment, wait to enable any user-defined dimensions for that application until you import the application to your production environment; otherwise the application will fail to export.

User-defined dimension workflow

Creating a user-defined dimension comprises the following tasks:

  1. Satisfy the requirements for user-defined dimensions.
  2. Create and deploy a dimension.
  3. Add values to the dimension.
  4. Make the dimension available to users.

After you've created a user-defined dimension and made it publicly available, you can perform the following tasks at any time:

You can use user-defined dimensions in the same way as a standard dimension. For more information, see Types of dimensions.

User-defined dimension examples

The following are a couple of example workflows for two different user-defined dimensions.

Line of Business dimension

If your company has a line of business and you sell directly, through partners, or through a value-added reseller.

  1. Create a custom application named User-defined dimensions.
  2. Create a user-defined dimension called Line of Business and deploy it to the User-defined dimensions custom application.
  3. Add values for Direct Customers, Channel Partner, and OEM.
  4. Tag your transactions using your Line of Business dimension and track and report on the business lines by each type of sale.

Aircraft dimension

  1. Create a custom application named User-defined dimensions.
  2. Create a user-defined dimension called Aircraft and deploy it to the User-defined dimensions custom application.
  3. Add values to the dimension, such as helicopter, airplane, and glider.
  4. Tag your transactions using the Aircraft dimension and track and report on each type of aircraft.