Intrinsic Member Properties: The DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME Property

In this lesson, we will examine another intrinsic member property, DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME. As many of us are aware, the intrinsic member properties supported by SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services are of two types: context sensitive member properties and non-context sensitive member properties. DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME belongs to the second group of properties. As a general group, intrinsic member properties provide additional information that can be used by applications to enhance the user's experience. Support for the non-context sensitive member properties is the same for all members, regardless of individual context.

The purpose of the DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME property is to support the return of the unique name of the dimensionto which a member belongs. DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME can be useful in a host of different applications. Moreover, as I have noted to be the case for other functions and properties within the MDX Essentials series,DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME allows us to exercise a great deal of presentation “sleight of hand,” in working with MDX inAnalysis Services, as well as within Reporting Services and various other reporting applications that can access anAnalysis Services cube.

The DIMENSION_UNIQUE_NAME property can be leveraged in activities that range from generating simple lists to supporting sophisticated presentations. It can be a particularly effective tool when we need to provide parameter picklistsupport and the like, as we shall see. We will introduce the function, commenting upon its operation and touching upon examples of effects that we can employ it to deliver. As a part of our discussion, we shall:

• Examine the syntax surrounding the function;
• Undertake illustrative examples of the uses of the function in practice exercises;
• Briefly discuss the results datasets we obtain in the practice examples.