This function reads a point from an Analysis Services cube. You must specify the data-source, database and cube to read from. You must also specify a member for each dimension in the cube.
The ASREAD function allows the user to pull in values from any analysis service, connect to a cube in it, and selectively pull in the data that you require from a particular dimension and member and bring that into PowerOLAP.
The cube in PowerOLAP is where the "read" values are stored. This implies that once the ASREAD function reads values from the source, then in order to access these values they need to be stored in a location and the location is a cube in PowerOLAP. The dimensions and their members in the cube in PowerOLAP must be an imitation of the dimensions and the members of the source cube in the source database (that are parameters to this function), existing within "Analysis Services" from where we are pulling in data.
Although the cube in PowerOLAP must contain all the dimensions that exist in the source cube, however those dimensions need not contain all the members in the analysis services cube. You may create only those members within which you want to populate values, and display the same.
These member names in which you pull in values, must match exactly with the member names in the source database and even a small typing error can be responsible for not pulling in values from the source cube because an exact match is completely necessary.
Syntax: ASREAD (data-source, database, cube, member1, member2, …)
- Data-source : Specify the name of the server that is has the "Analysis Services" database on it.
- Database : Specify the name of the database in "Analysis Services" which you want to connect to.
- Cube : Specify the name of a cube in the database mentioned above.
- Member1 : Specify the name of the member in the 1st dimension of this cube.
- Member2 : Specify the name of the member in the 2nd dimension of this cube.
- Member-n : Specify the name of the member in the nth dimension of this cube.
Remarks
- The name of the database, the cube and the member names supplied to the function must be a valid and should exist in the database and must be spelled accurately.
- The cube that is referenced above should be allowed access to from the "data source" supplied also as a parameter.
- The data-source must be valid and operational.
- All arguments are compulsory.
Example
Let us create a new database to illustrate this example.
This database is named "AnalysisServicesinPO" and contains a cube called "ASReadCube". The dimensions and their members in the "ASReadCube" are an imitation of the dimensions and the members of the source cube in the source database within "Analysis Services" from where we are pulling in data. In this example we are pulling in data into our cube in PowerOLAP from the "FoodMart 2000" database in MS-Analysis Services. In this instance we are using the "Budget" cube that exists within this database. Therefore the cube "ASReadCube" cube in PowerOLAP is a replica of the "Budget" cube in "FoodMart 2000".
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This formula above reads values from the "FoodMart2000" database that resides on the data-source, which is the name of a server here, namely, "Escher". The cube that is read from this database is the "Budget" cube and for the member names, since we require all the values of all members to be pulled into PowerOLAP therefore we make use of the current function, which ensures that the member name being read by the ASRead functions, is the currently selected member name, and when the selection changes the value is also updated. In this way the ASRead function accesses the values from analysis services.