Types of Elements

So far, you've learned about simple or base-level elements that you can roll up to consolidations. TM1 supports three types of elements.

Element	Description
Numeric	Identify the lowest-level detail in a dimension. In a cube that contains only numbers, TM1 defines all the lowest-level elements as numeric.
Consolidated	Aggregations of lower-level detail. For example, you could use the 1Quarter element in a time dimension to sum the sales amounts for the first three months of the year.
String	Stores text strings in cells. To include a string in a cell in a cube, the element from the last dimension defining the cell must be a string element. TM1 treats string elements that occur in any dimension other than the last one as numeric elements. The typical use for string elements is in a two-dimensional cube that converts codes in an input file to formal element names. For example, if you want to convert account codes to account names.

Element

Description

Numeric

Identify the lowest-level detail in a dimension. In a cube that contains only numbers, TM1 defines all the lowest-level elements as numeric.

Consolidated

Aggregations of lower-level detail. For example, you could use the 1Quarter element in a time dimension to sum the sales amounts for the first three months of the year.

String

Stores text strings in cells. To include a string in a cell in a cube, the element from the last dimension defining the cell must be a string element. TM1 treats string elements that occur in any dimension other than the last one as numeric elements.

The typical use for string elements is in a two-dimensional cube that converts codes in an input file to formal element names. For example, if you want to convert account codes to account names.