Dimensioner: Fields, Columns, and Data Structure

This document describes the requirements for file structure and content when importing financial dimensions into Acubiz.

Note: The import file for Acubiz must be provided as a semicolon-separated file (CSV) without header lines. The file must contain only raw data lines.

1. Field Definitions

Data fields are divided into mandatory fields (always required to identify and validate data) and optional fields (used for extended functionality and access control).

Mandatory Fields (Required)

• Dimension Level: Defines which level the value belongs to (e.g., Dim1 for Department, Dim2 for Project).

• Dimension Relation / Dependency: Indicates the value’s relation or dependency on another dimension level.

• ID (Unique Key): The unique key for the specific dimension. The ID must never be changed after creation and must be unique across all dimensions and levels. The system uses this ID to determine whether a record should be created or updated.

• Description: The visual name presented to the user in the interface (e.g., "Sales Project – 12001").

• Posting Value: The specific value exported to the ERP system during integration.

• Active (Status): Indicates whether the dimension value is active in the system (1 = Active, 0 = Inactive).

Optional Fields (Optional)

• Approver (User ID): ID of the specific user assigned as the approver for the given dimension value.

• Dimension Access Control (User ID): IDs of the users who have exclusive access to the value. If the field is left empty, all users have access. If access should be limited to multiple specific users, their IDs must be separated by an asterisk (*).

2. Structure Types and File Examples

Depending on your configuration, dimensions can be set up with or without interdependencies.

Type A: Dimension Levels without Dependency

Values at different levels are independent of each other. Here, the relation maps directly to its own level (e.g., Dim1 to Dim1).

• Dim1: Department level

• Dim2: Project level

Example of file content:

Dim1;Dim1;100;Sales Department - 100;100;1
Dim1;Dim1;120;Finance Department - 120;120;1
Dim1;Dim1;130;Marketing Department - 130;130;1
Dim2;Dim2;5001;Sales Project - 5001;5001;1
Dim2;Dim2;5002;Finance Project - 5002;5002;1
Dim2;Dim2;5003;Marketing Project - 5003;5003;1

Type B: Dimension Levels with Dependency

Structure with two levels where there is a relation between the levels. This ensures that a user can only select projects linked to the chosen department.

• Dim1: Department level

• Dim2: Project level (dependent on a specific Dim1 ID)

Example: If the user selects "Sales Department - 100," only "Sales Project - 5001" will be available at the project level.

Example of file content:

Dim1;Dim1;100;Sales Department - 100;100;1
Dim1;Dim1;120;Finance Department - 120;120;1
Dim1;Dim1;130;Marketing Department - 130;130;1
Dim2;100;5001;Sales Project - 5001;5001;1
Dim2;120;5002;Finance Project - 5002;5002;1
Dim2;130;5003;Marketing Project - 5003;5003;1

Type C: Dimensions with Extended Information (Approver & Access Control)

Here, the six mandatory columns are extended with data for approval flow and access restriction.

Case/Business Logic:

• Anita Letterback (ID: AL): Must approve for department 100 (Sales Department). She should be the only one with access to project 5001 (Sales Project), and she shares access to project 5003 (Marketing Project) with Simon Black.

• Simon Black (ID: SB): Should be the only one with access to project 5002 (Finance Project) and shares access to project 5003 with Anita.

Example of file content:

Dim1;Dim1;100;Sales Department - 100;100;1;AL;
Dim1;Dim1;120;Finance Department - 120;120;1;;
Dim1;Dim1;130;Marketing Department - 130;130;1;;
Dim2;Dim2;5001;Sales Project - 5001;5001;1;;AL
Dim2;Dim2;5002;Finance Project - 5002;5002;1;;SB
Dim2;Dim2;5003;Marketing Project - 5003;5003;1;;AL*SB

3. Synchronization and Lifecycle (Delta Handling)

Acubiz uses a Full Snapshot method to manage the lifecycle of dimensions based on the provided file. This means the file must always contain the full list of active dimensions. The system automatically compares the file content with the existing data in Acubiz and performs actions based on the following logic:

4. Technical Restrictions and Validation

Illegal Characters and Special Characters

The following characters must not be included in data fields:

• Field separator (semicolon ;)

• &, <, >, +, TAB and other special characters such as *, #, %, ” (except asterisk * as a separator in the access control field).

Consequence of errors: Although the system can handle and filter illegal characters in some cases, this will cause the record to be assigned a new edit date with each import. This forces the system to mark the value as "new," resulting in unnecessary synchronization and reduced performance in applications at user login. Therefore, data must be cleaned of special characters before submission.

Note regarding configuration: Depending on your specific ERP setup and business rules, there may be additional fields that are mandatory. A final clarification of the data structure will be made in collaboration with your integration consultant.