The CUBEMEMBER function in Excel is used to retrieve a member or a tuple from a cube, which can be part of an OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) database like SQL Server Analysis Services. The function is useful for analyzing data and creating reports from complex data sets. To effectively use CUBEMEMBER, follow these steps:
Syntax
CUBEMEMBER(connection, member_expression, )
Parameters
- connection: This is a text string of the name of the connection to the cube. It must correspond to a valid connection in the workbook’s Data Connection Wizard. For instance, `”SalesCubeConnection”`.
- member_expression: A text string of the multidimensional expression (MDX) used to retrieve data from the cube. This can specify a dimension, a member, or a tuple in the cube. For example, `”Product.[All Products]”` or `”[Geography].[City].&[New York]”`.
- caption (optional): A text string to display in the cell instead of the default caption from the server. This parameter is optional.
Example
Suppose you want to retrieve a specific product from a product dimension in your sales cube:
=CUBEMEMBER("SalesCubeConnection", "[Product].[All Products].[Bikes].[Mountain Bikes]")
- Insert the following formula into a cell:
Here, `”SalesCubeConnection”` is your cube connection name, and `[Product].[All Products].[Bikes].[Mountain Bikes]` specifies the path to the member you want to retrieve.
- After entering the formula, Excel will try to connect to the specified cube, evaluate the MDX expression, and return the member’s caption, or name, in the cell.
Tips
- Ensure the Connection is Valid: Before using the CUBEMEMBER function, verify that the connection to your OLAP server is correctly set up in Excel by going to the Data tab, and checking your connections.
- Use Excel’s Function Wizard: The Function Wizard (`fx` button in the formula bar) can help you enter this function by prompting for each argument.
- Handling Errors: If there’s an error in your cube, the function may return a `#NAME?` or `#VALUE!` error. This can occur if there’s a problem with the connection, the MDX expression is incorrect, or the member does not exist.
- Dynamic Reports: Use with other cube functions like CUBEVALUE to build dynamic and complex reports that can update when new data is processed in your OLAP cube.
The CUBEMEMBER function is powerful for working with OLAP data but requires an understanding of your cube’s structure and multidimensional expressions.
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