Mark V SQL

For the final post in this series, we’ll take a look at the PERIODSTODATE() function. Your skills of predictive analytics should suggest that this is a handy one to use for reports needing calculations for year-to-date, month-to-date, etc. The PERIODSTODATE() function takes two inputs: [Level]: The hierarchy level defining the “Period” part of the period-to-date [...]

Like the LEAD() and LAG() functions we looked at in the previous post, the PARALLELPERIOD() function is also useful for travelling through ordered hierarchies. However, there is one really important difference. While LEAD() and LAG() use the hierarchy level of the member passed to the function to determine the hierarchy level to be traversed, the [...]

One of the many strengths of MDX is that there are many different functions you can use for travelling through time. And as a plus, none of them require you to sling-shot around the Sun at maximum Warp speed. In this post, we will introduce the simplest of these functions: LEAD() and LAG(). Although I [...]

Since you have been following this series with the utmost, life-changing, interest, then you have most certainly read the previous post, Intro To MDX Decathlon – Hierarchy Navigation Basics (6/10). In that post, I used the NON EMPTY keyword and mentioned I would cover it in the next post. Tada! The next post is right [...]

Hierarchies are a great asset to cube users. They allow them to drill down into increasing levels of detail with a click. Since hierarchies are so pervasive in cubes, it is pretty much guaranteed that folks who write MDX against cubes will need to perform hierarchy navigation at some point. There are many MDX functions [...]

In the previous post in this series, Intro To MDX Decathlon – Sets: A Shirt of a Different Color (4/10), we defined a Set and also discussed the rules that valid sets must follow. In this post, we will introduce a function that can provide an easy way to form a set: .members. The .members [...]

In the previous post in this series, Intro To MDX Decathlon – The Trouble With Tuples (3/10), we discussed how to reference a particular cell in a cube by using a Tuple. Now it’s time to group them together using a concept we haven’t discussed yet: the Set. Its basic definition is deceptively simple: Set: [...]

In this third installment of my Intro to MDX Decathlon, we cover the hugely important Tuple. Before we get into the details, I want to make a quick note about pronunciation. There is some controversy over how to properly say the “tup” in Tuple. In one camp, there are the folks that say it must [...]

I will be giving my MDX Trek: First Contact presentation to the mighty Minnesota Chapter of PASS (PASSMN) on Tuesday, August 21st. You can come live and in person to the Microsoft office in Edina or attend via Live Meeting. Get more details of register here. Happy days.

In the previous post in this series, Intro to MDX Decathlon – Cube Space: The Final Frontier (1/10), we learned the terminology we use when talking about cubes and cube space. We also gave a little primer on a helpful way to imagine the cube space while working with MDX. In this post, we will [...]