Contents

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Preface

Audience

Organization

Related Documentation

Conventions

Documentation Accessibility

1 Introduction to the OLAP API

OLAP API Overview

Multidimensional Concepts And the OLAP API

What Type Of Data Can an Application Access Through the OLAP API?

What Can an Application Do with the OLAP API?

Context for OLAP API development

Access to Data and Metadata Through the OLAP API

MDM Model in the OLAP API

Access to Data Through the OLAP API

User Connection Requirements

OLAP API Client Software

Software Configurations

Requirements for Using the OLAP API Client Software

Developing an OLAP API Application

Step 1: Decide on General Design Issues

Step 2: Decide on Requirements for End-User Queries

Step 3: Design OLAP API Template Objects That Create End-User Queries

Step 4: Write and Test the Java Code for the Application

Step 5: Deploy the Application to users

Tasks That an OLAP API Application Performs

Task 1: Connect to the Data Store

Task 2: Discover the Available Metadata

Task 3: Select and Calculate Data Through Queries

Task 4: Retrieve Query Results

2 Understanding OLAP API Metadata

Overview of the OLAP API Metadata

Data Preparation

Metadata Preparation

OLAP Metadata Objects

Dimensions in the OLAP Metadata

Measures in the OLAP Metadata

Measure Folders in the OLAP Metadata

Overview of MDM Metadata Objects in the OLAP API

Mapping of OLAP Metadata Objects to MDM objects

MdmSchema Class

MdmSource Class

MdmDimension Class

Description of an MdmDimension

Information Held by an MdmDimensionDefinition

Information Held by an MdmDimensionMemberType

MdmLevel Class

Description of an MdmLevel

Elements of an MdmLevel

MdmHierarchy Class

Description of an MdmHierarchy

Elements of a Level MdmHierarchy

Level MdmHierarchy for Calendar Year

Level MdmHierarchy for Fiscal Year

Terminology: Nodes and leaves

Elements of a union MdmHierarchy

Distinct elements in the regions of a union MdmHierarchy

Union MdmHierarchy for Time

MdmListDimension Class

Description of an MdmListDimension

Elements of an MdmListDimension

MdmMeasure Class

Description of an MdmMeasure

Elements of an MdmMeasure

MdmMeasure Elements Are Determined by MdmDimension Elements

MdmMeasure with two MdmDimension objects

MdmAttribute Class

Description of an MdmAttribute

Elements of an MdmAttribute

Data Type and Type of MDM Metadata Objects

Data Type of MDM Metadata Objects

Getting the Data Type of an MdmSource

Type of MDM Metadata Objects

Getting the Type of an MdmSource

3 Connecting to a Data Store

Overview of the Connection Process

Connection Steps

Prerequisites for Connecting

Establishing a Connection

Step 1: Load the JDBC Driver

Step 2: Get a Connection from the DriverManager

Step 3: Create a TransactionProvider

Step 4: Create a DataProvider

Getting an Existing Connection

Executing DML Commands Through the Connection

Closing a Connection

4 Discovering the Available Metadata

Overview of the Procedure for Discovering Metadata

MDM Metadata

Purpose of Discovering the Metadata

Steps in Discovering the Metadata

Discovering Metadata and Making Queries

Creating an MdmMetadataProvider

Getting the Root MdmSchema

Function of the Root MdmSchema

Calling the getRootSchema Method

Getting the Contents of the Root MdmSchema

Getting the MdmDimension Objects in an MdmSchema

Getting the Subschemas in an MdmSchema

Getting the Contents of Subschemas

Getting the Measure MdmDimension and Its Contents

Getting the Characteristics of Metadata Objects

Getting the MdmDimension Objects for an MdmMeasure

Getting the Related Objects for an MdmDimension

Getting the Source for a Metadata Object

Sample Code for Discovering Metadata

Code for the SampleMetadataDiscoverer Program

Output from the SampleMetadataDiscoverer Program

5 Introduction to Querying

Characteristics of Source Objects

Source Type

Source Structure: Inputs and Outputs

Creating Source Objects

Getting Source Objects From Metadata Objects

Creating a Source from MdmDimension, MdmHierarchy, or MdmLevel Objects

