MSSQL Analysis Services - Attribute Member Names

In this article, we will examine the attribute member Name property, which we briefly touched upon in Dimensional Attributes: Introduction and Overview Part V. We will examine the details of the attribute member Name, and shed some light on how they can most appropriately be used without degrading system performance or creating other unexpected or undesirable results.

Our examination will include:

• A review of the nature of the attribute member Name property, and its possible roles in helping to meet the primary objectives of business intelligence.
• A review of the nature and uses of the attribute member Name from a technical perspective, including its purpose within its containing dimension within Analysis Services.
• A discussion surrounding some of the differences between attribute Name and Key properties.
• Mention of differences between Analysis Services 2000 and Analysis Services 2005 regarding the use of expressions within our Name column references;
• A review of the settings associated with the Name property, based upon the examination of a representative dimension attribute within our sample UDM.