oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm
Class MdmBaseAttribute

java.lang.Object
  oracle.olapi.metadata.BaseMetadataObject
      oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmObject
          oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmSource
              oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmDimensionedObject
                  oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmAttribute
                      oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmSingleValuedAttribute
                          oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmBaseAttribute

All Implemented Interfaces:

MdmViewColumnOwner, MetadataObject

public final class MdmBaseAttribute
extends MdmSingleValuedAttribute
implements MdmViewColumnOwner

An MdmSingleValuedAttribute that is typically mapped to one or more columns of a relational table in the database. You can map the same MdmBaseAttribute to a different column for each level of a dimension or hierarchy, and for attribute values in different languages.

You specify each different mapping with a separate instance of an AttributeMap. The Expression of the AttributeMap can specify a column in a table, or a function or operator that uses one or more columns, or a constant value. You create an AttributeMap with a findOrCreateAttributeMap method of a HierarchyLevelMap, for an MdmHierarchyLevel, or a MemberListMap, for an MdmDimensionLevel or an MdmPrimaryDimension. The example in this description creates an AttributeMap for a MemberListMap for an MdmDimensionLevel.

You can find an existing MdmBaseAttribute or create a new one by using the findOrCreateBaseAttribute method of an MdmPrimaryDimension. You can get a List of the MdmBaseAttribute objects for an MdmDimension by using the getAttributes method.

You can create an MdmBaseAttribute for an MdmPrimaryDimension and not associate it with an AttributeMap. You can then commit the Transaction and build the dimension. The values of such an unmapped attribute are null for any dimension member.

With the setNVLExpression method, you can specify a value that substitutes for a null attribute value. The null-value substitution occurs for any null attribute value whether the MdmBaseAttribute is mapped or unmapped.

When you create an MdmBaseAttribute, you can specify a SQL data type for it with the setSQLDataType method. If you do not specify a SQL data type, then Oracle OLAP assigns a default SQL data type that is the common data type of all of the Expression objects of the AttributeMap objects that are associated with the MdmBaseAttribute. If no AttributeMap objects are associated with the MdmBaseAttribute, then Oracle OLAP gives the MdmBaseAttribute a default SQL data type of VARCHAR2(256).

Note: The default data type may change in future versions of this API.

For an existing MdmBaseAttribute, the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property of the attribute determines how the SQL data type can change. If the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property is false, which is the default setting, you can only change the SQL data type of the attribute by using the setSQLDataType method; adding or removing AttributeMap objects, or changing the Expression of an AttributeMap, does not change the SQL data type of the MdmBaseAttribute.

However, if the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property is true, then the setSQLDataType method does not change the SQL data type of the MdmBaseAttribute. Instead, Oracle OLAP automatically sets the SQL data type of the MdmBaseAttribute to the data type that is common to all of the Expression objects in the AttributeMap objects that are associated with the MdmBaseAttribute. For example, if you have an attribute that is mapped to a column that has a data type of NUMBER(5) for one level and is also mapped to a column with a data type of NUMBER(12) for another level, then Oracle OLAP uses the NUMBER(12) data type for the attribute. If you then map the same attribute for a third level to a column with a data type of VARCHAR2, then Oracle OLAP determines that it can convert the NUMBER columns to VARCHAR2 data type to match the VARCHAR2 column, and it selects VARCHAR2 as the SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute.

If the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property is true, then adding or removing an AttributeMap of a DimensionMap, or changing the Expression of an AttributeMap, may change the SQL data type of the associated MdmBaseAttribute. You can change the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property with the setAllowAutoDataTypeChange method.

You can get the data type by calling the getSQLDataType method. For the data type returned in the various conditions, see Possible Data Types Returned by getSQLDataType table.

The following example creates an MdmBaseAttribute for a dimension. It associates the attribute with one MdmDimensionLevel of the dimension. It maps the attribute to a column in a relational table. It allows the automatic changing of the data type. It commits the transaction and builds the dimension. It then gets and displays the SQL data type of the attribute and of the column in the relational table to which the level is mapped.

