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.

For more information about the query editor pane, see Editing Scripts and Files in SQL Server Management Studio.

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

Term

Definition

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.

See Also

Reference

Analysis Services Designers and Dialog Boxes (Multidimensional Data)

DMX Query Editor (Analysis Services - Data Mining)

XMLA Query Editor (Analysis Services - Multidimensional Data)

SQL Server Management Studio Keyboard Shortcuts

Color Coding in Query Editors

Concepts

Query and Text Editors (SQL Server Management Studio)

Customize Menus and Shortcut Keys

Other Resources

Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) Reference

Editing Scripts and Files in SQL Server Management Studio