MDX

Microsoft® SQL Server™ OLAP Services implements multidimensional expressions (MDX) for manipulating multidimensional data. MDX is defined in the OLAP extensions in OLE DB.

MDX provides a rich and powerful syntax for querying and manipulating the multidimensional data stored in OLAP server cubes. OLAP Services supports MDX functions in the definitions of calculated members, and in a full language implementation for creating local cubes and querying cube data using PivotTable® Service with OLE DB and Microsoft ActiveX® Data Objects (ADO).

Defining Calculated Members

OLAP Services provides over 100 built-in MDX functions for defining sophisticated calculated members in the Cube editor’s Calculated Member Builder. Functions are provided in the following categories:

• Array functions
• Dimension functions
• Hierarchy functions
• Level functions
• Logical functions
• Member functions
• Numeric functions
• Set functions
• String functions
• Tuple functions

For more information, see Creating Calculated Members and Calculated Member Builder.

Creating Local Cubes with MDX

You can create a local cube to be stored on a computer other than the OLAP server. Creation of a local cube requires MDX syntax.

Creation of local cubes is accomplished through PivotTable Service, which is an OLE DB client to an OLAP server. PivotTable Service also provides stand-alone OLE DB provider capabilities for local cube creation when not connected to an OLAP server.

Use the CREATE CUBE statement to create a local cube. For more information, see Creating Local Cubes and CREATE CUBE.

Querying Cubes with MDX

In OLAP Services, all querying of cube data is performed through PivotTable Service, which is an OLE DB client to an OLAP server. PivotTable Service also provides stand-alone OLE DB provider capabilities for querying when not connected to an OLAP server.

PivotTable Service implements the rich and powerful OLE DB MDX syntax for manipulating multidimensional data and objects.

For more information, see MDX in Building OLAP Services Applications and PivotTable Service.

See Also

OLE DB 2.0 and later documentation

ADO 2.0 and later documentation

MDX Sample Application

OLAP Services includes the MDX Sample application, which provides a user interface for querying cubes with MDX.

To start the MDX Sample application

• On your desktop click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, point to OLAP Services, and then click MDX Sample Application.

For more information about the MDX Sample Application, refer to its Help.