Typed measures extend the analytical capabilities of Essbase. In addition to numeric values, measures can also be associated with text- or date-typed values.
Text measures are tagged as “text” in whichever dimension measures are represented. They enable cell values to contain one of an enumerated list of text labels. These labels are defined, at the outline level, using a mapping artifact called a Text List object.
Date measures are tagged as “date” in the dimension where measures are represented. Date measures enable cell values in the form of a formatted date.
The following general guidelines apply to both text and date measures:
Add them to the existing measures dimension; for example, Accounts.
Do not aggregate them. By default, text and date measures are assigned the non-aggregation symbol (^).
Queries should be made at the same level at which data was loaded.
“Working With Typed Measures” in the Oracle Essbase Database Administrator's Guide