View - SQL and View - Cube/MDX (Beta)
Beginning as a “beta” feature in STATISTICA version 10, queries against OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) “Cubes” are supported via a query language called MDX (Multi-Dimensional eXpressions). Queries against relational databases are expressed in SQL (Structured Query Language). The Query interface attempts to auto-detect the type of the database to which it is connected; these menu commands display the current mode (by the location of the check mark) and allow the user to switch between the modes. Note, however, that any given database connection will accept only one or the other query language.
In SQL, information can be “joined” across tables in a database. The relationships between tables are established by dragging and dropping in the graphical query design area. MDX does not support a “join” concept. Instead, the join logic is embedded in the cube design by the database administrator. The “query” in MDX mode is a specification of how to break down the available data into a two-dimensional layout that can be consumed by an analysis procedure as cases and variables. This is done by dragging “dimension” and “measure” nodes from the tree view into boxes in the graphics area that represent roles in the layout.