> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Dimensions reference

> Dimensions are the columns in your table. They are the "attributes" of your data. For example, `user_id` in your users table is a dimension.

Dimensions usually match 1:1 with columns in your dbt models (see [additional dimensions](#additional-dimensions) for counterexamples).

## Adding dimensions to your project

Read more about [adding dimensions to your project in our docs here](/get-started/develop-in-lightdash/how-to-create-dimensions).

For a dimension to appear in Lightdash, you just need to declare it in your dbt model's YAML file.

```yaml theme={null}
models:
  - name: my_model
    columns:
      - name: user_id # will be "User id" in LightDash
        description: "Unique identifier for a user."
```

## Dimension configuration

To customize the dimension, you can do it in your dbt model's YAML file under the `meta` tag. The syntax depends on your dbt version.

If you want to declare multiple dimensions based on the same column, check [additional dimensions](#additional-dimensions) section.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: sales_stats
        meta:
          group_details:
            finance:
              label: Finance
              description: Finance-related fields.
          joins:
            - join: web_sessions
              sql_on: ${web_sessions.date} = ${sales_stats.date}
        columns:
          - name: revenue_gbp_total_est
            description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
            meta:
              dimension:
                type: number
                label: 'Total revenue' # this is the label you'll see in Lightdash
                description: 'My custom description' # you can override the description you'll see in Lightdash here
                sql: 'IF(${TABLE}.revenue_gbp_total_est = NULL, 0, ${registered_user_email})' # custom SQL applied to the column from dbt used to define the dimension
                hidden: false
                format: '[$£]#,##0.00' # GBP rounded to two decimal points
                groups: ['finance']
          - name: forecast_date
            description: 'Date of the forecasting.'
            meta:
              dimension:
                type: date
                time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER'] # not required: the default time intervals for dates are `['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'YEAR']`
                urls:
                  - label: 'Open in forecasting tool'
                    url: 'https://finance.com/forceasts/weeks/${ value.raw }'
                  - label: Open in Google Calendar
                    url: 'https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/day/${ value.formatted |split: "-" |join: "/"}'
                required_attributes:
                  is_admin: 'true'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: sales_stats
        config:
          meta:
            group_details:
              finance:
                label: Finance
                description: Finance-related fields.
            joins:
              - join: web_sessions
                sql_on: ${web_sessions.date} = ${sales_stats.date}
        columns:
          - name: revenue_gbp_total_est
            description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  type: number
                  label: 'Total revenue' # this is the label you'll see in Lightdash
                  description: 'My custom description' # you can override the description you'll see in Lightdash here
                  sql: 'IF(${TABLE}.revenue_gbp_total_est = NULL, 0, ${registered_user_email})' # custom SQL applied to the column from dbt used to define the dimension
                  hidden: false
                  format: '[$£]#,##0.00' # GBP rounded to two decimal points
                  groups: ['finance']
          - name: forecast_date
            description: 'Date of the forecasting.'
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  type: date
                  time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER'] # not required: the default time intervals for dates are `['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'YEAR']`
                  urls:
                    - label: 'Open in forecasting tool'
                      url: 'https://finance.com/forceasts/weeks/${ value.raw }'
                    - label: Open in Google Calendar
                      url: 'https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/day/${ value.formatted |split: "-" |join: "/"}'
                  required_attributes:
                    is_admin: 'true'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: sales_stats

    group_details:
      finance:
        label: Finance
        description: Finance-related fields.

    joins:
      - join: web_sessions
        sql_on: ${web_sessions.date} = ${sales_stats.date}

    dimensions:
      - name: revenue_gbp_total_est
        description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
        type: number
        label: 'Total revenue' # this is the label you'll see in Lightdash
        sql: 'IF(${TABLE}.revenue_gbp_total_est = NULL, 0, ${registered_user_email})' # custom SQL applied to the column from dbt used to define the dimension
        hidden: false
        format: '[$£]#,##0.00' # GBP rounded to two decimal points
        groups: ['finance']
      - name: forecast_date
        description: 'Date of the forecasting.'
        type: date
        time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER'] # not required: the default time intervals for dates are `['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'YEAR']`
        urls:
          - label: 'Open in forecasting tool'
            url: 'https://finance.com/forceasts/weeks/${ value.raw }'
          - label: Open in Google Calendar
            url: 'https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r/day/${ value.formatted |split: "-" |join: "/"}'
        required_attributes:
          is_admin: 'true'
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The table below shows all the dimension properties you can customize:

| Property                                     | Required | Value                                                                                                                                                                                                    | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| :------------------------------------------- | :------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| label                                        | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Custom label. If you set this property, this is what you'll see in Lightdash instead of the dimension name.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| [type](#type)                                | No       | Dimension type                                                                                                                                                                                           | The dimension type is automatically pulled from your table schemas in Lightdash but you can override the type using this property.                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| [description](#description)                  | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Description of the dimension in Lightdash. You can use this to override the description you have for the dimension in dbt.                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| sql                                          | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Custom SQL applied to the column used to define the dimension.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| [time\_intervals](#time-intervals)           | No       | 'default' or OFF or an array\[] containing elements of [date](#date-options), [numeric](#numeric-options), [string](#string-options) options, or [custom granularity](#using-custom-granularities) names | 'default' (or not setting the time\_intervals property) will be converted into \['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER', 'YEAR'] for dates and \['RAW', 'DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER', 'YEAR'] for timestamps; if you want no time intervals set 'OFF'. You can also include custom granularity names defined in `lightdash.config.yml`. |
| hidden                                       | No       | boolean                                                                                                                                                                                                  | If set to true, the dimension is hidden from Lightdash. By default, this is set to false if you don't include this property. Hidden dimensions are also excluded from drilldowns (View underlying data).                                                                                                                                |
| [compact](#compact)                          | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | This option will compact the number value (e.g. 1,500 to 1.50K). Currently supports one of the following: \['thousands', 'millions', 'billions', 'trillions', 'kilobytes', 'megabytes', 'gigabytes', 'terabytes', 'petabytes', 'kibibytes', 'mebibytes', 'gibibytes', 'tebibytes', 'pebibytes']                                         |
| [format](#format)                            | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | This option will format the output value on the results table and CSV export. Supports spreadsheet-style formatting (e.g. #,##0.00). Use [this website](https://customformats.com) to help build your custom format.                                                                                                                    |
| [groups](#groups)                            | No       | string or string\[]                                                                                                                                                                                      | If you set this property, the dimension will be grouped in the sidebar with other dimensions with the same group label.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| [urls](#urls)                                | No       | Array of  `url`, `label`                                                                                                                                                                                 | Adding urls to a dimension allows your users to click dimension values in the UI and take actions, like opening an external tool with a url, or open at a website. You can use liquid templates to customise the link based on the value of the dimension.                                                                              |
| [richText](#rich-text)                       | No       | string                                                                                                                                                                                                   | Rich text template for displaying formatted content in table cells. Supports Markdown, HTML, and LiquidJS templating.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| [required\_attributes](#required-attributes) | No       | Object with `user_attribute`, `value`                                                                                                                                                                    | Limits access to users with those attributes (AND logic - all must match)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| [any\_attributes](#any-attributes)           | No       | Object with `user_attribute`, `value`                                                                                                                                                                    | Limits access to users with those attributes (OR logic - at least one must match)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| [colors](#color)                             | No       | Object with `value`, `color`                                                                                                                                                                             | Color for the values in the chart                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| [image](#image-display)                      | No       | Object with `url`                                                                                                                                                                                        | **\[WIP]** Display images in table cells using URL templates. Supports LiquidJS templating for dynamic URLs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| [case\_sensitive](#case-sensitive)           | No       | boolean                                                                                                                                                                                                  | If set to `false`, string filters on this dimension will be case insensitive. Defaults to `true`. Overrides explore-level setting.                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| [tags](#tags)                                | No       | string\[]                                                                                                                                                                                                | An array of string tags for categorizing and filtering dimensions programmatically. Tags can be used by AI agents, API filters, and other backend workflows.                                                                                                                                                                            |

