Dimension FAQs

Related information

Related topics

• Why dimensions are important
• Understand dimension relationships
• Types of dimensions
• Video: Dimensions - What are they and how do they work?

After you implement the standard dimensions and create any new dimensions, Sage Intacct distributes your dimensions everywhere that you want to access them:

• Transactions: On the transaction entry pages, you can select the dimensions that you want to propagate to the general ledger. By selecting dimensions in transactions, such as bills or invoices, you organize operational and financial information to be sliced and diced any way that you need to gain insight into your business.
• Reports: Dimensions are a core component of reporting. They allow you to track performance instantly by different business drivers as your strategies and operations change. By using dimensions in reporting, you can create almost limitless ways of viewing your information and capturing key metrics.

When you deactivate a dimension value, it does not appear in your dropdown lists. This helps prevent the creation of new transactions using that dimension value.

The dimension value still exists within Intacct. Deactivating a dimension value does not affect your financial reporting; the dimension value still rolls up to the top level of the hierarchy at the time the report is run.

For example, you deactivate a location dimension: 

• Your California location dimension has Northern California and Southern California child dimensions.

• Your Southern California location closes in June, so you deactivate the dimension value.

At the end of the year, you need to run reports that include information for the Southern California location. You cannot run a report on Southern California because it’s deactivated, but you can run a report on California for the year. Intacct automatically rolls up all transactions including the Southern California location and displays in your California report.

You can update your user preferences to view inactive dimensions when filtering reports. In the General preferences section, under Report filters, select Show all values.

Some dimensions include an extra status option: Active non-posting.

If a dimension member has the Active non-posting status, that dimension can no longer be used for transactions. It no longer appears in the transaction selection dropdown lists. Setting this status prevents anyone from posting a transaction entry to that dimension.

The Active, non-posting status is similar to the Inactive status, but you can easily select the dimension for reporting.

The following dimensions can be set to Active non-posting:

• Department
• Location
• Class
• Customer
• Vendor
• Project (if subscribed)

For example, you have a parent department named Management that has child departments that represent cost centers: Accounting, HR, Executives, and IT.

• Transactions are recorded into the correct cost center area.

• For reporting purposes you want to roll these other departments up to the Management department, showing a combined management cost centers amount.

• You want each department value to be part of the Management department, but you do not want anyone posting directly to the Management department.

Set the Management department to Active, non-posting, and add the other departments as children.

In some situations, dimension use is limited to specific dimensions, as listed below.