Visual system for visualizing, navigating, and editing attribute lattices within OLAP databases

A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps comprising:

• receiving input to access a visual representation of OLAP attributes and relationships for a dimension;
• when the visual representation for the OLAP attributes and relationships has not already been created for the dimension, performing a layout process to create a layout for the visual representation, the layout process comprising the steps of:
• generating the visual representation in the layout that contains an arrangement of shapes with connections between the shapes, with one or more sub-elements contained within at least some of the shapes, with the connections between the shapes representing relationships between the OLAP attributes in the dimension, and with the containment of a respective sub-element within a respective shape representing a relationship between an attribute being represented by the respective sub-element and an attribute being represented by the respective shape;
• receiving a selection to expand the visual representation;
• processing each of the shapes and expanding the shapes to show all of the attributes;
• and
• updating the visual representation to show all shapes in an expanded state.