Dimension Format

The format property controls how dimension values are displayed to consumers. Apply date formatting, number formatting, or custom patterns to make dimension output human-readable.

Overview

The format property hints to BI tools how to render dimension values. Dimensions support more format options than measures.

Example

dimensions:
  - name: avatar_url
    type: string
    sql: avatar_url
    format: imageUrl

  - name: profile_link
    type: string
    sql: "CONCAT('https://example.com/users/', id)"
    format: link

  - name: price
    type: number
    sql: unit_price
    format: currency

  - name: external_id
    type: number
    sql: external_system_id
    format: id

Supported Formats

imageUrl

Displays the value as an image in table views:

- name: product_image
  type: string
  sql: image_url
  format: imageUrl

- name: avatar
  type: string
  sql: profile_picture_url
  format: imageUrl

link

Displays the value as a clickable hyperlink:

- name: website
  type: string
  sql: website_url
  format: link

- name: order_link
  type: string
  sql: "CONCAT('https://admin.example.com/orders/', id)"
  format: link

id

Prevents number formatting (no commas in large numbers):

- name: external_id
  type: number
  sql: external_system_id
  format: id

Output: 1234567890 instead of 1,234,567,890

currency

Displays as monetary value:

- name: unit_price
  type: number
  sql: price
  format: currency

percent

Displays as percentage:

- name: discount_rate
  type: number
  sql: discount
  format: percent

Custom Time Format

Use POSIX strftime format strings for time dimensions:

- name: created_at
  type: time
  sql: created_at
  format: "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"

- name: birth_date
  type: time
  sql: birth_date
  format: "%B %d, %Y" # "January 15, 2024"

Time Format Specifiers

Specifier	Description	Example
`%Y`	4-digit year	2024
`%y`	2-digit year	24
`%m`	Month (01-12)	03
`%B`	Full month name	March
`%b`	Abbreviated month	Mar
`%d`	Day of month (01-31)	15
`%H`	Hour (00-23)	14
`%I`	Hour (01-12)	02
`%M`	Minute (00-59)	30
`%S`	Second (00-59)	45
`%p`	AM/PM	PM

Common Patterns

User Profiles

dimensions:
  - name: avatar
    type: string
    sql: avatar_url
    format: imageUrl

  - name: profile_url
    type: string
    sql: "CONCAT('/users/', username)"
    format: link

Product Catalog

dimensions:
  - name: image
    type: string
    sql: image_url
    format: imageUrl

  - name: sku
    type: string
    sql: sku
    format: id

  - name: price
    type: number
    sql: price
    format: currency

Timestamps

dimensions:
  - name: created_at
    type: time
    sql: created_at
    format: "%Y-%m-%d"

  - name: last_login
    type: time
    sql: last_login_at
    format: "%b %d, %Y at %I:%M %p"

BI Tool Support

Format support varies by visualization tool. Most tools recognize common formats, but rendering details may differ.