Recommendation - Use Member Unique Name (MUN) Aliases

If you are working with a dimensional data source, use MUN aliases to simplify building reports and expressions. In addition, you can tie the MUN back to the member in the package.

When working with dimensional data sources, IBM® Cognos Analytics with Watson uses MUNs to uniquely identify members. MUNs are very complex. For example, the MUN for the member 2012 might appear as

[great_outdoors_company].[Years].[Years].[Year]->:[PC].[@MEMBER].[20120101-20121231].

When you build expressions that involve members, the use of MUNs makes these expressions difficult to read and maintain.

IBM Cognos Analytics - Reporting has an option that automatically generates an alias for MUNs (More icon More icon in the application bar , Options, Report tab, Alias member unique names). The MUN alias is a data item that has the MUN as its definition. For the previous example, you would see 2012 as the MUN alias in the Expression property for the data item. If the MUN alias is not enabled, in the Expression property, you would see the complex MUN for 2012.

Important: Do not modify or rename MUN aliases, because they will lose their connection to their respective members in the package.