Using format strings, you can format the values (cell contents) of Essbase database members in numeric type measures so that they appear, for query purposes, as text, dates, or other types of predefined values. The resultant display value is the cell’s formatted value (FORMATTED_VALUE property in MDX).
The underlying real value is numeric, and this value is unaffected by the associated formatted value. Format strings enable you to display more meaningful values in place of raw numeric values. For example, using a text based formatted value, you might display data cells as “High,” “Medium,” and “Low.”
Text and date type values are additionally supported using the built-in text and date measure types. Format strings add more flexibility to your implementation, in that you can apply format strings to members in multiple dimensions, whereas with text and date measures, you can only apply one or the other to a single measures dimension. You can apply format strings to numeric dimensions; you do not have to type the dimension as text or date.
Format strings can be applied to either aggregate storage or block storage databases.
Format strings can be defined on the following members:
All members in Measures dimension
Members associated with explicit formula strings on other dimensions