Overview of dimensions

Learn how dimensions work in Financial Statements and how they affect statement structure and account mapping.

Before you start using Financial Statements, it helps to understand how dimensions work.

Dimensions in the underlying financial database control how accounts are grouped, mapped, and displayed in your statements.

Read the Dimensions page for general information about dimensions, a core concept in Phocas. The following information builds on that foundation, applying it to the Financial Statements module.

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.
• Account mapping dimension: The dimension that defines the statement structure. Also referred to as the statement dimension.
• Custom dimension: A new account mapping dimension created by Financial Statements for a specific statement.

Dimensions

In Financial Statements, dimensions still act as categories you use to group and analyze data. Here, they also link directly to how accounts are grouped in the statement.

The dimensions panel on the left of the statement grid shows the dimensions available in the underlying financial database. Some statements have additional dimensions that are not directly relevant to the current view. These are hidden by default to reduce clutter but remain available for analysis.

Click Show more to see all dimensions, and click Show less to hide them again. You can also click Hide dimensions at the bottom of the panel to see more of the statement grid.

The dimension panel in Financial Statements

See the Take a tour of Financial Statements > Financial Statements module page for an overview of the actions you can take with dimensions.

Dimension groups

In Financial Statements:

• You always have an account dimension group, in which Account is the primary dimension. This is the dimension to which the transactions are mapped.
• The first sub-dimension in the account dimension group is the account mapping dimension that defines the structure of the statement. This is usually the default dimension (such as Category or Classification), or it can be a custom dimension, depending on the statement setup.
• Depending on your database setup, you might have other dimension groups. For example, if Branch is a primary dimension, its sub-dimensions might include Region, Country, Company, and Branch Manager. These are usually managed by your Phocas administrator in the underlying database in Designer.
• If you have permission to manage custom statements, you can also manage the groups (sub-dimensions) for use in Financial Statements. This includes adding new ways of grouping the entities in a dimension. Each group is a sub-dimension in the main dimension group, giving you more ways to analyze your financial data.

Examples of dimension groups in the dimension panel

Account mapping dimension

The account mapping dimension is unique to Financial Statements. It is also called the statement dimension. In a previous version of Financial Statements, it was called the top-level dimension.

This dimension sits under Account and defines the statement structure. It determines which group each account belongs to.

Where you see it

You can identify the account mapping dimension in two places:

• In Manage statements, below the statement name in the statement editing area.
• In the statement view, as the first sub-dimension under Account in the dimension panel and the top-level dimension in the statement.

Account mapping dimension in Manage statements screen

Account mapping dimension in statement view

Where it comes from

You choose the account mapping dimension when you add the financial statement. You can:

• Create a new mapping dimension (custom)
• Select an existing mapping dimension from the list, such as the default Category or Classification dimension (recommended)

Choosing an existing dimension saves setup time and reuses an existing mapping. Creating a new dimension gives the statement its own mapping.

Account mapping options when adding a new statement

There are four types of dimensions you can use as the account mapping dimension:

Dimension type	Where you manage the account mapping	Used across multiple statements?	In database design?
Statement-created (new, custom)	Manage statements > Map accounts	No	No
Default	Manage statements or Designer	Yes	Yes
Groups-created	Groups feature	Yes	Yes
Original or Designer-created	Designer	Yes	Yes

1. Statement-created (custom) dimension

If you choose to create a new mapping, Phocas creates a custom dimension for that statement only.

• By default, it takes the same name as the statement, but you can edit its name later.
• It exists in the database but stays hidden in Designer.
• You manage its account mapping in Manage statements > Map accounts.

Creating a new account mapping (dimension)

2. Default dimension

These default dimensions appear in the existing mapping list when you add a statement:

• Category for Profit and Loss and Balance Sheet statements.
• Classification for Cash Flow statements.

There is no default dimension for Trial Balance statements.

This dimension already exists in the financial database; it's visible in Designer.

Default dimension in Designer

You manage its account mapping in Manage statements > Map accounts (recommended) or Designer. Any changes affect every statement that uses that dimension.

3. Groups-created dimension

This dimension was created using the Groups feature. It appears in the existing mapping list when you add a statement.

It's visible in Designer, but you manage its account mapping in Groups. Any changes affect every statement that uses that dimension.

Groups-created dimension

4. Original or Designer-created dimension

This dimension either comes from your ERP during database setup or was created later in Designer. It appears in the existing mapping list when you add a statement.

You manage its account mapping in Designer. Any changes affect every statement that uses that dimension.

Designer-created dimension

Which dimension to use

Not sure which type of dimension to use when adding a new statement? Answering the following questions will help you make the best choice.

Do you want to map your accounts using the categorization from your ERP?

Yes → Use a Designer-created dimension

1. Stop what you are doing and go to Designer in the Administration module.
2. Create a custom dimension under Account, then save and build the database.
3. Return to adding the statement and select that new dimension from the list.

No → Create a new dimension and map the accounts yourself.

Do you have a long list of accounts?

Yes → Use a Groups-created dimension

1. Stop what you are doing and go to the Groups feature in Financial Statements.
2. Create account categorizations (new groups or sub-dimensions), then save your changes and rebuild the database.
3. Return to adding the statement and select that new dimension from the list.

No → Use the applicable default dimension.

Dimension entities

In Financial Statements, the dimension entities include accounts in the Account dimension and categories or classifications in the account mapping dimension.

When you click a dimension, you move into the Analytics module to view its entities in the grid. From here, you can analyze the data.

Clicking a dimension switches you from the statement to an Analytics grid view.

To return to the statement, click the Financial Statements Summary button above the dimension list.

Viewing dimension entities in the Analytics module