What kind of data does a dimension table hold?

• A. Measurable numeric metrics stored for analysis.
• B. Facts describing events without any attributes.
• C. Descriptive attributes used to constrain or categorize facts.
• D. Only the keys that uniquely identify dimension rows.

Answer: (C)

In dimensional modeling, the data in a dimension table are descriptive attributes that provide context for the measurements you analyze in the fact tables. These attributes let you constrain, filter, group, and label data during analysis.

Think of common dimensions like Product, Time, Geography, and Customer. A Product dimension might include product_name, category, subcategory, brand, color, and size. A Time dimension could have year, quarter, month, and day. Geography could store country, state, and city. The key that links to the fact table identifies the specific dimension record, but the useful content of the dimension is the descriptive attributes that describe and categorize the facts.

The alternative options describe measurable metrics or only keys, which aren’t what dimension tables primarily store. Measurable metrics belong in fact tables, and a dimension table provides more than just keys by offering the contextual attributes used for analysis.