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MDX Query Editor (Analysis Services - Multidimensional Data)

  • Article

Use the MDX Query Editor to design and execute statements and scripts written in the Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) language.

Features

  • Type scripts in the query editor pane of MDX Query Editor.

  • To execute scripts press F5, or click Execute on the toolbar, or on the Query menu, click Execute. If a portion of the code is selected, only that portion is executed. If no code is selected, the entire content of the MDX Query Editor is executed.

  • View metadata for cubes and other objects contained in an Analysis Services database in the metadata pane.

  • For help on MDX syntax, select a keyword in MDX Query Editor, and then click F1.

  • For dynamic help with MDX syntax, on the Help menu, click Dynamic Help, to open the Dynamic Help component. With Dynamic Help, help topics appear in the Dynamic Help window when keywords are typed in Query Editor.

SQL Server Analysis Services Editors Toolbar

When MDX Query Editor is open, the Analysis Services Editors toolbar appears with the buttons listed in the following table.

Term Definition
Connect Opens the Connect to Server dialog box, to establish a connection to an Analysis Services instance.
Disconnect Disconnects the MDX Query Editor from an Analysis Services instance.
Change Connection Opens the Connect to Server dialog box, to establish a connection to a different Analysis Services instance.
New Query with Current Connection Opens a new MDX Query Editor window, using the connection information from the current MDX Query Editor window.
Available Databases Change the connection to a different Analysis Services database on the same instance.
Execute Executes the selected code, or if no code is selected, executes the entire code in the MDX Query Editor.
Parse Checks the syntax of the selected code. If no code is selected, checks the syntax of the entire MDX Query Editor window.
Cancel Executing Query Sends a cancellation request to the server. Some queries cannot be canceled immediately, but must wait for a suitable cancellation condition. When queries are canceled, delays may occur while transactions are rolled back.

MDX Query Editor Window

The options listed in the following table are available in MDX Query Editor.

Term Definition
Query editor window Type MDX statements and scripts to be executed by the MDX Query Editor.

The context menu for the query editor provides the following options:

Cut: Copies the current selection to the clipboard and removes the selection from the query editor window.

Copy: Copies the current selection to the clipboard.

Paste: Pastes the contents of the clipboard to the current selection.

Connect: Opens the Connect to Server dialog box, to establish a connection to an Analysis Services instance.

Disconnect: Disconnects the current query editor from an Analysis Services instance.

Disconnect All Queries: Disconnects all currently open query editors.

Change Connection: Opens the Connect to Server dialog box, to establish a connection to a different Analysis Services instance.

Open Server in Object Explorer: Opens the Analysis Services instance to which the current query editor is connected in Object Explorer.

Execute: Execute the selected code, or if no code is selected, executes the entire code in the current query editor.

Properties Window: Displays the Properties window in SQL Server Management Studio for the current query window.

Query Options: Displays the Query Options dialog box.
Metadata window Displays metadata for the currently connected Analysis Services database.
Cube Select a cube in the currently connected Analysis Services database to display the metadata associated with the cube in the Metadata tab.
Metadata Displays the metadata for the cube selected in Cube, including measure groups and measures, key performance indicators, dimensions, hierarchies, levels, members, and member properties. To retrieve the fully qualified key of an object, either:

Drag the object from the Metadata tab to the query pane.

Right-click the object and select Copy, then right-click the query pane and select Paste.
Functions Displays the metadata for MDX functions available to the Analysis Services database, as retrieved from the MDSCHEMA_FUNCTIONS schema rowset. To retrieve the syntax of a function, either:

Drag the object from the Functions tab to the query pane.

Right-click the function and select Copy, and then right-click the query pane and select Paste.
Results window Displays the results of an MDX statement or script in a grid.
Messages window Displays information about how a MDX statement or script executed. For example, this window displays any errors encountered during execution or the number of cells retrieved after execution.