Representation of elements

The APIs can be divided into two different groups:

• Interfaces that handle unique names: MDX and XMLA schema requests. Both interfaces handle hierarchies.
• APIs like XML request or import files. There are two ways to address elements:
  • Element IDs are used. Those IDs are unique inside the dimension; thus they identify an element and its hierarchy completely.
  • Elements are identified by their element names only. These element names might not be unique anymore, as another hierarchy can contain an element with a different content but the same name. Therefore, elements must be preceded with the hierarchy name. The separator between the hierarchy name and the element name is the Tab character. In some XML functions, an optional hierarchy attribute is used to deliver the information.

    If an element is not accompanied by hierarchy information, it is resolved in the default hierarchy to keep the compatibility with existing clients.