Re: MDX Solutions Second Edition
- From: "Peter Zajkowski via SQLMonster.com" <forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 02 May 2005 15:44:12 GMT
Hi Chris:
Great book, gets lots of use (abuse). I have two initial thoughts:
1) It seems a section that expands on the concept of a Periodicity
dimension or a Calculations dimension would be very worthwhile. When I
first read this section in the book (Chapter 11, pp228-229), I dog-eared
the pages thinking it seemed important but didn't understand its
significance until many months later. Now, as I'm re-reading the section
I'm finally beginning to eliminate the need to have some two-dozen YTD type
calculated measures in favor of a dimension that includes a YTD member.
(Understanding the importance of a Periodicity dimension didn't come to
light until a rep from ProClarity demo-ed their software... we didn't buy;
couldn't afford.) Tom Chester's website has a download example that also
illustrates the concept quite nicely:
(e.g.,
http://www.tomchester.net/articlesdownloads/calculationdimension.html)
2) Something that is absent from just about every MDX article, book, and
download I've come across are cubes that maintain two Time Dimensions (not
hierachies): one time dimension that tracks the date something was billed,
and another time dimension that tracks when something was paid. I work in
health care where the majority of payments are made two or three months
after services have been rendered. Consequently, I analyze data according
to "runout": for example, services billed in Jan but paid in Feb vs billed
in Jan and paid through March. I would think that many businesses would
operate in a similar fashion, thus being able to budget for unpaid
services/purchases. Any chance you guys could be the first to actually
write about this?
Again, great book. Look forward to the next edition.
--Pete
.
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