## Type

The types of your dimensions are pulled from your data warehouse, automatically. You can override these types using the `type` meta tag in your .yml file. If you run `lightdash generate` to generate your .yml files, then Lightdash will add the `type` from your data warehouse to your .yml files automatically.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: user_created_date
      meta:
        dimension:
          type: date
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: user_created_date
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: date
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: user_created_date
        type: date
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

We currently support these dimension types:

| Dimension Types |
| :-------------- |
| string          |
| number          |
| timestamp       |
| date            |
| boolean         |

## Description

Column descriptions in your YAML file are automatically pulled into Lightdash and you can spot them if you hover over the dimension name.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/screenshot-column-descriptions-3498d7b3c09c38fda5b755ce21358b2c.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=14c7f50a0d00b1d73e16511806c609d1" alt="" width="1178" height="182" data-path="images/references/screenshot-column-descriptions-3498d7b3c09c38fda5b755ce21358b2c.png" />
</Frame>

Descriptions support any formatting that works with YAML, but the three characters used most often are:

### Quotes for escaping

When you surround text with double or single quotes it will escape the text between so that any special characters recognized by YAML will still pass through to the Lightdash UI.

```yaml theme={null}
description: 'The contents of this column include this & that.'
```

### Greater than symbol for folded text blocks

When you use `>-` it allows you to type descriptions that are multiple lines long in the YAML file, but the text will be combined into a single line when parsed. The `lightdash generate` command will automatically add this to keep YAML files easy to read.

This description in YAML:

```yaml theme={null}
- name: product_tier
  description: >-
    This is a longer description...
    ...that requires multiple lines
    and it will be combined in the Lightdash UI
```

Will appear like this in the Lightdash UI:

```yaml theme={null}
This is a longer description......that requires multiple lines and it will be combined in the Lightdash UI
```

### Vertical bar for preserving line breaks

If you need line breaks to stay in place when they show up in the Lightdash UI, you can use a `|` character like this:

```yaml theme={null}
- name: product_tier
  description: |
    This is a longer description...
    ...that requires multiple lines
    and it will stay on multiple lines
```

And in Lightdash UI it will appear like this:

```yaml theme={null}
This is a longer description...
...that requires multiple lines
and it will stay on multiple lines
```

### Using dbt doc blocks

You can also use dbt docs blocks in descriptions, [more on that here](/guides/cli/how-to-auto-generate-schema-files#using-doc-blocks-to-build-better-yml-files).

## Format

You can use the `format` parameter to have your dimensions show in a particular format in Lightdash. Lightdash supports spreadsheet-style format expressions for all dimension types.

To help you build your format expression, we recommend using [https://customformats.com/](https://customformats.com/).

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: us_revenue
      meta:
        dimension:
          type: number
          description: 'Revenue in USD, with two decimal places, compacted to thousands'
          format: '$#,##0.00," K"' # 505,430 will appear as '$505.43 K'
        additional_dimensions:
          percent_of_global_revenue:
            type: number
            description: 'Percent of total global revenue coming from US revenue.'
            sql: ${us_revenue} / ${global_revenue}
            format: '0.00%' # 0.67895243 will appear as '67.89%
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: us_revenue
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: number
            description: 'Revenue in USD, with two decimal places, compacted to thousands'
            format: '$#,##0.00," K"' # 505,430 will appear as '$505.43 K'
          additional_dimensions:
            percent_of_global_revenue:
              type: number
              description: 'Percent of total global revenue coming from US revenue.'
              sql: ${us_revenue} / ${global_revenue}
              format: '0.00%' # 0.67895243 will appear as '67.89%
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: us_revenue
        type: number
        description: 'Revenue in USD, with two decimal places, compacted to thousands'
        format: '$#,##0.00," K"' # 505,430 will appear as '$505.43 K'
      - name: percent_of_global_revenue
        type: number
        description: 'Percent of total global revenue coming from US revenue.'
        sql: ${us_revenue} / ${global_revenue}
        format: '0.00%' # 0.67895243 will appear as '67.89%
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Example format expressions:

| Description                                    | Format Expression     | Raw Value            | Formatted Output      |
| :--------------------------------------------- | :-------------------- | :------------------- | :-------------------- |
| **Adds "km" suffix to the value**              | `#,##0.00" km"`       | 100000.00            | 100,000.00 km         |
|                                                |                       | 15000.25             | 15,000.25 km          |
|                                                |                       | 500                  | 500.00 km             |
| **Format date with 12-hour clock**             | `m/d/yyyy h:mm AM/PM` | 2023-09-05T15:45:00Z | 9/5/2023 3:45 PM      |
|                                                |                       | 2024-01-20T08:30:00Z | 1/20/2024 8:30 AM     |
| **Display the full name of the day**           | `dddd`                | 2023-09-05T15:45:00Z | Tuesday               |
|                                                |                       | 2024-01-20T08:30:00Z | Saturday              |
| **Format positive, negative, and zero values** | `"⬆️ "0;"⬇️ "0;0`     | -500                 | ⬇️ 500                |
|                                                |                       | 200                  | ⬆️ 200                |
|                                                |                       | 0                    | 0                     |
| **Text formatting**                            | `"Delivered in "@`    | 2 weeks              | Delivered in 2 weeks  |
|                                                |                       | 18 hours             | Delivered in 18 hours |
| **Percentage formatting**                      | `#,##0.00%`           | 0.6758               | 67.58%                |
|                                                |                       | 0.1                  | 10.00%                |
|                                                |                       | 0.002                | 0.20%                 |
| **No formatting**                              | `0`                   | 12345232             | 12345232              |
|                                                |                       | 56.7856              | 57                    |
| **Currency formatting**                        | `[$$]#,##0.00`        | 15430.75436          | \$15,430.75           |
|                                                |                       | 15430.75436          | \$15,430.75           |
| **Compact currency in thousands**              | `[$$]#,##0,"K"`       | 15430.75436          | \$15K                 |
|                                                |                       | 15430.75436          | \$15.43K              |
| **Compact currency in millions**               | `[$$]#,##0.00,,"M"`   | 13334567             | \$13.33M              |
|                                                |                       | 120000000            | \$120.00M             |

<Accordion title="(Legacy) format and round options">
  Spreadsheet-style format expressions are the recommended way of adding formatting to your metrics in Lightdash. There are legacy formatting options, listed below, which are less flexible than the spreadsheet-style formatting.

  <Info>
    If you use both legacy and spreadsheet-style formatting options for a single dimension, Lightdash will ignore the legacy `format` and `round` options and only apply the spreadsheet-style formatting expression.
  </Info>

  #### Format (legacy)

  <Tabs>
    <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      models:
        - name: sales_stats
          columns:
            - name: revenue
              description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
              meta:
                dimension:
                  format: 'gbp'
      ```
    </Tab>

    <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      models:
        - name: sales_stats
          columns:
            - name: revenue
              description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
              config:
                meta:
                  dimension:
                    format: 'gbp'
      ```
    </Tab>

    <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      type: model
      name: sales_stats

      dimensions:
        - name: revenue
          description: 'Total estimated revenue in GBP based on forecasting done by the finance team.'
          format: 'gbp'
      ```
    </Tab>
  </Tabs>

  These are the options:

  | Option  | Equivalent format expression | Description                                                                         | Raw value | Displayed value |
  | :------ | :--------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------- | :-------------- |
  | km      | '#,##0.00" km"'              | Adds the suffix `km` to your value                                                  | 10        | 10 km           |
  | mi      | '#,##0.00" mi"'              | Adds the suffix `mile` to your value                                                | 10        | 10 mi           |
  | usd     | '\[\$\$]#,##0.00'            | Adds the `$` symbol to your number value                                            | 10        | \$10.00         |
  | gbp     | '\[\$£]#,##0.00'             | Adds the `£` symbol to your number value                                            | 10        | £10.00          |
  | eur     | '\[\$€]#,##0.00'             | Adds the `€` symbol to your number value                                            | 10        | €10.00          |
  | jpy     | '\[\$¥]#,##0.00'             | Adds the `¥` symbol to your number value                                            | 10        | ¥10             |
  | percent | '#,##0.00%'                  | Adds the `%` symbol and multiplies your value by 100                                | 0.1       | %10             |
  | id      | '0'                          | Removes commas and spaces from number or string types so that they appear like IDs. | 12389572  | 12389572        |

  #### Round (legacy)

  You can round values to appear with a certain number of decimal points.

