# Dimensions Whether you create budgets or contribute values to them, it’s important to understand how dimensions work in Budgets & Forecasts. Dimensions control the structure of the budget and determine where your data sits and how it's analysed. ### Basic concepts Read the [Dimensions](https://docs.phocassoftware.com/basics/getting-started/dimensions) page for general information about dimensions, a core concept in Phocas. {% hint style="success" %} **Quick definitions** * **Dimension**: A field you can use to group and filter financial data (for example, Account, Branch, Category). * **Dimension entity**: An item within a dimension (for example, an account code or a category name). * **Dimension group**: A set of related dimensions. Each group contains a primary dimension and one or more sub-dimensions. {% endhint %} If you also use the Financial Statements module, your budgets and forecasts share the same account and dimension structure as your statements. Read the Financial Statements > [Overview of dimensions](/financial-statements/getting-started/overview-of-the-link-between-financial-statements-and-dimensions.md) page to learn how dimensions affect statement structure and account mapping. ### Dimensions in Budgets & Forecasts In Budgets & Forecasts, a **dimension** represents a level in the budget hierarchy. A **dimension entity** is a specific value within a dimension. For example, a common dimension is Country. Its dimension entities might be Australia, United Kingdom, and United States. The dimensions available in a budget or forecast come from the underlying database and are set when the [budget is created](/budgets-and-forecasts/owner-and-administrator/create-a-budget.md). If you're a budget creator, choosing the right dimensions upfront ensures contributors can enter data at the right level. When you enter budget or forecast values, you're always entering them against a combination of an account and one or more dimension entities. This determines how your values roll up and how they appear in analysis and financial statements. Dimensions are used in several [filtering methods](/budgets-and-forecasts/getting-started/overview-of-key-terms-and-concepts/filtering-methods.md). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.phocassoftware.com/budgets-and-forecasts/getting-started/overview-of-key-terms-and-concepts/dimensions.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.