About the Series …
This is the thirteenth tutorial article of the series, MDX
in Analysis Services. The series is designed to provide hands-on
application of the fundamentals of MDX from the perspective of MS SQL Server
2000 Analysis Services ("MSAS,"); our
primary focus is the manipulation of multidimensional data sources, using MDX
expressions, in a variety of scenarios designed to meet real-world business
intelligence needs.
For more
information on the series, as well as the hardware / software requirements to
prepare for the tutorials we will undertake, please see the first lesson of
this series, MDX
Concepts and Navigation.
Note: At the time of writing, Service
Pack 3 updates
are assumed for MSSQL Server 2000, MSSQL Server 2000 Analysis
Services, and the related Books Online and Samples.
The screen shots that appear in this article were taken from a Windows 2003
Server, and may appear somewhat different from coinciding views in other
operating systems.
Introduction
With
this lesson, we will begin an examination of named sets, from the
perspective the MDX query language. We obtained brief exposure to the concept of
named sets earlier in the series (Using
Sets in MDX Queries), touching upon
them from the perspective of the MSAS Analysis Manager, the Cube
Editor, and related interfaces in MSAS. We will be
focusing in this lesson upon named sets that we create within an MDX query,
through the use of the WITH statement.
Named
sets are in most ways similar to calculated members (See Calculated
Members: Introduction and Calculated
Members: Further Considerations and Perspectives, both within the MDX
in Analysis Services series), as we shall see. The syntax shared by
the two is almost identical: we are required to name the set and to
provide the specifications for its calculation inside the WITH clause,
just as we must perform these steps for a calculated member.
In
this article, we will introduce the concepts behind named sets, and then
discuss the MDX syntax used in their creation. Next, we will undertake illustrative
practice examples, based upon hypothetical business needs, and assembled
step-by-step, to illustrate the value that named sets can offer us. Within the context of each step, we will discuss
the results we obtain, to reinforce the subject matter in a way that activates
the concepts involved, as well as to perhaps suggest expanded uses in our own
business environments.