  <Tabs>
    <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      models:
        - name: sales
          columns:
            - name: revenue
              meta:
                dimension:
                  round: 0 # equivalent format expression: '#,##0.0'
      ```
    </Tab>

    <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      models:
        - name: sales
          columns:
            - name: revenue
              config:
                meta:
                  dimension:
                    round: 0 # equivalent format expression: '#,##0.0'
      ```
    </Tab>

    <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
      ```yaml theme={null}
      type: model
      name: sales

      dimensions:
        - name: revenue
          round: 0 # equivalent format expression: '#,##0.0'
      ```
    </Tab>
  </Tabs>
</Accordion>

## Compact

You can compact values in your YAML. For example, if I wanted all of my revenue values to be shown in thousands (e.g. `1,500` appears as `1.50K`), then I would write something like this in my .yml:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: sales
        columns:
          - name: revenue
            meta:
              dimension:
                compact: thousands # You can also use 'K'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: sales
        columns:
          - name: revenue
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  compact: thousands # You can also use 'K'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: sales

    dimensions:
      - name: revenue
        compact: thousands # You can also use 'K'
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

| Value     | Alias                | Equivalent format expression          | Example output |
| :-------- | :------------------- | :------------------------------------ | :------------- |
| thousands | "K" and "thousand"   | '#,##0," K"' or '#,##0.00," K"'       | 1K             |
| millions  | "M" and "million"    | '#,##0,," M"' or '#,##0.00,," M"'     | 1M             |
| billions  | "B" and "billion"    | '#,##0,,," B"' or '#,##0.00,,," B"'   | 1B             |
| trillions | "T" and "trillion"   | '#,##0,,,," T"' or '#,##0.00,,,," T"' | 1T             |
| kilobytes | "KB" and "kilobyte"  |                                       | 1KB            |
| megabytes | "MB" and "megabyte"  |                                       | 1MB            |
| gigabytes | "GB" and "gigabyte"  |                                       | 1GB            |
| terabytes | "TB" and "terabyte"  |                                       | 1TB            |
| petabytes | "PB" and "petabyte"  |                                       | 1PB            |
| kibibytes | "KiB" and "kibibyte" |                                       | 1KiB           |
| mebibytes | "MiB" and "mebibyte" |                                       | 1MiB           |
| gibibytes | "GiB" and "gibibyte" |                                       | 1GiB           |
| tebibytes | "TiB" and "tebibyte" |                                       | 1TiB           |
| pebibytes | "PiB" and "pebibyte" |                                       | 1PiB           |

## Time intervals

Lightdash automatically adds intervals for dimensions that are timestamps or dates, so you don't have to!

For example, here we have the timestamp dimension `created` defined in our dbt project:

```yaml theme={null}
- name: created
  description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
```

Lightdash breaks this out into the default intervals automatically. So, this is how `created` appears in our Lightdash project:

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/screenshot-default-intervals-1fb6e04e2d4f617bb22f9fea86fa52c6.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=6a6d179463c0e54b97da4b6a14530303" alt="screenshot-default-intervals" width="652" height="440" data-path="images/references/screenshot-default-intervals-1fb6e04e2d4f617bb22f9fea86fa52c6.png" />
</Frame>

<Info>
  [**Formatting added to a date or timestamp dimension will be applied to all of the time intervals for that dimension.**](#format)

  If you want to apply different formats for different time intervals, we recommend creating [additional dimensions](#additional-dimensions) for time intervals where you want to customize the format.
</Info>

### Default time intervals

The default time intervals that Lightdash adds are...

**For `date` type**:

```yaml theme={null}
['DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER', 'YEAR']
```

**For `timestamp` type**:

```yaml theme={null}
['RAW', 'DAY', 'WEEK', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER', 'YEAR']
```

### Disable time intervals

If you want to turn off time intervals for a dimension, you set the `time_intervals` property to `OFF`.

In this example, `created` would now appear as a single, timestamp dimension without a drop-down list of time intervals in Lightdash:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: created
      description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
      meta:
        dimension:
          type: timestamp
          time_intervals: OFF
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: created
      description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: timestamp
            time_intervals: OFF
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: created
        description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
        type: timestamp
        time_intervals: OFF
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/screenshot-intervals-off-e786a3290b6c8b8454fe7f223a5682d8.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=f4697bed674c8bac564b096bdf6c6c97" alt="screenshot-intervals-off" width="546" height="206" data-path="images/references/screenshot-intervals-off-e786a3290b6c8b8454fe7f223a5682d8.png" />
</Frame>

### To customize the time intervals for a dimension, you can use the `time_intervals` parameter.

If you specify time intervals manually, then this overrides the default time intervals used by Lightdash.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: created
      description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
      meta:
        dimension:
          time_intervals: ['DAY', 'DAY_OF_MONTH_NUM', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER_NAME', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: created
      description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            time_intervals: ['DAY', 'DAY_OF_MONTH_NUM', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER_NAME', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: created
        description: 'Timestamp when the user was created.'
        time_intervals: ['DAY', 'DAY_OF_MONTH_NUM', 'MONTH', 'QUARTER_NAME', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

You can see all of the standard interval options for date and timestamp fields below. You can also add custom intervals using *additional dimensions*, there's an example below the following tables.

### Date options

| Option      | Description                                   | Type            | Displayed value                           | Notes                                                         |
| :---------- | :-------------------------------------------- | :-------------- | :---------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------ |
| RAW         | Original value                                | Date / DateTime | 2019-01-01 / 2019-01-01, 09:30:30:300 UTC |                                                               |
| YEAR        | Date truncated to the nearest year            | Date            | 2019                                      |                                                               |
| QUARTER     | Date truncated to the nearest quarter         | Date            | 2019-Q1                                   |                                                               |
| MONTH       | Date truncated to the nearest month           | Date            | 2019-01-01                                |                                                               |
| WEEK        | Date truncated to the nearest week            | Date            | 2019-01-01                                | The start of the week depends on your warehouse configuration |
| DAY         | Date truncated to the nearest day             | Date            | 2019-01-01                                |                                                               |
| HOUR        | Datetime truncated to the nearest hour        | DateTime        | 2019-01-01, 09 UTC                        |                                                               |
| MINUTE      | Datetime truncated to the nearest minute      | DateTime        | 2019-01-01, 09:30 UTC                     |                                                               |
| SECOND      | Datetime truncated to the nearest second      | DateTime        | 2019-01-01, 09:30:30 UTC                  |                                                               |
| MILLISECOND | Datetime truncated to the nearest millisecond | DateTime        | 2019-01-01, 09:30:30:300 UTC              |                                                               |

### Numeric options

| Option                | Description                  | Type   | Displayed value | Notes                                                                         |
| :-------------------- | :--------------------------- | :----- | :-------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| DAY\_OF\_WEEK\_INDEX  | Index of the day of the week | Number | 0               | The value range and start of the week depends on your warehouse configuration |
| DAY\_OF\_MONTH\_NUM   | Day of the month             | Number | 21              |                                                                               |
| DAY\_OF\_YEAR\_NUM    | Day of the year              | Number | 127             |                                                                               |
| WEEK\_NUM             | Week number                  | Number | 37              |                                                                               |
| MONTH\_NUM            | Month number                 | Number | 7               |                                                                               |
| QUARTER\_NUM          | Quarter number               | Number | 3               |                                                                               |
| YEAR\_NUM             | Year number                  | Number | 2019            |                                                                               |
| MINUTE\_OF\_HOUR\_NUM | Minute number                | Number | 50              |                                                                               |
| HOUR\_OF\_DAY\_NUM    | Hour number                  | Number | 22              |                                                                               |

### String options

| Option              | Description     | Type   | Displayed value |
| :------------------ | :-------------- | :----- | :-------------- |
| DAY\_OF\_WEEK\_NAME | Day of the week | String | Monday          |
| MONTH\_NAME         | Month name      | String | March           |
| QUARTER\_NAME       | Quarter name    | String | Q3              |

### Using custom granularities

<Info>
  **Availability:** Custom granularities are a [Beta](/references/workspace/feature-maturity-levels) feature.
</Info>

You can define reusable custom time granularities in your `lightdash.config.yml` file and reference them in the `time_intervals` array. Unlike [custom time intervals using additional dimensions](#custom-time-intervals-with-additional-dimensions), custom granularities **appear in the date zoom dropdown** alongside standard options (Day, Week, Month, etc.).

