SAS OLAP Cube Size Specifications

Overview

When you are creating SAS OLAP cubes, there are some size specifications for the various components of the cube.

Defining the Number of Dimensions for a Cube

The maximum number of dimensions that can be defined in a cube is determined by combining the number of dimensions with the number of multiple hierarchies. The maximum value of that sum is 128. Mathematically, the sum is expressed as follows:

MaxDims = NumDims + NumMultipleHeirarchies = 128

All hierarchies other than the first hierarchy in each dimension apply to the total. The following are some examples of cubes that meet the maximum number of dimensions:

128 dimensions, each dimension has 1 hierarchy
127 dimensions, 1 dimension has 2 hierarchies
126 dimensions, 1 dimension has 3 hierarchies
126 dimensions, 2 dimensions have 2 hierarchies

Defining the Number of Hierarchies for a Cube

When specifying hierarchies, you must define at least one hierarchy for each dimension. The maximum number of hierarchies that can be defined in a cube is determined by combining the number of multiple hierarchies with the number of dimensions. The maximum value of that sum is 128. Mathematically, the sum is expressed as follows:

MaxHeirs = NumMultHiers + NumDimensions = 128

Specifically, each DIMENSION statement must identify at least one unique HIERARCHY statement. The maximum number of hierarchies that can be defined in a dimension is determined only by the maximum number of hierarchies that can be defined in a cube. All hierarchies other than the first hierarchy in each dimension apply to the total. Levels in the same dimension can be shared between hierarchies.

Defining the Number of Levels, Measures, Members, and Properties

The following are maximum values for the specified cube element:

Levels

The maximum number of levels for a cube is 256. There can be up to 19 levels per hierarchy.

Measures

The maximum number of measures per cube is 1024.

Members

The maximum number of members is 2^32 members per hierarchy.

Properties

The maximum number of properties per level is 256.