# Working with dimensions

Cubes essentially consist of dimensions and measures.

Within a cube:

- Dimensions are the categories on the axes, rows, and columns
- Measures are the values displayed in the cells

To access the rows and columns settings in an empty cube, you can choose from the following:

- Add Dimension
- Properties
- Column Settings

## Working with dimensions

When you choose Add Dimension, you can select a variable. This variable is the characteristic in the data you wish to explore. Different types of variable allow different settings.

A variable that represents a single or multi-choice answer allows you to set a Category Display, narrowing down the number of categories shown. You can then choose to return a top or bottom set of categories by population, or amend the dimension title to be more descriptive.

A variable that represents a date needs to be banded. For example, you can group by the Year of Booking.

You need to provide your own bands to display a dimension that is a number, such as Cost of Booking.

### Editing dimensions

Once your dimensions have been specified, they are shown via the top left cube display. From here you can switch, edit, or delete the dimensions.

### Applying filters

You can apply filters to your dimension to further refine the data for more precise analysis.

To apply a filter:

1. Toggle **Apply Filters**.
2. Click **\+ Add Filter**.
3. Select the variable you want to filter by.
4. Click **Apply**.

### Viewing codes and descriptions

You can use the View menu to display the codes of a variable, its descriptions, or both.