**Step 1**: Define custom granularities in `lightdash.config.yml`:

```yaml theme={null}
# lightdash.config.yml
custom_granularities:
  fiscal_quarter:
    label: "Fiscal Quarter"
    sql: "DATE_TRUNC('quarter', ${COLUMN} + INTERVAL '1 month')"
  week_monday:
    label: "Week (Mon-Sun)"
    sql: "DATE_TRUNC('week', ${COLUMN})"
```

**Step 2**: Reference them in your dimension's `time_intervals`:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: order_date
      description: 'Date the order was placed'
      meta:
        dimension:
          type: date
          time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'fiscal_quarter', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: order_date
      description: 'Date the order was placed'
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: date
            time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'fiscal_quarter', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: order_date
        description: 'Date the order was placed'
        type: date
        time_intervals: ['DAY', 'WEEK', 'fiscal_quarter', 'YEAR']
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The `${COLUMN}` placeholder in the SQL expression is automatically replaced with the dimension's column SQL at runtime. Custom granularities also inherit `requiredAttributes` and `anyAttributes` from the parent dimension.

<Info>
  See [lightdash.config.yml reference](/references/lightdash-config-yml#custom-granularities-configuration) for the full configuration options and the [Date zoom guide](/guides/date-zoom) for information on configuring the date zoom dropdown.
</Info>

### Custom time intervals with additional dimensions

You can also create custom time-based dimensions by using additional dimensions and groups. This approach groups custom dimensions with their parent date dimension in the sidebar, but **these dimensions do not appear in the date zoom dropdown** - they are only available as separate fields in the dimension list.

<Note>
  If you need custom time intervals to appear in the **date zoom dropdown**, use [custom granularities](#using-custom-granularities) defined in `lightdash.config.yml` instead.
</Note>

Here's an example of how that might look if you wanted to add `year_of_week_iso` grouped with the `delivery_date` dimension. Note that by defining the `groups:` option, we ensure that the new "Year of week" option is displayed grouped with the parent dimension in the sidebar.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: delivery_date
      meta:
        dimension:
          label: "Delivery Date"
          type: date
          time_intervals: [ ... ]
        additional_dimensions:
          year_of_week_num:
            type: number
            label: "Year of week"
            sql: "yearofweekiso(${delivery_date})"
            groups: ["Delivery Date"]
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: delivery_date
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            label: "Delivery Date"
            type: date
            time_intervals: [ ... ]
          additional_dimensions:
            year_of_week_num:
              type: number
              label: "Year of week"
              sql: "yearofweekiso(${delivery_date})"
              groups: ["Delivery Date"]
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: delivery_date
        label: "Delivery Date"
        type: date
        time_intervals: [ ... ]
      - name: year_of_week_num
        type: number
        label: "Year of week"
        sql: "yearofweekiso(${delivery_date})"
        groups: ["Delivery Date"]
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Reference time intervals in other dimensions

You can reference specific time intervals of a dimension in other dimensions. When you define time intervals for a dimension (like `session_start`), Lightdash creates separate dimensions for each interval (e.g., `session_start_day`, `session_start_month`). You can reference these in custom SQL for other dimensions.

For example, if you have a `user_created_at` dimension with time intervals defined, you can calculate the duration between two dates using the `DAY` interval:

```yaml theme={null}
  - name: user_created_at
    meta:
      dimension:
        type: timestamp
        time_intervals:
        - DAY_OF_WEEK_NAME
        - WEEK
        - MONTH
        - RAW
        - DAY
        - HOUR_OF_DAY_NUM
        - QUARTER
  - name: first_purchase_at
    meta:
      dimension:
        type: timestamp
        time_intervals:
        - DAY
        - MONTH
        - QUARTER
  - name: duration
    meta:
      dimension:
        type: number
        sql: EXTRACT(DAY FROM ${first_purchase_at_day} - ${user_created_at_day})
```

In this example, `${user_created_at_day}` and `${first_purchase_at_day}` reference the `DAY` time interval versions of the `user_created_at` and `first_purchase_at` dimensions.

## Groups

You can group your dimensions and metrics in the sidebar using the `groups` parameter.

To do this, you need to set up `group_details` in the model's configuration. Then, you can use these groups to organize metrics and dimensions. You can create nested groups up to 3 levels.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: baskets
        meta:
          group_details:
            product_details:
              label: Product Details
              description: 'Fields that have information about the products in the basket.'
            item_details:
              label: Item Details
              description: 'Fields that have information about the items in the basket.'

        columns:
          - name: basket_item_id
            description: 'ID for the product item within the basket.'
            meta:
              dimension:
                groups: ['product_details', 'item_details'] # this would add the dimension to a nested group: `product details` --> `item details`
          - name: product_name
            description: 'Full name of the product.'
            meta:
              dimension:
                label: 'Product name'
                groups: ['product_details'] # this would add the dimension under the group label: `product_details`
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: baskets
        config:
          meta:
            group_details:
              product_details:
                label: Product Details
                description: 'Fields that have information about the products in the basket.'
              item_details:
                label: Item Details
                description: 'Fields that have information about the items in the basket.'

        columns:
          - name: basket_item_id
            description: 'ID for the product item within the basket.'
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  groups: ['product_details', 'item_details'] # this would add the dimension to a nested group: `product details` --> `item details`
          - name: product_name
            description: 'Full name of the product.'
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  label: 'Product name'
                  groups: ['product_details'] # this would add the dimension under the group label: `product_details`
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: baskets

    group_details:
      product_details:
        label: Product Details
        description: 'Fields that have information about the products in the basket.'
      item_details:
        label: Item Details
        description: 'Fields that have information about the items in the basket.'

    dimensions:
      - name: basket_item_id
        description: 'ID for the product item within the basket.'
        groups: ['product_details', 'item_details'] # this would add the dimension to a nested group: `product details` --> `item details`
      - name: product_name
        description: 'Full name of the product.'
        label: 'Product name'
        groups: ['product_details'] # this would add the dimension under the group label: `product_details`
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

This example would look like this in the sidebar:

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/pI4NcVAb2FsV-fze/images/references/groups-757097385f03095824be4746f585d50b.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=pI4NcVAb2FsV-fze&q=85&s=6e8cc10545c389036d6ce96d9655a3e4" alt="" width="824" height="1300" data-path="images/references/groups-757097385f03095824be4746f585d50b.png" />
</Frame>

## URLs

Lightdash users can interact with dimension values by clicking on them. If you're already storing URLs in your models, you can create hyperlinks to those URLs in Lightdash, like so:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: candidate_profile_url
        label: URL of the candidate profile
        meta:
          dimension:
            urls:
              - label: Open in CRM
                url: ${ value.raw }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: candidate_profile_url
        label: URL of the candidate profile
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              urls:
                - label: Open in CRM
                  url: ${ value.raw }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: candidate_profile_url
        label: URL of the candidate profile
        urls:
          - label: Open in CRM
            url: ${ value.raw }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### How to add custom URLs

By adding custom urls you can configure the actions available to your users. Like linking to external tools, or taking actions in other tools.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/pI4NcVAb2FsV-fze/images/references/clickable-dimension-link-70554874d4e468900e9d8fadf3b53cd2.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=pI4NcVAb2FsV-fze&q=85&s=0dcb3a228ca0729cd7b6556f4ffdb4b7" alt="" width="2913" height="1372" data-path="images/references/clickable-dimension-link-70554874d4e468900e9d8fadf3b53cd2.jpg" />
</Frame>

In the example below, users can click on a company name and open a corresponding record in their CRM or search for the company in google or open that company's Slack channel.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        meta:
          dimension:
            urls:
              - label: Search for company in Google
                url: 'https://google.com/search?${ value.formatted | url_encode }'
              - label: Open in CRM
                url: 'https://mycrm.com/companies/${ row.company.company_id.raw | url_encode }'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              urls:
                - label: Search for company in Google
                  url: 'https://google.com/search?${ value.formatted | url_encode }'
                - label: Open in CRM
                  url: 'https://mycrm.com/companies/${ row.company.company_id.raw | url_encode }'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        urls:
          - label: Search for company in Google
            url: 'https://google.com/search?${ value.formatted | url_encode }'
          - label: Open in CRM
            url: 'https://mycrm.com/companies/${ row.company.company_id.raw | url_encode }'
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The `${ value.formatted }` will be replaced with the value of the company name in the Lightdash UI at query run time. The `${ row.company.company_id.raw }` will be replaced with the value of the company id in the Lightdash UI at query run time. The action will be disabled if the column "company\_id" from table "company" is not part of the query.