 // mdmProdDim is an MdmPrimaryDimension that has an MdmDimensionLevel named
 // ITEM.
 MdmDimensionLevel mdmItemLevel = 
   mdmProdDim.findOrCreateDimensionLevel("ITEM");
 MemberListMap mdmItemLevelMemListMap = 
   mdmItemLevel.findOrCreateMemberListMap();
 MdmBaseAttribute mdmPkgAttr = 
   mdmProdDim.findOrCreateBaseAttribute("PACKAGE");
 // Map the attribute to a column in a relational table.
 AttributeMap pkgAttrMap = 
   mdmItemLevelMemListMap.findOrCreateAttributeMap(mdmPkgAttr);
 ColumnExpression attrColExp = (ColumnExpression)
   SyntaxObject.fromSyntax("GLOBAL.PRODUCT_DIM.ITEM_PACKAGE",
                            metadataProvider);
 pkgAttrMap.setExpression(attrColExp);
 mdmPkgAttr.setAllowAutoDataTypeChange(true);

 try 
 {
   // dp is the DataProvider for the session.
   (dp.getTransactionProvider()).commitCurrentTransaction();
 } 
 catch (Exception ex) 
 {
   println("Could not commit the Transaction. " + ex);
 }
 // Build the dimension.
 BuildItem bldProdDim = new BuildItem(mdmProdDim);
 ArrayList items = new ArrayList();
 items.add(bldProdDim);
 BuildProcess bldProc = new BuildProcess(items);
 try 
 {
   dp.executeBuild(bldProc, 0);
 }
 catch (Exception ex)
 {
    println("Could not execute the BuildProcess.");
 }

 // Get the SQL data type of the attribute.
 println("The SQL data type of the " + mdmPkgAttr.getName() +
         " attribute is " + mdmPkgAttr.getSQLDataType().getSQLText() + ".");
    
 // Get the SQL data type of the table column.
 MdmTable mdmTable = (MdmTable) mdmDBSchema.getTopLevelObject("PRODUCT_DIM");
 List colList = mdmTable.getColumns();
 for (MdmColumn mdmCol : colList)
 {
   if (mdmCol.getName().equals("ITEM_PACKAGE"))
   {
     println("The SQL data type of the " + mdmCol.getName() +
             " column is " + mdmCol.getSQLDataType().getSQLText() + ".");
   }
 }

The example displays the following.

 The SQL data type of the PACKAGE attribute is VARCHAR2(20).
 The SQL data type of the ITEM_PACKAGE column is VARCHAR2(20).

Method Summary

java.lang.Object	acceptVisitor(MdmObjectVisitor visitor, java.lang.Object context) Calls the visitMdmBaseAttribute method of the MdmObjectVisitor and passes that method this MdmBaseAttribute and an Object.
boolean	allowAutoDataTypeChange() Indicates whether Oracle OLAP is allowed to automatically change the data type of the attribute.
java.lang.String	getAttributeGroupName() Gets the name of the group to which this attribute belongs.
static SQLDataType	getDefaultSQLDataType() Gets the default SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute.
MdmViewColumn	getETAttributeColumn() Gets the MdmViewColumn that represents the ET (Embedded Totals) values for this MdmBaseAttribute.
Expression	getNVLExpression() Gets the expression that Oracle OLAP substitutes for an attribute value that is null.
SQLDataType	getSQLDataType() Gets the SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute.
boolean	isMultiLingual() Indicates whether the attribute has values for more than one language.
boolean	isPopulateLineage() Indicates whether an analytic workspace associates the values of the MdmBaseAttribute only with the dimension members at the level to which the attribute is mapped or to the members of the mapped level and to the dimension members of all levels that are descendants of the mapped level.
void	setAllowAutoDataTypeChange(boolean allowAutoDataTypeChange) Specifies whether to allow Oracle OLAP to automatically change the data type of the attribute.
void	setAttributeGroupName(java.lang.String group) Specifies the name of the group to which this attribute belongs.
void	setMultiLingual(boolean isMultiLingual) Specifies whether the attribute has values for more than one language.
void	setNVLExpression(Expression input) Specifies an Expression that resolves to a value that that you want to substitute for a null attribute value.
void	setPopulateLineage(boolean isPopulateLineage) Specifies whether an analytic workspace associates the values of the MdmBaseAttribute only with the dimension members at the level to which the attribute is mapped or to the members of the mapped level and to the dimension members of all levels that are descendants of the mapped level.
void	setSQLDataType(SQLDataType type) Specifies a SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute.

