Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for analyzing multidimensional data that use tangential exploration of data via a third or Z-dimension to the current two-dimensional view. The tangential exploration allows higher dimensionality to be explored without causing visual clutter.

Abstract: Described herein are methods and systems for providing hints for and selecting cells within a crosstab that are compatible. Providing hints manifests the compatible cells and the selection is limited to compatible members. Hinting at unselected but compatible cells provides leads for user for other operations they may seek to pursue. User selections that include incompatible cells are corrected to ensure integrity of group operations to be performed on the selections. Compatibility is determined by aggregation level, measure and the like.

Abstract: A computer readable storage medium includes executable instructions to receive a relevancy parameter. The relevancy parameter is searched in a category ensemble including a set of categories, where the category ensemble overlies a dataset. A first order of the set of categories is created based on the relevancy of the relevancy parameter to each category in the set of categories, where the relevancy is a degree of match to the relevancy parameter. A second order of the set of categories is created based on the merit of each category to partition the dataset. The first order and the second order are combined into a final order, which is returned. A measure in the category ensemble is searched based on the relevancy parameter. The measure is returned as a selected measure, where the selected measure is a codomain of a visualization depicting a portion of the dataset.