### You can reference values from other columns in your URLs

You can reference another dimension from your table in your URL. For these URLs to work, the other column you've referenced needs to be included in your results table. For example, say I've added a URL to `company_name` and it uses the field `customer_id`:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        meta:
          dimension:
            urls:
              - label: "Open company"
                url: "https://example.com/company/${row.customers.customer_id.raw | url_encode }"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              urls:
                - label: "Open company"
                  url: "https://example.com/company/${row.customers.customer_id.raw | url_encode }"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: company_name
        label: Registered trading name of the company
        urls:
          - label: "Open company"
            url: "https://example.com/company/${row.customers.customer_id.raw | url_encode }"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

This URL will only work if I have `customer_id` included in my results table.

### Liquid templating

Use templates to configure values dynamically at runtime based on query results.

**Available liquid tags**

| Tag                                         | Description                                                                                 |
| :------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `${ value.formatted }`                      | The exact value of the dimension as seen in the Lightdash UI. For example `$1,427.20`       |
| `${ value.raw }`                            | The raw value of the dimension returned from the underlying SQL query. For example `1427.2` |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.formatted }` | The exact value of the column as seen in the Lightdash UI. For example `$1,427.20`          |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.raw }`       | The raw value of the dimension returned from the underlying SQL query. For example `1427.2` |

**Available liquid filters**

Filters can be used to make small transformations of your values:

* `url_encode`: Encode a string as URL safe, for example it replaces spaces with `%20`.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | url_encode }
  ```

* `downcase`: Convert a string to lowercase.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | downcase }
  ```

* `append`: Append one string to another.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | append: ".html" }
  ```

There are [many more filters available in the Liquid documentation](https://liquidjs.com/filters/overview.html).

## Rich text

The `richText` property allows you to define custom HTML/Markdown templates for displaying dimension and metric values in table cells. This enables sophisticated data presentation with formatting, styling, conditional logic, and external integrations.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/rich-text-hero.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=c9ce81d5634f50201368271c208773a4" alt="Rich text examples rendered in a Table chart" width="2336" height="1136" data-path="images/references/rich-text-hero.png" />

<Info>
  Rich text only renders in the **Table chart visualization**. It does not affect the Results panel below the explore, CSV/Excel exports, or the underlying data values. To see your `richText` take effect, switch the chart type to **Table**.
</Info>

`richText` is supported on both **dimensions** and **metrics**. It accepts Markdown, inline HTML, and [LiquidJS](https://liquidjs.com/) templating. HTML is sanitized with a GitHub-safe allowlist that permits inline `style` attributes but strips `<script>`, `<iframe>`, and event handlers (e.g. `onclick`). External links automatically open in a new tab.

### Basic example

Display a dimension value with bold text, an inline code span, and clickable links:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_id
        description: 'Unique customer identifier'
        meta:
          dimension:
            richText: |
              **Customer ID:** `${ value.raw }`

              [View Profile](https://example.com/customer/${ value.raw }) | [Search Google](https://google.com/search?q=customer%20${ value.formatted | url_encode })
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_id
        description: 'Unique customer identifier'
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              richText: |
                **Customer ID:** `${ value.raw }`

                [View Profile](https://example.com/customer/${ value.raw }) | [Search Google](https://google.com/search?q=customer%20${ value.formatted | url_encode })
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: customer_id
        description: 'Unique customer identifier'
        richText: |
          **Customer ID:** `${ value.raw }`

          [View Profile](https://example.com/customer/${ value.raw }) | [Search Google](https://google.com/search?q=customer%20${ value.formatted | url_encode })
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/rich-text-basic-markdown-links.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=a3e50feb074d41c91545bbd1afe388fa" alt="Cells rendered with a bold &#x22;Customer ID:&#x22; label, a code-style ID, and two inline links per row" width="1236" height="816" data-path="images/references/rich-text-basic-markdown-links.png" />

### Conditional formatting

Use Liquid control flow tags to switch rendering based on the value — for example, to tier a metric with emoji indicators and a matching text label. Always guard against `nil` so empty cells render gracefully:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_lifetime_value
        meta:
          metrics:
            average_clv:
              type: average
              richText: |
                {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
                <span style="color: #999;">No data</span>
                {% elsif value.raw >= 100 %}
                ### 📈 ${ value.formatted }
                **Excellent** Average CLV
                {% elsif value.raw >= 50 %}
                ### 📊 ${ value.formatted }
                **Good** Average CLV
                {% else %}
                ### ⚠️ ${ value.formatted }
                **Low** Average CLV - _Needs attention!_
                {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_lifetime_value
        config:
          meta:
            metrics:
              average_clv:
                type: average
                richText: |
                  {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
                  <span style="color: #999;">No data</span>
                  {% elsif value.raw >= 100 %}
                  ### 📈 ${ value.formatted }
                  **Excellent** Average CLV
                  {% elsif value.raw >= 50 %}
                  ### 📊 ${ value.formatted }
                  **Good** Average CLV
                  {% else %}
                  ### ⚠️ ${ value.formatted }
                  **Low** Average CLV - _Needs attention!_
                  {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    metrics:
      - name: average_clv
        type: average
        sql: ${customer_lifetime_value}
        richText: |
          {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
          <span style="color: #999;">No data</span>
          {% elsif value.raw >= 100 %}
          ### 📈 ${ value.formatted }
          **Excellent** Average CLV
          {% elsif value.raw >= 50 %}
          ### 📊 ${ value.formatted }
          **Good** Average CLV
          {% else %}
          ### ⚠️ ${ value.formatted }
          **Low** Average CLV - _Needs attention!_
          {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/rich-text-conditional-tiers.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=0005418812c96e161c3c655faad6173a" alt="Conditional tiers rendered with emoji, bold and italic text, and a grey &#x22;No data&#x22; fallback for null values" width="1236" height="816" data-path="images/references/rich-text-conditional-tiers.png" />

<Note>
  Liquid blocks inside dbt YAML must be wrapped in `{% raw %}...{% endraw %}` so dbt's Jinja engine passes the template through to Lightdash untouched.
</Note>

### HTML, images, and inline styles

For richer layouts, combine inline HTML with images and `style` attributes. This example renders an avatar image alongside the name with a secondary link underneath:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: full_name
        description: 'Customer full name'
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: string
            richText: |
              {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
              <span style="color: #999;">-</span>
              {% else %}
              <div style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px;">
                <img src="https://ui-avatars.com/api/?name=${ value.formatted | url_encode }&background=random&size=32&rounded=true"
                     width="32" height="32"
                     style="border-radius: 50%;"
                     alt="${ value.formatted }" />
                <p>
                  <strong style="float:left">${ value.formatted }</strong><br/>
                  <span style="color: #666; font-size: 0.9em;">
                    <a style="float:left;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=${ value.formatted | url_encode }" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>
                  </span>
                </p>
              </div>
              {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: full_name
        description: 'Customer full name'
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: string
              richText: |
                {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
                <span style="color: #999;">-</span>
                {% else %}
                <div style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px;">
                  <img src="https://ui-avatars.com/api/?name=${ value.formatted | url_encode }&background=random&size=32&rounded=true"
                       width="32" height="32"
                       style="border-radius: 50%;"
                       alt="${ value.formatted }" />
                  <p>
                    <strong style="float:left">${ value.formatted }</strong><br/>
                    <span style="color: #666; font-size: 0.9em;">
                      <a style="float:left;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=${ value.formatted | url_encode }" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>
                    </span>
                  </p>
                </div>
                {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: full_name
        description: 'Customer full name'
        type: string
        richText: |
          {% raw %}{% if value.raw == nil %}
          <span style="color: #999;">-</span>
          {% else %}
          <div style="display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px;">
            <img src="https://ui-avatars.com/api/?name=${ value.formatted | url_encode }&background=random&size=32&rounded=true"
                 width="32" height="32"
                 style="border-radius: 50%;"
                 alt="${ value.formatted }" />
            <p>
              <strong style="float:left">${ value.formatted }</strong><br/>
              <span style="color: #666; font-size: 0.9em;">
                <a style="float:left;" href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?keywords=${ value.formatted | url_encode }" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>
              </span>
            </p>
          </div>
          {% endif %}{% endraw %}
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/rich-text-html-avatars.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=2337eef4bd27cd275df18011f1fd9f1a" alt="Avatar image with colored initials, bold name, and a LinkedIn link rendered per row" width="1236" height="816" data-path="images/references/rich-text-html-avatars.png" />

### Liquid templating in rich text

Use templates to configure values dynamically at runtime based on query results.

**Available liquid tags**

| Tag                                         | Description                                                                                 |
| :------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `${ value.formatted }`                      | The exact value of the dimension as seen in the Lightdash UI. For example `$1,427.20`       |
| `${ value.raw }`                            | The raw value of the dimension returned from the underlying SQL query. For example `1427.2` |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.formatted }` | The exact value of the column as seen in the Lightdash UI. For example `$1,427.20`          |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.raw }`       | The raw value of the dimension returned from the underlying SQL query. For example `1427.2` |

**Available liquid filters**

Filters can be used to make small transformations of your values:

* `url_encode`: Encode a string as URL safe, for example it replaces spaces with `%20`.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | url_encode }
  ```