Methods inherited from class oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmAttribute

getDescriptionType, getDimensionality, getPrimaryDimension, getTargetDimension, getType, isVisibleForAll, setDescriptionType, setIsVisibleForAll, setPrimaryDimension, setTargetDimension

Methods inherited from class oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmDimensionedObject

addDimension, addDimensionality, getDimensions, isBooleanValued, removeDimensionality, setBooleanValued

Methods inherited from class oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmSource

getDataType, getSource

Methods inherited from class oracle.olapi.metadata.mdm.MdmObject

addDescription, addObjectClassification, findOrCreateDescription, getDescription, getDescription, getDescription, getDescriptions, getMetadataProvider, getName, getNewName, getObjectClassifications, getShortDescription, isClassifiedAs, removeDescription, removeObjectClassification, setDescription, setDescription, setDescription, setName, setShortDescription

Methods inherited from class oracle.olapi.metadata.BaseMetadataObject

getContainedByObject, getID, getOwner

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

clone, equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Method Detail

acceptVisitor

public java.lang.Object acceptVisitor(MdmObjectVisitor visitor,
                                      java.lang.Object context)

Calls the visitMdmBaseAttribute method of the MdmObjectVisitor and passes that method this MdmBaseAttribute and an Object.

Specified by:

acceptVisitor in class MdmObject

Parameters:

visitor - An MdmObjectVisitor that implements the Mdm11_ObjectVisitor interface. .

context - An Object.

Returns:

The Object returned by the visitMdmBaseAttribute method.

isMultiLingual

public final boolean isMultiLingual()

Indicates whether the attribute has values for more than one language.

Returns:

A boolean that indicates whether the attribute has values for more than one language.

setMultiLingual

public final void setMultiLingual(boolean isMultiLingual)

Specifies whether the attribute has values for more than one language.

Parameters:

isMultiLingual - A boolean that specifies whether the attribute has values for more than one language.

isPopulateLineage

public final boolean isPopulateLineage()

Indicates whether an analytic workspace associates the values of the MdmBaseAttribute only with the dimension members at the level to which the attribute is mapped or to the members of the mapped level and to the dimension members of all levels that are descendants of the mapped level.

Returns:

A boolean that is true if attribute values for the mapped level also apply to all descendant levels, or false if the attribute values apply only to the mapped level.

setPopulateLineage

public final void setPopulateLineage(boolean isPopulateLineage)

Specifies whether an analytic workspace associates the values of the MdmBaseAttribute only with the dimension members at the level to which the attribute is mapped or to the members of the mapped level and to the dimension members of all levels that are descendants of the mapped level. You should only specify true for the isPopulateLineage parameter for an MdmBaseAttribute that has the following characteristics:

• The attribute is visible.
• The attribute is not multilingual.
• The attribute is mapped at only one MdmDimensionLevel.

Parameters:

isPopulateLineage - A boolean that is true to apply the attribute values to the dimension members at the mapped level and to the members at all descendant levels, or false to apply the attribute values only to the dimension members at the mapped level.

getAttributeGroupName

public final java.lang.String getAttributeGroupName()

Gets the name of the group to which this attribute belongs. This value can be used to group different attributes together in a user interface.

Returns:

A String that identifies the attribute group.

setAttributeGroupName

public final void setAttributeGroupName(java.lang.String group)

Specifies the name of the group to which this attribute belongs. You can use this value to group different attributes together in a user interface.

Parameters:

group - A String that identifies the attribute group.

getDefaultSQLDataType

public static final SQLDataType getDefaultSQLDataType()

Gets the default SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute.

