Dealing with inactive relationships
In real-world scenarios, the data models can get very busy, especially when we are creating a data model to support enterprise BI; there are many instances that we have an inactive relationship in our data model. In the majority of cases, there are two reasons that a relationship is inactive, as follows:
- The table with an inactive relationship is reachable via multiple filter paths.
- There are multiple direct relationships between two tables.
In both preceding cases, the engine does not allow to activate an inactive relationship to avoid ambiguity across the model.
Reachability via multiple filter paths
A filter path between two tables is when the two tables are related via multiple tables. Therefore, the filter propagates from one table to the other via multiple hops (relationships). The following diagram shows a data model with an inactive relationship:
Figure 9.14 – Inactive relationship due...
