create-an-explicit-hierarchy-master-data-services.md

title	Create an Explicit Hierarchy
description	Create an Explicit Hierarchy (Master Data Services)
author	meetdeepak
ms.author	dkhare
ms.reviewer	mikeray
ms.date	03/05/2026
ms.service	sql
ms.subservice	master-data-services
ms.topic	how-to
ms.custom	build-2025
helpviewer_keywords	creating explicit hierarchies [Master Data Services] explicit hierarchies, creating

Create an Explicit Hierarchy (Master Data Services)

[!INCLUDE SQL Server - Windows only ASDBMI]

[!INCLUDE support-notice]

In [!INCLUDEssMDSshort], create an explicit hierarchy when you need a ragged hierarchy in which members can exist at any level. Explicit hierarchies contain members from a single entity.

After you create an explicit hierarchy, you can add members to it in the Explorer functional area.

Prerequisites

To perform this procedure:

• You must have permission to access the System Administration functional area.

• You must be a model administrator. For more information, see Administrators (Master Data Services).

• The entity must be enabled for explicit hierarchies and collections.

To create an explicit hierarchy

1. In [!INCLUDEssMDSmdm], click System Administration.

2. On the Manage Model page, select a model from the grid and then click Entities.

3. On the Manage Entity page, from the grid, select the row for the entity that you want to create an explicit hierarchy for.

4. Click Explicit Hierarchies.

5. On the Manage Explicit Hierarchy page, click Add.

6. In the Name box, type a name for the hierarchy.

7. Optionally, clear the Mandatory hierarchy check box to create the hierarchy as a non-mandatory hierarchy. For more information about hierarchy types, see Explicit Hierarchies (Master Data Services).

8. Click Save.

Grid Columns

For each explicit hierarchy that you create, a row with seven columns is added to the grid. The following is a description of the columns.

Name	Description
Status	The entity status. When you click Save the following image is displayed that indicates that the entity is updating. If there are errors when creating or editing an entity, the following image is displayed. If the status is OK, then the following image is displayed.
Name	The explicit hierarchy name.
Is Mandatory	Specifies whether the explicit hierarchy is mandatory.
Created By	The username of the user who created the explicit hierarchy.
Created On	The date and time when the explicit hierarchy was created.
Updated By	The username of the user who last updated the explicit hierarchy.
Updated On	The date and time when the explicit hierarchy was last updated.

Next Steps

• Create a Consolidated Member (Master Data Services)

See Also

Explicit Hierarchies (Master Data Services)
Derived Hierarchies with Explicit Caps (Master Data Services)
Change an Explicit Hierarchy Name (Master Data Services)