Reporting on facts relative to a specified dimensional coordinate constraint

1. A method of processing a request including a specification of a dimension coordinate constraint and a specification of a particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint, to a dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the method comprising:

receiving the specification of the dimension coordinate constraint and the specification of the particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint;

processing an indication of a fact reporting mode, the fact reporting mode being selectable by a user designation;

generating at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection; and

processing a result of providing the at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection,

wherein the processed result includes an indication of every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint, and

wherein the processed result further includes:

fettered facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the fettered facts being specified by the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint, and

in response to the indication of the fact reporting mode indicating an unfettered mode, automatically including unfettered facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the unfettered facts being specified by at least one other dimension coordinate that does not satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint, wherein each of the at least one other dimension coordinate has a value at the associated grain that is the same as the value at the associated grain of one of the every dimension coordinate that does satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint; and

returning the processed result in response to the request;

the unfettered facts providing an additional type of selectable information for the returned processed result that is not strictly bound by the dimension coordinate constraint to account for a situation in which at least one value at a selected grain level is related to more than one dimension coordinate at another grain level over a time period of interest.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

for each of the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint, the at least one other dimension coordinate includes all dimension coordinates not satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint and having the value, at the associated grain, of that dimension coordinate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein returning the processed result comprises:

reporting the processed result.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving the indication of the fact reporting mode via a user interface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the step of generating a query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection is such that the result of providing the query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection includes facts that are specified by the at least one other dimension coordinate.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint;

determining the at least one other dimension coordinate based on the determined every dimension coordinate; and

determining the facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection that are specified by the determined every dimension coordinate and by the determined at least one other dimension coordinate.

7. A method of processing a request including a specification of a dimension coordinate constraint and a specification of a particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint, to a dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the method comprising:

receiving the specification of the dimension coordinate constraint and the specification of the particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint;

processing an indication of a fact reporting mode selectable by a user designation, wherein the fact reporting mode is one of a fettered mode and an unfettered mode;

generating at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection;

processing a result of providing the at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection, and

processing the indicated fact reporting mode;

wherein the processed result includes:

an indication of every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint and having a particular value at the associated grain; and

if the result of processing the indicated fact reporting mode is that the indicated fact reporting mode is a fettered mode or an unfettered mode, facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection specified by the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint;

if the result of processing the indicated fact reporting mode is that the indicated fact reporting mode is an unfettered mode, automatically including facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection for at least one other dimension coordinate that does not satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint, wherein each of the at least one other dimension coordinate has a value at the associated grain that is the same as the value at the associated grain of one of the every dimension coordinates that does satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint; and

returning the processed result in response to the request;

the unfettered facts providing an additional type of selectable information for the returned processed result that is not strictly bound by the dimension coordinate constraint to account for a situation in which at least one value at a selected grain level is related to more than one dimension coordinate at another grain level over a time period of interest.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein:

the at least one other dimension coordinate includes, for each of the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint, all dimension coordinates not satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint and having the value, at the associated grain, of that dimension coordinate.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein:

the step of processing the indicated fact reporting mode includes receiving the indicated fact reporting mode via a user interface.

10. A computer program product for processing a request providing a specification of a dimension coordinate constraint and a specification of a particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint, to a dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions stored therein which are configured to cause at least one computing device to:

execute the computer program instructions to receive the specification of the dimension coordinate constraint and the specification of the particular associated grain for the dimension coordinate constraint;

execute the computer program instructions to process an indication of a fact reporting mode the fact reporting mode being selectable by a user designation;

execute the computer program instructions to generate at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection; and

execute the computer program instructions to process a result of providing the at least one query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection,

wherein the processed result includes an indication of every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint and having a particular value at the associated grain, and

wherein the processed result in response to the indication of the fact reporting mode indicating an unfettered mode, further automatically includes unfettered facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection, the unfettered fact being specified by at least one other dimension coordinate that does not satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint, wherein each of the at least one other dimension coordinate has a value at the associated grain that is the same as the value at the associated grain of one of the every dimension coordinates that does satisfy the dimension coordinate constraint; and

returning the processed result in response to the request;

the unfettered facts providing an additional type of selectable information for the returned processed result that is not strictly bound by the dimension coordinate constraint to account for a situation in which at least one value at a selected grain level is related to more than one dimension coordinate at another grain level over a time period of interest.

11. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein:

for each of the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint, the at least one other dimension coordinate includes, all dimension coordinates not satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint and having the value, at the associated grain, of that dimension coordinate.

12. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to cause the at least one computing device to:

execute the computer program instructions to report the processed result.

13. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to cause the at least one computing device to:

execute the computer program instructions to receive the indication of the fact reporting mode via a user interface.

14. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein:

the computer program instructions operable to cause the at least one computing device to execute the computer program instructions to generate a query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection is such that the result of providing the query to the dimensionally-modeled fact collection includes facts that are specified by the at least one other dimension coordinate.

15. The computer program product of claim 10 , wherein the computer program instructions are further operable to cause the at least one computing device to:

execute the computer program instructions to cause the at least one computing device to determine the every dimension coordinate satisfying the dimension coordinate constraint;

execute the computer program instructions to determine the at least one other dimension coordinate based on the determined every dimension coordinate; and

execute the computer program instructions to determine the facts of the dimensionally-modeled fact collection that are specified by the determined every dimension coordinate and by the determined at least one other dimension coordinate.