Defining and Editing Programs

Defining a program

A program, like a dimension or a variable, is an OLAP DML object. You can define it using the DEFINE command. The following example defines a program named HELLO using the DEFINE command.

define hello program

Once you have defined a program object, you need to add command lines to it using an editor.

Editing programs

OLAP DML programs can be editing using a program editor or using commands in the OLAP DML.

Using an editor

OLAP Worksheet provides an editor that you can use to edit programs and formulas. To access the program editor from within OLAP Worksheet, type the EDIT command followed by the program name.

To save the program, choose Save from the File menu in OLAP Worksheet.

Procedure: Using OLAP Worksheet to edit a program

If you want to edit the program using OLAP Worksheet, then follow the procedure outlined below.

1. Start OLAP Worksheet.

2. Connect to an analytic workspace.

   Refer to the OLAP Worksheet Help system for details.

3. If necessary, define the program.

   For example, to define a program named SALESREP, enter the following command in the Command Input window in OLAP Worksheet.

   define salesrep program
   

4. To use the Edit Window in OLAP Worksheet, enter the EDIT command and the program name in the Command Input window.

   For example, to edit the SALESREP program, enter the following command.

   edit salesrep
   

   If you do not want to use the Edit Window, you can enter the program contents in the Command Input window. You can use one of the following modes.

   • Enter one line of code at a time in the Command Input window. For example, enter PROGRAM, enter each line of code, and then enter END to stop adding contents to the program. (Default mode)

   • Choose Preferences from the Options menu in OLAP Worksheet. In the Preferences dialog box, deselect Execute on Enter. You can now enter the entire contents of the program in the Command Input window. To save the program contents, choose the play button or Ctrl-Enter on the keyboard.

Using OLAP DML commands

The OLAP DML allows you to edit the contents of a program from the OLAP Worksheet command line or using an OLAP DML program. You may edit the contents of a program immediately after it has been defined, or immediately after using the CONSIDER command.

Formatting guidelines for editing programs

Use the following formatting guidelines as you add lines to your program:

• Each line of code can have a maximum of 4000 characters.

• To continue a single command on the next line, place a hyphen (-) at the end of the line to be broken. The hyphen is called a continuation character.

  Note: You cannot use a continuation character in the middle of a text literal.

• To write more than one command on a single line, separate the commands with semi-colons (;).

• Enclose literal text in single quotation marks ('). To include a single quotation mark within literal text, precede it with a backslash (\).

• Precede comments with double quotation marks ("). You can place a comment, preceded by double quotation marks, either at the beginning of a line or at the end of a line, after some commands.

Example: Defining and add contents to a simple program

The following program named HELLO produces the phrase "Hello World."

DEFINE HELLO PROGRAM
PROGRAM
show 'Hello World'
END

Related information

For more information, see the following table.

IF you want documentation about . . .	THEN see . . .
escape sequences,	"Text data types"
individual OLAP DML commands,	the topic for the command in OLAP DML Reference