The Value Type of MDX Properties

Learn about the types of MDX properties in Essbase based on what values they return.

The value of an MDX property in Essbase can be a numeric, Boolean, or string type. MEMBER_NAME and MEMBER_ALIAS properties return string values. LEVEL_NUMBER and GEN_NUMBER properties return numeric values.

The attribute properties return numeric, Boolean, or string values based on the attribute dimension type. For example, in Sample Basic, the [Ounces] attribute property is a numeric property. The [Pkg Type] attribute property is a string property. The [Caffeinated] attribute property is a Boolean property.

Essbase allows attribute dimensions with date types. The date type properties are treated as numeric properties in MDX. When comparing these property values with dates, you need to use the TODATE function to convert date strings to numeric before comparison.

The following query returns all Product dimension members that have been introduced on date 03/25/1996. Since the property [Intro Date] is a date type, the TODATE function must be used to convert the date string "03-25-1996" to a number before comparing it.

Select
 Filter ([Product].Members, 
          [Product].CurrentMember.[Intro Date] = 
          TODATE("mm-dd-yyyy","03-25-1996")) on columns

When a property is used in a value expression, you must use it appropriately based on its value type: string, numeric, or Boolean.