Getting the Source for a Metadata Object

A metadata object represents a set of data, but it does not provide the ability to create queries on that data. Its function is informational, recording the existence, structure, and characteristics of the data. It does not give access to the data values.

In order to access the data values for a given metadata object, an application gets the Source object that represents its data. A Source that represents the data for a metadata object is called a primary Source.

To get the primary Source for a metadata object, an application calls the getSource method on that metadata object. For example, if an application needs to display the sales figures for 1999, it must first use the getSource method on the MdmMeasure called mdmSalesAmount.

Example 4-6 Getting a Primary Source for a Metadata Object

Source salesAmount = mdmSalesAmount.getSource();

An application can call the getSource method on any object that is an instance of a concrete subclass of MdmSource. The following is a list of the concrete subclasses:

• MdmHierarchy
• MdmLevel
• MdmListDimension
• MdmAttribute
• MdmMeasure

For more information about getting and working with primary Source objects, see Chapter 5, "Introduction to Querying"