Dimension Restructure RFC

[michael-mclawhorn]

Dimension Restructure RFC

Dimensions in 0.9 and before have several responsibilities. They serve as a config entity for table schemas and representing metadata. They are used as the hook for query serialization. They serve as a client for dimension value (domain) loading. They act as a gateway to search dimension values.

This refactor is oriented toward simplifying and structuring Dimensions. The existing Dimension interface will continue to provide the core access point for query and schema planning.

• Value resolution (filtered search and key lookup) will be rebased onto the 'IndexedDomain' class.

• Pure dimension metadata (state that doesn't drive any internal system behavior) will be held in an extensible DimensionDescriptor

• Domains and Dimensions will have distinct schemas, DomainSchema schemas reflect all the columns in the logical domain, while ApiDimensionSchema can be a view on those values as well as a 'default columns' used for response annotation. Domain schemas can be shared between dimensions, and those dimensions could have distinct views on the domain records.

• Domain endpoint /domain/DOMAINNAME/values should return domain values in the Domain Schema. Dimension values /dimension/DIMENSIONNAME/values should return values in the ApiDimensionSchema columns.

• Cardinality will become an optional contract on dimensions (via Indexed domains)

• Domains which are not browseable may return OptionalInt.empty() for cardinality and no values at dimension and domain values endpoints.

• The Dimension interface will no longer support explicit mutation of domain or index data. Instead systems which wish to modify those should hold onto references to MutableDomain, etc.

New interfaces:

DomainSchema/ApiDimensionSchema: Anything to do with dimension fields.

DimensionDescriptor: Name, description, category, etc.

Domain: Schema, cardinality, finderByKey

IndexedDomain: Domain, findByFilters, findAll

MutableKeyValueStore: not all KVS are mutable by default anymore

[cdeszaq]

Major +1 for the more type-driven "no count" concept and general "immutable unless named otherwise" notions.

The "New interfaces" summary section at the bottom is great, but could you expand it with the existing dimension (or otherwise participating / changing) interfaces so that the full scope of the change and responsibilities are more clear? A diagram may help, but I think the text of interface names and summary of what it is / owns is enough.

Calling out the "indexed" notion as surfacing the behaviors of being searchable is great.

The fact that DimensionDescriptor is essentially just metadata doesn't come through clearly enough (ie. I'm not 100% sure that's it's job), and I'm also not clear on if it applies to Dimension or Domain.

Making the distinction between Dimension and Domain, and how they relate, that will exist due to this RFC would be good. It's in there I think, but I'm having trouble getting it clear in my head.