Building OLAP Queries

Interactive Reporting uses the data layout to manage multidimensional information. The data layout enables you to plot, view, and manipulate dimensions. The three data layout panes are:

Side Labels—Contains non-quantifiable dimensions or members.
Top Labels—Contains non-quantifiable dimensions or members.
Measures—Contains quantifiable dimensions or measures. The Measures pane in data layout holds the values of the cube.
Note:
Interactive Reporting treats time and date dimensions as non-quantifiable values.

To build an OLAP query:

Select Tools, then Options, then Program Options, then OLAP.
The OLAP tab is displayed.
Select Use Old OLAP Query section and click OK.
By default, new Essbase queries use the new Section type (CubeQuery). The Old OLAP query can be used by selecting Tools, then Options, then Program Options, then OLAP and then Use Old OLAP Query section.
Select Insert, then New Query.
The Insert Query dialog box is displayed.
Select an Interactive Reporting connection file in which to connection.
See Insert Query for more information.
The Query section is displayed.
If the data layout is not visible, click Data Layout on the Section title bar.
In the Catalog pane, select one or more measures (such as units or amounts) and choose OLAP, then Add Fact/Measure to add the item(s) to the Measures pane in data layout.
In the Catalog pane, select one or more levels or members and choose OLAP, then Add Side Labels to add the item to the Side Labels pane in data layout.
In the Catalog pane, select one or more levels or members and choose OLAP, then Add Top Label to add the item to the Top Labels pane in data layout.

To refresh the dimension values in the Catalog pane, select OLAP, then Retrieve Dimensions.

When you drag items from the Catalog pane to the data layout, only the level names is displayed. For example, if you drag CA into the data layout, the data layout displays State. Level names are displayed in the data layout preceded by an icon, Level Name icon .

You can reorient, or pivot, your OLAPQuery by interchanging the items in the top and side dimensions. This feature is useful for juxtaposing data in one dimension with data from other dimensions. By pivoting dimensions from the top to the side, alternate relationships become evident.