The actual queries sent to the server can be modified before they are sent.

To modify the query, the Preview MDX Queries option must be turned on in the application options.

This will pop up a dialog every time a query is sent to the server as shown below.

In the right hand area you can edit the MDX sent to the server. Once you are finished making modifications, you can press Modify to apply the modifications and send the query to the server. To discard any changes made, click Use Original. This will close the dialog and use the originally generated query.

Tools

On the left hand side a tools pane is visible that assists in editing MDX. The following tools are available:

Meta data browser

The browser contains a tree of all available meta data in the cube. To insert the unique name of a meta data object into the MDX editor (at the insertion point), you can double-click the object. You can also drag/drop the object to the desired location in the editor.

Function browser

The function browser contains a list of all supported MDX functions and operators on the target server. Just as with the meta data browser, you can double-click or drag/drop to add the function to the MDX editor. To get more information about a function, you can hover above a function, which will display a tool tip containing the description and syntax for the function/operator as shown below.

You can search within the list of functions by typing the (partial) name in the box at the top of the list.

Templates

The templates list contains a list of commonly used MDX formulas. Just as with the meta data browser, you can double-click or drag/drop to add the template to the MDX editor. Adding the template will add a comments section to the editor which explains the template and the parameters used within the template.

To get more information about a template, you can hover above a template, which will display a tool tip containing the description and formula for the template as shown below.

You can search within the list of templates by typing the (partial) name in the box at the top of the list.