A dimension has a name and a length. Dimensions are used to define the shape of one or more variables in a netCDF file.

• Dimensions may be shared among variables, indicating a common grid.
• Dimensions may be associated with coordinate variables to identify coordinate axes.
• In the classic netCDF data model, at most one dimension can have the unlimited length, which means variables can grow along that dimension.
• Record dimension is another term for an unlimited dimension.
• In the enhanced data model, multiple dimensions can have the unlimited length.

Operations supported on dimensions include:

• Create a dimension, given its name and length.
• Get a dimension from its name.
• Get the unlimited dimension(s), if any.
• Get a dimension's name.
• Get a dimension's length.
• Rename a dimension.

2011 Unidata NetCDF Workshop > The Two NetCDF Data Models