How Intelligence Server Uses Functions

Recall that there are several categories of functions recognized by Intelligence Server. These function types include group-value, single-value, and OLAP functions. Within these categories are functions supported by only the Analytical Engine, only the database, or by both the engine and the database. The SQL generated to process the request differs depending on what processes the request. The SQL syntax also differs depending on the database used, when the database supports the function.

The following subsections explore through examples of how the various uses of functions result in different SQL syntax. All of these examples use the functions in the context of metrics.

Most of these examples (except where noted) can be recreated using the objects in the MicroStrategy Tutorial. Tutorial data is stored in a Microsoft® Access database.