Creating a Source from MdmMeasure or MdmAttribute Objects

Creating New Source Objects Using Source Methods

Creating Simple Nondimensional Source Objects

Creating Source Objects that Represent OLAP API Data Types

6 Making Queries Using Source Methods

Selecting Based on Source Value

Selecting Based on Output Values

Using the join Method to Change Inputs to Outputs

Effect of Input-Output Order on Source Structure

Changing Inputs to Outputs with timesDim as the First Output Created

Changing Inputs to Outputs with productsDim as the First Output Created

Selecting Based on Output Values and Source Values: Example

Selecting Values Based on Rank

Finding the Position of Values

Finding the Positions of Values When There are no Inputs or Outputs

Finding the Positions of Values When There Are Outputs and Inputs

Values Ranked in Ascending or Descending Order

Values Ranked in the Same or the Opposite Order as the Values of Another Source

Minimum Ranking

Maximum Ranking

Average Ranking

Packed Ranking

Percentile Ranking

nTile Ranking

Selecting Values Based on Hierarchical Position

Creating a Primary Source that Represents a Default Hierarchy

Creating a Primary Source for the Parent-Child Relationship

Creating Source Objects for Other Relationships

Drilling Down a Hierarchy: Example

Creating a Source that is a Self-Relation

Performing Numerical Analysis

Performing Numerical Operations

Subtracting the Same Value From all Values: Example

Subtracting the Values of one NumberSource from Another: Example

Making Numerical Comparisons

Working with Standard Numerical Functions

Working with Aggregation Methods

Calculating the Sum When a Source Has only Outputs: Example

Calculating the Sum When a Source Has an Output and an Input: Example

Creating Your own Numerical Functions

Creating Your own Standard Function: Example

Creating Your own Aggregation Function: Example

Manipulating String Values

7 Using a TransactionProvider

About Creating a Query in a Transaction

Types of Transaction Objects

Preparing and Committing a Transaction

About Transaction and Template Objects

Beginning a Child Transaction

About Rolling Back a Transaction

Getting and Setting the Current Transaction

Using TransactionProvider Objects

8 Understanding Cursor Classes and Concepts

Overview of the OLAP API Cursor Objects

Sources For Which You Cannot Create a Cursor

Cursor Objects and Transaction Objects

Cursor Class

Structure of a Cursor

Specifying the Behavior of a Cursor

CursorManagerSpecification Class

CursorSpecification Class

CursorInput Class

CursorManager Class

Updating the CursorManagerSpecification for a CursorManager

CursorManager Class Hierarchy

CursorManagerUpdateListener Class

CursorManagerUpdateEvent Class

About Cursor Positions and Extent

Positions of a ValueCursor

Positions of a CompoundCursor

About the Parent Starting and Ending Positions in a Cursor

What is the Extent of a Cursor?

About Fetch Sizes and Fetch Blocks

About Determining the Shape of a Fetch Block

About Sharing Fetch Blocks

9 Retrieving Query Results

Retrieving the Results of a Query

Getting Values from a Cursor

Navigating a CompoundCursor for Different Displays of Data

Specifying the Behavior of a Cursor

Calculating Extent and Starting and Ending Positions of a Value

Specifying Fetch Sizes and Fetch Blocks

10 Creating Dynamic Queries

About Template Objects

About Creating a Dynamic Source

About Translating User Interface Elements into OLAP API Objects

Overview of Template and Related Classes

What Is the Relationship Between the Classes That Produce a Dynamic Source?

Template Class

MetadataState Interface

SourceGenerator Interface

DynamicDefinition Class

Designing and Implementing a Template

Implementing the Classes for a Template

Implementing an Application That Uses Templates

A Setting Up the Development Environment

Overview

Required Software

Setting Up on Your Application Development Computer

Installing the jar files

Installing the OLAP API Javadoc

Using a Sample Program

Considerations for Deploying Your Application

Index