PARENT (dimension, member, index)

Description:

This function returns the name of the indexed parent of a member in dimension.

This function is designed specifically to allow you to view the parent level members over a specific detail member. The function displays the name of the member at the specified index over the specified child member. The function takes as a parameter the name of the dimension which has the child level member, the name of the child /detail member whose parent level member you wish to access and the index of that parent.

Syntax: PARENT (dimension, member, index)

• Dimension : Enter the name of the dimension which exists in this database mentioned above and is the dimension whose members you wish to access /enter the cell reference which has the name of such a dimension.
• Member : Enter the name of the member which is a detail level member and which belongs to one or more parent level members whose name you wish to access / enter the cell reference which has such a member as its value.
• Index : Enter the index number of the parent that exists over the child member above, the name of which will be the result of the formula.

Remarks

• The name of the dimension and the name of the member must be a valid name and should exist in the database.
• The index number for the parent must be a valid number corresponding with a specific member in the dimension and should not be a number that is smaller or greater than a valid number for the members in that dimension.
• The value for parameter "index" must be a positive real integer.
• All the arguments are compulsory.

Example

=PARENT ("Region", "California", 1)	- returns the 1st parent of the member "California" from the dimension Region (Member: " North America")
=PARENT ("Version", "ActualVsBudget", 1)	- returns the 1st parent of the member ActualVsBudget" from the dimension Version (Member: "All_Variances")

 

Let us take the example of a cube in PowerOLAP which requires data that is the value for the name of a parent which is accessed through its index number as well as the dimension and the member name, all of which are to be given as a parameter to the function. If in the same dimension in another member or in another dimension in another cube, you want to display this accessed PARENT member value for the index supplied to the function then it is appropriate to use the PARENT function to access the member name at a given index. In this case write a formula in the cube in PowerOLAP to access this value for an index number with the help of this function and write this value to another member that is supposed to hold this value as fact data or you can also write this value to a different member of a different dimension in a different cube.



The screen above shows a formula for the PARENT function. The formula writes a value into the "MetaDataValues" dimension, into the "Parent" member. In the formula, the PARENT function takes three parameters, which are, the name of the dimension whose members are accessed, the name of the detail level member from within the dimension specified and the index number for the parent whose name has to be returned as the result of the function. This formula accesses the parent level member based upon the other two parameters that are given and then depending upon the index of the parent level member the resultant value is returned by the function. The function above accesses the members from the "Time" dimension, and then accesses the detail member "Period_03" and then for this member it accesses the 1st parent which is "Qtr_1" and is the value returned.