String Functions: The .Properties Function
In this, the first half of a two-part article, we will expose another useful function within the MDX toolset, the .Properties function. The general purpose of the .Properties function is to return a member property value. Enhancements to the .Properties function allow it go beyond returning a string containing the member property value (the capability that the function had in Analysis Services 2000): .Properties can now return a strongly typed result, through the use of a special flag incorporated within Analysis Services 2005 MDX for that purpose. In this article, we will introduce the basic .Properties function, which returns a string in every case. We will explore the use .Properties with the TYPED flag, whereby the property value is returned in its internal data type, in Part II of this article.
Tags: mdx