CUBEMEMBER function

The CUBEMEMBER function in Excel is used to retrieve a member (an item) from a cube, such as a specific dimension, hierarchy, or measure from an OLAP cube or a data model (like SQL Server Analysis Services). This function is part of Excel’s suite of cube functions that allows for advanced data retrieval from multidimensional data sources.

Syntax

CUBEMEMBER(connection, member_expression, )

Parameters

• connection: The name of the connection to the OLAP cube or data model. This is typically a text string representing a connection name in your workbook.
• member_expression: A string that defines a member or tuple in the cube. It can be a dimension or hierarchy member, or a measure from the cube.
• caption (optional): A custom text string to display in the cell instead of the default member name. This is optional.

Usage Example

Assume you have a cube connection named “SalesData” and you want to retrieve members such as products, years, or specific measures.

1. To retrieve a specific product from the Product hierarchy:

   =CUBEMEMBER("SalesData", "[Product].[Product Name].&[101]")
   

2. To retrieve a specific year from the Year dimension:

   =CUBEMEMBER("SalesData", "[Date].[Year].&[2023]")
   

3. To retrieve a measure like Total Sales from the cube:

   =CUBEMEMBER("SalesData", "[Measures].[Total Sales]")
   

4. To use a custom caption for the member:

   =CUBEMEMBER("SalesData", "[Date].[Year].&[2023]", "Year 2023")
   

   This will display “Year 2023” in the cell, even though it refers to the 2023 year member from the cube.

Key Uses

• Retrieve Members from a Cube: The CUBEMEMBER function is commonly used to retrieve individual members (e.g., products, regions, periods) or measures from a cube to populate cells in your Excel sheet.
• Combine with Other Cube Functions: It is often combined with other cube functions, such as CUBEVALUE, to pull actual data related to those members.

Common Scenarios

1. Retrieving Members in a PivotTable-Like Report: If you want to build a custom report that mimics a PivotTable but provides more control over the layout, you can use the CUBEMEMBER function to list dimension members in rows or columns and use CUBEVALUE to pull in the data related to those members.
2. Dynamic Reporting: Since cube functions like CUBEMEMBER are dynamic, when the underlying data model is updated, your report can refresh automatically when you update the data connection.

Common Errors

• #NAME?: This error might occur if the connection name is incorrect or if the cube functions are not supported in your version of Excel.
• #N/A: This error might appear if the member expression does not exist in the cube, is incorrectly formatted, or if the cube connection is invalid or not available.

Tips

• Syntax for Member Expressions: Member expressions must follow the correct syntax based on the structure of the cube. For example:
  • Dimensions and hierarchies are usually enclosed in square brackets, like [Dimension].[Hierarchy].
  • Specific members are referenced by their unique keys using the & symbol, such as [Product].[Product Name].&[101].
• Combining Multiple Members: If you want to reference multiple members (such as year and product) in a single CUBEMEMBER formula, you need to create a tuple:

  =CUBEMEMBER("SalesData", "([Date].[Year].&[2023], [Product].[Product Name].&[101])")
  

Summary

The CUBEMEMBER function allows you to pull specific members or measures from an OLAP cube or data model into your Excel worksheet. It is highly useful in advanced reporting scenarios where you need to customize the data displayed in a non-PivotTable format while still leveraging multidimensional cube data.

By using this function in combination with other cube functions (like CUBEVALUE), you can create powerful and dynamic reports directly in Excel.