# Dimensional modelling the spine way: synthetic exercise worksheet

Curriculum reviewed: 2026-10-25. Use public or synthetic data only.
Do not include client evidence, credentials, private identifiers or raw receipts.

## Goal
A synthetic Sales contract, grain-review packet and semantic metadata worksheet.

## Outcomes
- Draft a cited process definition
- Distinguish candidate grain from human-ratified grain
- Design conformed dimensions and independent reconciliation checks
- Generate semantic metadata without implying deployment, refresh or correctness

## Synthetic case
Describe a Sales report built from order headers and order lines. State which grain you intend and which independently established expectation you would compare.

## Review each lesson
### 1. Start with process and grain
State what one fact row means before choosing a measure.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

### 2. Use the domain seeds carefully
Adapt Sales and finance starting points while preserving their draft status.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

### 3. Read the source map
Evaluate keys, relationships, coverage and source ambiguities from metadata.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

### 4. Draft and validate the star
Create a Gold contract with explicit types, conformed dimensions and reconciliation checks.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

### 5. Ratify with a human record
Preserve an authorised reviewer's identity and verbatim grain decision.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

### 6. Generate and inspect TMDL
Inspect model metadata, relationships and a bus-matrix review before measure authoring.
Expected output: a written explanation naming the observation, its scope and its limits.
Your notes:

## Failure case
Generated definitions exist but a required execution observation is missing. Explain why qualification cannot pass and name the next required observation. Do not fabricate a receipt or change a frozen expectation.

## Evidence table
| Claim | Expected observation | Available evidence | Missing/stale | Next owner/action |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | | | |

## Limitations
This worksheet is a completion check, not live qualification, business acceptance or a professional award. Pro assessment and certification policy remain planned. Keep optional live results in customer-controlled custody.