concept date parameter in category sql
This is an excerpt from Manning's book SQL Server MVP Deep Dives Vol. 2.
Working with date parameters and dimensions can be a bit tricky. To be successful, it’s important to understand some of the common unique differences between working with date values in SQL and the way that date values are represented in an OLAP dimension. The fact is that there’s no hard-and-fast standard for all date attributes, but there are some common approaches used by most experienced SSAS practitioners. In the Adventure Works sample cube, the Date attribute’s key value is an integer converted to a string using the format yyyymmdd. For example, January 9, 2011 would be 20110109. Because the FirstDate parameter is a true Date/Time data type, it would be converted to the intended format using the Format function using the appropriate format mask.