About OLAP DML Functions

OLAP functions work in much the same way as functions work in other programming languages. They initiate action and return a value. The one exception is the looping nature of OLAP DML functions as discussed in "OLAP DML Statements Apply to All of the Values of a Data Object".

Most of the OLAP DML functions are standard text and calculation functions. Other OLAP DML functions return more complex information. For example, the OLAP DML provides the AW and OBJ functions that you can use to retrieve many different types of information about an analytic workspace and its objects and the AGGREGATE function that you can use to calculate aggregate data on-the-fly at user request.

Additionally, you can augment the functionality of the OLAP DML by writing an OLAP DML program for use as a function.