* `downcase`: Convert a string to lowercase.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | downcase }
  ```

* `append`: Append one string to another.

  ```liquid theme={null}
  ${ value.formatted | append: ".html" }
  ```

There are [many more filters available in the Liquid documentation](https://liquidjs.com/filters/overview.html).

## Required attributes

Lightdash can use `user attributes` to limit some dimensions to some users.

In the example below, only users with `is_admin` attribute `true` can use the `salary` dimension on `user` table. Users without access to this dimension will not see it or the custom metrics created from this dimension on the `explore page`.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name:
        description: User name
      - salary:
        description: User salary
        meta:
          dimension:
            required_attributes:
              is_admin: "true"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name:
        description: User name
      - salary:
        description: User salary
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              required_attributes:
                is_admin: "true"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: user_name
        description: User name
      - name: salary
        description: User salary
        required_attributes:
          is_admin: "true"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

If a user without access to this dimension runs a query that contains this dimension, they will get a `Forbidden` error.

## Any attributes

While `required_attributes` uses AND logic (all conditions must match), `any_attributes` uses OR logic — a user only needs to match **at least one** condition.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: salary
        description: User salary
        meta:
          dimension:
            any_attributes:
              department: ["hr", "finance"]
              role: "manager"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: salary
        description: User salary
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              any_attributes:
                department: ["hr", "finance"]
                role: "manager"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: salary
        description: User salary
        any_attributes:
          department: ["hr", "finance"]
          role: "manager"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

In this example, users with `department = "hr"` OR `department = "finance"` OR `role = "manager"` can see the `salary` dimension.

You can combine both `required_attributes` and `any_attributes` on the same dimension. When both are set, both checks must pass. See [user attributes](/references/workspace/user-attributes#combining-required_attributes-and-any_attributes) for details.

### Current limitations

Lightdash dimensions and custom metrics are protected by this feature, however, it is possible to write custom SQL to bypass this filter, for example:

* Developers and admins running SQL queries on SQL runner.
* Custom SQL or subqueries on `table calculations`

<Info>
  Scheduler deliveries will run against the user who created the scheduled delivery, be careful when sharing required attributes with other users.
</Info>

## Color

You can predefine colors for your string type dimensions, these colors will be used instead of your default organization colors for the right value when you use a grouped bar chart or a pie chart.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
      - name: status
        description: "{{ doc(\"orders_status\") }}"
        meta:
          dimension:
            colors:
              "placed": "#e6fa0f"
              "completed": "#558B2F"
              "shipped": "#29B6F6"
              "return_pending": "#FF6F00"
              "returned": "#E91E63"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
      - name: status
        description: "{{ doc(\"orders_status\") }}"
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              colors:
                "placed": "#e6fa0f"
                "completed": "#558B2F"
                "shipped": "#29B6F6"
                "return_pending": "#FF6F00"
                "returned": "#E91E63"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: status
        description: "Order status"
        colors:
          "placed": "#e6fa0f"
          "completed": "#558B2F"
          "shipped": "#29B6F6"
          "return_pending": "#FF6F00"
          "returned": "#E91E63"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/lightdash-mintlify-ca973f84/Cv-EyrsapF-673yr/images/references/pie-chart-color-b5c761ad3dc797717c6397920572b1c4.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Cv-EyrsapF-673yr&q=85&s=5feaf64428d5521bb3ecc2ed5af0d7f7" alt="" width="1343" height="481" data-path="images/references/pie-chart-color-b5c761ad3dc797717c6397920572b1c4.png" />
</Frame>

<Info>
  We recommend using #HEX colors, other color types like rgba,rgba or color name (eg: orange) are also supported on charts, but they are not yet supported on the chart config.
</Info>

<Info>
  You can manually override these dimension colors by going into the chart config and manually picking a color for that serie.

  These colors will also take precedence over the organization color palette.
</Info>

## Case sensitive

You can control whether string filters on a dimension are case sensitive or case insensitive.

* Default: `case_sensitive: true` (case sensitive)
* When `false`: string filters ignore case differences

This setting affects these string filter operators:

* `equals`
* `not equals`
* `starts with`
* `ends with`
* `includes`
* `doesn't include`

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_name
        description: 'Name of the customer'
        meta:
          dimension:
            case_sensitive: false
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: customer_name
        description: 'Name of the customer'
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              case_sensitive: false
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: customer_name
        description: 'Name of the customer'
        case_sensitive: false
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### SQL behavior examples

Given a filter value `jes` on a dimension like `customers.first_name`:

* With `case_sensitive: true` (default), generated SQL uses case-sensitive matching, for example:

```sql theme={null}
("customers"."first_name") LIKE '%jes%'
```

* With `case_sensitive: false`, generated SQL normalizes both sides for case-insensitive matching:

