Getting the Source for a Metadata Object

Difference between a metadata object and its Source

A metadata object represents a set of data, but it does not provide the ability to create queries on that data. Its function is informational, recording the existence, structure, and characteristics of the data. It does not give access to the data values.

In order to access the data values for a given metadata object, an application gets the Source object that represents its data. A Source that represents the data for a metadata object is called a primary Source.

Calling the getSource method

To get the primary Source for a metadata object, an application calls the getSource method on that metadata object. For example, if an application needs to display the sales figures for 1999, it must first use the getSource method on the MdmMeasure called mdmSalesAmount.

Source salesAmount = mdmSalesAmount.getSource();

An application can call the getSource method on any object that is an instance of a concrete subclass of MdmSource. The following is a list of the concrete subclasses:

• MdmHierarchy

• MdmLevel

• MdmListDimension

• MdmAttribute

• MdmMeasure

For more information about getting and working with primary Source objects, see Chapter 5