About the Series ...
This is the twelfth article of the
series, MDX Essentials. The series is designed to provide hands-on
application of the fundamentals of the Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) language,
with each tutorial progressively adding features designed to meet specific
real-world needs.
For more information about the series in general, as well as
the software and systems requirements needed for getting the most out of the
lessons included, please see the first article, MDX at
First Glance: Introduction to MDX Essentials.
Note: Service Pack 3 updates are assumed for MSSQL
Server 2000, MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis Services, and the related Books
Online and Samples.
What We
Accomplished in our Last Article
In the last article of the series, MDX
Time Series Functions, Part III: The LastPeriods()
and ParallelPeriod() Functions,
we concluded our three-article group of lessons on the time series functions,
a specialized family of functions that MDX provides to perform analysis within
the context of time. After discussing in general the common business need to
analyze data over time, we first overviewed the LastPeriods() and ParallelPeriod()
functions. For each function, we then illustrated the syntax that is appropriate
for its effective use. Finally, we tested our understanding of how to leverage the
function by undertaking a relevant practice exercise, discussing the results we
obtained and performing additional proof exercises to confirm their accuracy.
Introduction
In this lesson, we will
focus our attention on a basic function that, however humble, finds itself in
use in expressions and queries that rank from the simplest, perhaps, to the
most advanced. The Order() function provides the sorting
capabilities we need within MDX, and is thus an important part of our analysis
toolsets.
As simple as mere
ordering might appear to be, the support of hierarchies in MDX makes the
processes a bit more involved. Two general types of order,
hierarchized and nonhierarchized, can be anticipated. Ordering in a
hierarchized manner arranges members within a given hierarchy, and then
arranges the hierarchical levels. Nonhierarchized ordering, in contrast,
ignores hierarchy completely in the arrangement of all members within the
affected set.
Along with an
introduction to the Order() function, this lesson will include:
-
an examination of the syntax surrounding the function;
-
illustrative examples of the uses of the function in practice
exercises;
-
a brief discussion of the MDX results we obtain in the practice
examples.
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