```sql theme={null}
UPPER("customers"."first_name") LIKE UPPER('%jes%')
```

So with `case_sensitive: false`, filtering for `john` would match `John`, `JOHN`, `john`, etc.

<Info>
  Dimension-level `case_sensitive` settings override explore-level and project-level settings. See [Tables reference](/references/tables#case-sensitive) for explore-level configuration and [lightdash.config.yml reference](/references/lightdash-config-yml#defaults-configuration) for project-level defaults.
</Info>

## Image Display

<Warning>
  **Work in Progress**: This feature is currently in development and may be subject to changes.
</Warning>

You can configure dimensions to display images in table cells using URL templates. Images are rendered as thumbnails with hover tooltips showing larger previews, perfect for visualizing product images, user avatars, or any other image-based data.

### How it works

To display images, you define an `image` property with a URL template in your dimension or additional dimension configuration. The URL can be dynamic, using LiquidJS templating to construct URLs based on row data and field values.

**Simplest example - column already contains image URLs:**

If your column already contains complete image URLs, you can simply configure it to display as an image:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: image_url
        description: "Image URL for the event"
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: string
            image:
              url: "${value.raw}"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: image_url
        description: "Image URL for the event"
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: string
              image:
                url: "${value.raw}"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: image_url
        description: "Image URL for the event"
        type: string
        image:
          url: "${value.raw}"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

**With custom dimensions and fit:**

You can control the size and display behavior of images using width, height, and fit options:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: product_image_url
        description: "Product image URL"
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: string
            image:
              url: "${value.raw}"
              width: 100
              height: 100
              fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: product_image_url
        description: "Product image URL"
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: string
              image:
                url: "${value.raw}"
                width: 100
                height: 100
                fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: product_image_url
        description: "Product image URL"
        type: string
        image:
          url: "${value.raw}"
          width: 100
          height: 100
          fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

**Basic example with URL template:**

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: product_id
        meta:
          additional_dimensions:
            product_image:
              type: string
              label: "Product Image"
              description: "Product thumbnail image"
              image:
                url: "https://example.com/images/${value.raw}.jpg"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: product_id
        config:
          meta:
            additional_dimensions:
              product_image:
                type: string
                label: "Product Image"
                description: "Product thumbnail image"
                image:
                  url: "https://example.com/images/${value.raw}.jpg"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: product_id
      - name: product_image
        type: string
        label: "Product Image"
        description: "Product thumbnail image"
        image:
          url: "https://example.com/images/${value.raw}.jpg"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

**Advanced example with dynamic URLs:**

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: event_type
        meta:
          additional_dimensions:
            event_image:
              type: string
              label: "Event Image"
              description: "Event banner image"
              image:
                url: "https://cdn.example.com/${value.raw}-${row.events.event_id.raw | upcase}.png"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: event_type
        config:
          meta:
            additional_dimensions:
              event_image:
                type: string
                label: "Event Image"
                description: "Event banner image"
                image:
                  url: "https://cdn.example.com/${value.raw}-${row.events.event_id.raw | upcase}.png"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: event_type
      - name: event_image
        type: string
        label: "Event Image"
        description: "Event banner image"
        image:
          url: "https://cdn.example.com/${value.raw}-${row.events.event_id.raw | upcase}.png"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Display behavior

* **Thumbnails**: Images display as thumbnails in table cells (default: 32px height)
* **Hover preview**: Hovering over a thumbnail reveals a larger preview via tooltip
* **Error handling**: Failed image loads show a photo-off icon with error details in the tooltip
* **Validation**: Invalid URL syntax is caught and displays an error state

### Image configuration properties

The `image` object supports the following properties:

| Property | Type   | Default    | Description                                                                                                |
| :------- | :----- | :--------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `url`    | string | (required) | The image URL. Supports LiquidJS templating with `${value.raw}`, `${row.table.column.raw}`, etc.           |
| `width`  | number | auto       | Image width in pixels. When specified without height, height defaults to 'auto' to maintain aspect ratio.  |
| `height` | number | 32         | Image height in pixels.                                                                                    |
| `fit`    | string | "cover"    | Controls how the image fits within the dimensions. Options: `"cover"`, `"contain"`, `"fill"`, or `"none"`. |

**Fit options:**

* **`cover`** (default) - Image fills the space while maintaining aspect ratio. May crop content.
* **`contain`** - Scales image to fit within dimensions while preserving aspect ratio. No cropping.
* **`fill`** - Stretches image to fill dimensions. May distort aspect ratio.
* **`none`** - Displays image at its original size without scaling.

**Examples:**

```yaml theme={null}
# Square thumbnail with cover fit
image:
  url: "${value.raw}"
  width: 50
  height: 50
  fit: "cover"

# Wide thumbnail maintaining aspect ratio
image:
  url: "https://example.com/images/${value.raw}.jpg"
  width: 100
  # height defaults to 'auto' to maintain aspect ratio

# Original size display
image:
  url: "${value.raw}"
  fit: "none"
```

### URL Templating

The `image.url` property supports LiquidJS templating with the same tags and filters available for [dimension URLs](#urls):

**Available liquid tags:**

| Tag                                         | Description                                                               |
| :------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `${ value.formatted }`                      | The exact value of the dimension as seen in the Lightdash UI              |
| `${ value.raw }`                            | The raw value of the dimension returned from the underlying SQL query     |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.formatted }` | The exact value of another column as seen in the Lightdash UI             |
| `${ row.table_name.column_name.raw }`       | The raw value of another dimension returned from the underlying SQL query |

**Available liquid filters:**

You can use [liquid filters](https://liquidjs.com/filters/overview.html) to transform values:

```yaml theme={null}
image:
  url: "https://example.com/${value.raw | downcase}.jpg"
```

### Current limitations

* **Dimensions only**: Image display is currently supported for dimensions and additional dimensions only (not metrics or table calculations)
* **Referenced columns**: When using `${ row.table_name.column_name }` templates, the referenced column must be included in your results table for the image to display

### Example: Product catalog with images

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: products
        columns:
          - name: sku
            description: "Product SKU code"
            meta:
              dimension:
                type: string
              additional_dimensions:
                product_thumbnail:
                  type: string
                  label: "Product Image"
                  description: "Product catalog image"
                  image:
                    url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/products/${value.raw}/thumbnail.jpg"
                    width: 80
                    height: 80
                    fit: "cover"
          - name: category
            description: "Product category"
            meta:
              dimension:
                type: string
              additional_dimensions:
                category_icon:
                  type: string
                  label: "Category Icon"
                  description: "Category icon image"
                  image:
                    url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/icons/${value.raw | downcase}.png"
                    width: 40
                    height: 40
                    fit: "contain"
          - name: hero_image_url
            description: "Product hero image URL"
            meta:
              dimension:
                type: string
                image:
                  url: "${value.raw}"
                  width: 120
                  fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: products
        columns:
          - name: sku
            description: "Product SKU code"
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  type: string
                additional_dimensions:
                  product_thumbnail:
                    type: string
                    label: "Product Image"
                    description: "Product catalog image"
                    image:
                      url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/products/${value.raw}/thumbnail.jpg"
                      width: 80
                      height: 80
                      fit: "cover"
          - name: category
            description: "Product category"
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  type: string
                additional_dimensions:
                  category_icon:
                    type: string
                    label: "Category Icon"
                    description: "Category icon image"
                    image:
                      url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/icons/${value.raw | downcase}.png"
                      width: 40
                      height: 40
                      fit: "contain"
          - name: hero_image_url
            description: "Product hero image URL"
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  type: string
                  image:
                    url: "${value.raw}"
                    width: 120
                    fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: products

    dimensions:
      - name: sku
        description: "Product SKU code"
        type: string
      - name: product_thumbnail
        type: string
        label: "Product Image"
        description: "Product catalog image"
        image:
          url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/products/${value.raw}/thumbnail.jpg"
          width: 80
          height: 80
          fit: "cover"
      - name: category
        description: "Product category"
        type: string
      - name: category_icon
        type: string
        label: "Category Icon"
        description: "Category icon image"
        image:
          url: "https://cdn.mystore.com/icons/${value.raw | downcase}.png"
          width: 40
          height: 40
          fit: "contain"
      - name: hero_image_url
        description: "Product hero image URL"
        type: string
        image:
          url: "${value.raw}"
          width: 120
          fit: "cover"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Tags

You can add tags to individual dimensions to categorize them for programmatic use. Tags are string arrays that Lightdash preserves and exposes via the API.

Tags are useful for:

* **AI agent access control** — restrict which dimensions an [AI agent](/guides/ai-agents/data-access) can see
* **API filtering** — filter the [data catalog metrics endpoint](/api-reference/v1/recipes#filter-metrics-by-tag-using-the-data-catalog-api) by tag to retrieve only the dimensions you need
* **Pipeline ingestion** — flag specific dimensions for downstream ETL or semantic layer workflows

<Note>
  Tags are **not** displayed as Metrics Catalog categories in the Lightdash UI. They function as a backend/programmatic control mechanism only.
</Note>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: orders
        columns:
          - name: status
            meta:
              dimension:
                tags: ["core", "sales"]
          - name: location
            meta:
              dimension:
                tags: ["core", "operations"]
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: orders
        columns:
          - name: status
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  tags: ["core", "sales"]
          - name: location
            config:
              meta:
                dimension:
                  tags: ["core", "operations"]
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: orders

    dimensions:
      - name: status
        tags: ["core", "sales"]
      - name: location
        tags: ["core", "operations"]
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Using special characters or capital letters in your column names

If you use special characters on your column names, you might get errors when using those columns on explore. For example, having a column named `Status` with capital S on a table named `orders` in postgres throws the following error:

