Practical MDX Queries: For Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 2008

Book excerpt: 300+ ready-to-use, powerful MDX queries This hands-on guide shows you how to use Multi-Dimensional Expressions (MDX) to extract business intelligence from multi-dimensional cubes. Practical MDX Queries contains more than 300 downloadable MDX queries that can be applied across a wide variety of business intelligence-related problems. The use, syntax, and results of each query are described in detail. The book emphasizes MDX for use with SSAS within SSMS, but the techniques and queries also apply to SSRS, SSIS, MDX in SQL, MDX in DMX, MDX in XMLA, WinForms, WebForms, PerformancePoint Server, ProClarity, and many third-party applications. Work with dimensions, hierarchies, levels, and members Navigate both horizontally and vertically across dimensions and hierarchies Sort the results of your queries Access subsets of dimension members and measure values using the Where clause and Filter function Use MDX query calculations Extract and manipulate dates and times Produce totals, subtotals, and changes cross time using aggregate and other functions Create, visualize, and manipulate sets Work with perspectives, subselects, and subcubes Display and hide empty cells Use, modify, format, and create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Deliver MDX query results to end users