Item data types
Every dimension item has a data type. It decides what a cell stores, how it is entered and drawn, and whether it adds up. Set it in the item editor, or with dataType on the item tools. Where items of two dimensions cross, the cube's primary dimension decides the cell's type.
Rolling up. A Number, Stars or Progress item rolls up by its aggregation rule. Give a rating or a percent-complete the rule average: the default, sum, adds five people's 4-star ratings into 20. For a team figure over people, prefer a formula row such as SetAverage("E*") to a hierarchy — a hierarchy is for things whose total is the sum of their parts.
| Type | Use it for | What a cell stores | Rolls up by its rule | Formula / roll-up cell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Number (number) |
Amounts, counts, prices, ratios — anything you add up or calculate with. | A number. Format it with formatString ("#,##0", "$#,##0.00", "0.0%" — store ratios as 0.123, not 12.3). | Yes | Shows the computed value |
Text (text) |
Free text per cell — comments, notes, names, justifications (e.g. a manager's appraisal comment). | A text string. It has no numeric value, so it never adds up into totals. | No | Shows the computed value |
Date (date) |
A calendar date per cell — a hire date, a review date, a deadline. | Stored as milliseconds since 1970-01-01 UTC. Write it as an ISO date string "YYYY-MM-DD"; formatString picks the display ("YYYY-MM-DD", "DD/MM/YYYY", "MM/DD/YYYY"). | No | Blank |
Boolean (boolean) |
A yes/no flag — done, approved, eligible. Clicking the cell toggles it. | 1 = Yes, 0 = No (shown blank). | No | Blank |
Dimension (dimension) |
Pick one item of another dimension per cell — an owner, a grade, a category. | The localUid of an item in the linked dimension; the cell shows that item's name. Needs lookupDimensionId — the dimension to pick from. | No | Blank |
Heading (heading) |
A section divider row or column. Holds no value. | Nothing — writes and formulas are not allowed. | No | Shows the computed value |
Stars (stars) |
A rating from 1 to 5 stars — performance, quality, satisfaction, priority. | A number from 0 to 5 in steps of 0.5 (3.5 = three and a half stars); 0 means not rated. Clicking cycles whole stars. Averages draw to the nearest half star. | Yes — use average | Drawn as the type |
Progress (progress) |
Percent complete as a bar — project completion, target attainment. | Percentage POINTS from 0 to 100 (75 = 75%) — not a 0–1 ratio, unlike the "0%" number format. | Yes — use average | Drawn as the type |
Dropdown (dropdown) |
One choice from a fixed list per cell — a stage, a category, a priority. For a red / amber / green status use "rag" instead. | The 1-based position of the choice in the list (1 = first choice); 0 means none. Needs formatString — pipe-separated choices, each optionally "Label:color" ("Active:green|On Hold:yellow|Cancelled:red"). | Yes — use none | Blank |
RAG Status (rag) |
A red / amber / green traffic light — project health, risk, on-track status. | 1 = Red, 2 = Amber, 3 = Green; 0 means not set. Clicking cycles the states. | No | Drawn as the type |
Sparkline (sparkline) |
A small inline trend line drawn from the row's values across a time dimension. | Nothing — it is drawn from the other items of its (time) dimension. Only offered on time dimensions. | No | Blank |