```bash theme={null}
column orders.status does not exist
```

To fix this, we can add the quoted column to our `sql` meta tag on dimensions

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: status
      meta:
        dimension:
          type: string
          sql: '"orders"."Status"' # you can also use '${TABLE}."Status"'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    - name: status
      config:
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: string
            sql: '"orders"."Status"' # you can also use '${TABLE}."Status"'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: status
        type: string
        sql: '"orders"."Status"' # you can also use '${TABLE}."Status"'
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

This will quote the `Status` columns on the SQL query

```sql theme={null}
SELECT
  "orders".order_id AS "orders_order_id",
  "orders"."Status" AS "orders_status"
FROM "postgres"."jaffle"."orders" AS "orders"
```

## Additional dimensions

Additional dimensions let you define multiple dimensions off of a single column from your dbt model. This is useful when [adding different formatting](#adding-different-formatting) to a column, [comparing or combining columns](#comparing-or-combining-columns), [parsing JSON columns](#parsing-json-columns), or creating persisted groups/buckets based off of a column.

A "normal" dimension is a column created in your .sql file in dbt that is written to your data warehouse. An additional dimension is not included in your dbt .sql file, so it's not written to your data warehouse. When used in Lightdash, it just adds the dimension definition to your SQL query (so it's "created" at runtime).

All [dimension configurations](#dimension-configuration) are available for additional dimensions. You can also [use additional dimensions when defining metrics](#using-additional-dimensions-in-metrics).

<Info>
  Additional dimensions names need to be unique in the model.
</Info>

### Adding different formatting

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: revenue
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: number
          additional_dimensions:
            revenue_in_thousands:
              type: number
              format: '#,##0," K"'
            revenue_in_millions:
              type: number
              format: '#,##0,," M"'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: revenue
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: number
            additional_dimensions:
              revenue_in_thousands:
                type: number
                format: '#,##0," K"'
              revenue_in_millions:
                type: number
                format: '#,##0,," M"'
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: revenue
        type: number
      - name: revenue_in_thousands
        type: number
        sql: ${TABLE}.revenue
        format: '#,##0," K"'
      - name: revenue_in_millions
        type: number
        sql: ${TABLE}.revenue
        format: '#,##0,," M"'
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Comparing or combining columns

When defining additional dimensions, you can reference other dimensions, even from joined tables (`organizations` is a joined table in the example below).

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: created_date
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: date
          additional_dimensions:
            days_to_first_query_run:
              type: number
              description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their first query run.'
              sql: ${first_query_date} - ${created_date}
            days_to_organization_first_payment:
              type: number
              description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their organization making its first payment. This will be negative for users who joined after the first payment.'
              sql: ${created_date} - ${organizations.first_payment_date}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: created_date
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: date
            additional_dimensions:
              days_to_first_query_run:
                type: number
                description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their first query run.'
                sql: ${first_query_date} - ${created_date}
              days_to_organization_first_payment:
                type: number
                description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their organization making its first payment. This will be negative for users who joined after the first payment.'
                sql: ${created_date} - ${organizations.first_payment_date}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: created_date
        type: date
      - name: days_to_first_query_run
        type: number
        description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their first query run.'
        sql: ${first_query_date} - ${created_date}
      - name: days_to_organization_first_payment
        type: number
        description: 'Number of days between a user being created and their organization making its first payment. This will be negative for users who joined after the first payment.'
        sql: ${created_date} - ${organizations.first_payment_date}
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Parsing JSON columns

Usually you'll want to add `hidden:true` for the main JSON dimension since raw JSON is not useful in charts.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: metadata # this is a jsonb column with metadata
        meta:
          dimension:
            hidden: true
          additional_dimensions:
            version:
              type: number
              sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version') # custom SQL applied to get the "version" value inside metadata
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: metadata # this is a jsonb column with metadata
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              hidden: true
            additional_dimensions:
              version:
                type: number
                sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version') # custom SQL applied to get the "version" value inside metadata
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: metadata # this is a jsonb column with metadata
        hidden: true
      - name: version
        type: number
        sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version') # custom SQL applied to get the "version" value inside metadata
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Adding multiple timezones for the same dimension

You can use additional dimensions to convert a timestamp into multiple timezones:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: created_at
        description: 'The time that the thing was created'
        meta:
          dimension:
            label: 'Created (UTC)'
            type: timestamp
          additional_dimensions:
            created_at_est:
              type: timestamp
              label: 'Created (EST)'
              description: 'The time that the thing was created, in EST'
              sql: "convert_timezone('UTC', 'America/New_York', ${TABLE}.created_at)"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    columns:
      - name: created_at
        description: 'The time that the thing was created'
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              label: 'Created (UTC)'
              type: timestamp
            additional_dimensions:
              created_at_est:
                type: timestamp
                label: 'Created (EST)'
                description: 'The time that the thing was created, in EST'
                sql: "convert_timezone('UTC', 'America/New_York', ${TABLE}.created_at)"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: created_at
        description: 'The time that the thing was created'
        label: 'Created (UTC)'
        type: timestamp
      - name: created_at_est
        type: timestamp
        label: 'Created (EST)'
        description: 'The time that the thing was created, in EST'
        sql: "convert_timezone('UTC', 'America/New_York', ${TABLE}.created_at)"
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Using additional dimensions in metrics

To define metrics based on additional dimensions, you need to add them to the model's meta metrics, or use custom SQL in defining them under the column's meta.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: users
        meta:
          metrics:
            highest_version_model_metric_example:
              type: max
              sql: ${version}
        columns:
          - name: metadata
            meta:
              dimension:
                hidden: true
              additional_dimensions:
                version:
                  type: number
                  sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version')
              metrics:
                highest_version:
                  type: max
                  sql: ${version}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    models:
      - name: users
        config:
          meta:
            metrics:
              highest_version_model_metric_example:
                type: max
                sql: ${version}
          columns:
            - name: metadata
              meta:
                dimension:
                  hidden: true
                additional_dimensions:
                  version:
                    type: number
                    sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version')
                metrics:
                  highest_version:
                    type: max
                    sql: ${version}
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    type: model
    name: users

    dimensions:
      - name: metadata
        hidden: true
      - name: version
        type: number
        sql: JSON_VALUE(${metadata}, '$.version')

    metrics:
      highest_version_model_metric_example:
        type: max
        sql: ${version}
      highest_version:
        type: max
        sql: ${version}
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Referencing time intervals in additional dimensions

You can reference time interval dimensions within additional dimensions. This is useful for creating custom logic based on specific time intervals.

For example, you can create a tier based on whether a specific time interval has a value:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="dbt v1.9 and earlier">
    ```yaml theme={null}
      - name: session_start
        meta:
          dimension:
            type: timestamp
            time_intervals:
            - DAY_OF_WEEK_NAME
            - WEEK
            - MONTH
            - RAW
            - DAY
            - HOUR_OF_DAY_NUM
            - QUARTER
          additional_dimensions:
            extra_session_start_tier:
              type: string
              sql: |
                CASE
                  WHEN ${session_start_month} IS NOT NULL THEN 'month'
                  ELSE 'else' END
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="dbt v1.10+ and Fusion">
    ```yaml theme={null}
      - name: session_start
        config:
          meta:
            dimension:
              type: timestamp
              time_intervals:
              - DAY_OF_WEEK_NAME
              - WEEK
              - MONTH
              - RAW
              - DAY
              - HOUR_OF_DAY_NUM
              - QUARTER
            additional_dimensions:
              extra_session_start_tier:
                type: string
                sql: |
                  CASE
                    WHEN ${session_start_month} IS NOT NULL THEN 'month'
                    ELSE 'else' END
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Lightdash YAML">
    ```yaml theme={null}
    dimensions:
      - name: session_start
        type: timestamp
        time_intervals:
        - DAY_OF_WEEK_NAME
        - WEEK
        - MONTH
        - RAW
        - DAY
        - HOUR_OF_DAY_NUM
        - QUARTER
      - name: extra_session_start_tier
        type: string
        sql: |
          CASE
            WHEN ${session_start_month} IS NOT NULL THEN 'month'
            ELSE 'else' END
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

In this example, the additional dimension `extra_session_start_tier` references `${session_start_month}`, which is the `MONTH` time interval of the `session_start` dimension.