Returns:

A SQLDataType that represents the default SQL data type.

getSQLDataType

public final SQLDataType getSQLDataType()

Gets the SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute. Oracle OLAP determines the data type in one of the following ways.

• If the MdmBaseAttribute has the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property set to true:
  • If the MdmBaseAttribute has AttributeMap objects that are associated with it, then the data type is the common data type of all of the Expression objects of the AttributeMap objects.
  • If the MdmBaseAttribute has no associated AttributeMap objects, then the data type is the default type, which is VARCHAR2(256).
• If the MdmBaseAttribute has the AllowAutoDataTypeChange property set to false, which is the default value:
  • If the SQL data type has been specified by a call to the setSQLDataType method of the attribute, then the data type is the one specified by that method.
  • If the SQL data type has not been specified by a call to the setSQLDataType method of the attribute and the MdmBaseAttribute has AttributeMap objects associated with it, then the data type is the common data type of all of the Expression objects of the AttributeMap objects that were associated with the MdmBaseAttribute when it was first committed. If the MdmBaseAttribute had no associated AttributeMap objects when it was first committed, then the data type is the default type, VARCHAR2(256).

For the data type returned in the various conditions, see Possible Data Types Returned by getSQLDataType.

Specified by:

getSQLDataType in class MdmAttribute

Returns:

A SQLDataType that represents the SQL data type.

See Also:

allowAutoDataTypeChange(), setAllowAutoDataTypeChange(boolean allowAutoDataTypeChange)

setSQLDataType

public final void setSQLDataType(SQLDataType type)

Specifies a SQL data type for the MdmBaseAttribute. If the MdmBaseAttribute does not have a specified SQL data type and the attribute has one or more associated AttributeMap objects with valid expressions, then Oracle OLAP uses the common data type of the values specified by the mappings. If the attribute does not have a specified SQL data type and it does not have an associated AttributeMap, then Oracle OLAP uses the default SQL data type of VARCHAR2(256).

If the AutoDataTypeChange property of the MdmBaseAttribute is set to true, then Oracle OLAP ignores the data type specified by this method and automatically sets the SQL data type.

Parameters:

type - The SQLDataType to associate with this MdmBaseAttribute.

See Also:

allowAutoDataTypeChange(), setAllowAutoDataTypeChange(boolean allowAutoDataTypeChange)

allowAutoDataTypeChange

public final boolean allowAutoDataTypeChange()

Indicates whether Oracle OLAP is allowed to automatically change the data type of the attribute.

Returns:

A boolean that is true if Oracle OLAP can automatically change the data type of the attribute or false otherwise.

setAllowAutoDataTypeChange

public final void setAllowAutoDataTypeChange(boolean allowAutoDataTypeChange)

Specifies whether to allow Oracle OLAP to automatically change the data type of the attribute. If you specify true to allow the automatic changing of data types, then Oracle OLAP evaluates the expressions of the AttributeMap objects for the attribute that are contained by the DimensionMap for the MdmPrimaryDimension that contains the attribute. Based on the data types of those expressions, Oracle OLAP determines the appropriate data type for the attribute. If the attribute has mappings on several levels or hierarchies of the dimension, then the automatically derived data type is a common supertype of all of the mapped expressions.

Parameters:

allowAutoDataTypeChange - Specify true if you want to allow Oracle OLAP to automatically change the data type of the attribute or false otherwise.

getETAttributeColumn

public final MdmViewColumn getETAttributeColumn()

Gets the MdmViewColumn that represents the ET (Embedded Totals) values for this MdmBaseAttribute.

Returns:

The MdmViewColumn that represents the ET column for this MdmBaseAttribute.

getNVLExpression

public final Expression getNVLExpression()

Gets the expression that Oracle OLAP substitutes for an attribute value that is null.

Returns:

An Expression that substitutes for an attribute value that is null.

setNVLExpression

public final void setNVLExpression(Expression input)

Specifies an Expression that resolves to a value that that you want to substitute for a null attribute value. The setNVLExpression is similar to the SQL NVL function, and the OLAP DML NAFILL function and $NATRIGGER property.

Parameters:

input - An Expression that you want to substitute for an attribute value that is null.