I'll propose 20 criteria for what makes a system dimensional. Besides giving each of the 20 criteria a name, I will try very hard to define the criteria in decisive ways that let you decide whether your system complies. Your total system should then measure somewhere between a score of zero, representing a system completely unsupportive of a dimensional approach, and 20, representing a system as completely supportive as I can imagine. Keep in mind that in most cases, no single vendor will attempt to meet all the criteria single-handedly. A data warehouse is always a complete system, spanning the back room, beginning with the interface to the production system of record, all the way to the front room and the end user's keyboard and screen.
Few vendors attempt to provide completely integrated solutions all by themselves.
But conversely, a single vendor can ruin the system's coherence by failing to support interface standards that make it possible to assemble a complete system. In most of the cases, it is fairly clear why a criterion belongs to a particular group. Architectural criteria usually extend from the back room, through the DBMS, all the way to the front room and the user's desktop. Administration criteria generally affect IT personnel who are building and maintaining the data warehouse. Expression criteria are mostly analytic capabilities that are needed in real-life situations.