Need simple MDX help

[eo]

I am attending a 3 day MDX course next week, and MDX is not totally foreign to me, but I ned some help in the creation of a KPI.

We have a cube which shows a distinct count of Claim Numbers, to show how many claims applied at a certain slice and dice (lets say by Transaction Date YYYY-MM). What is the basic MDFX sybntax for Claim Count the previous month, vs Claim count the same time last year?

EO
Hertfordshire, England

 

[eo]

I will articulate this a bit better. I am using SSAS2005 btw.

My data looks like this:

YearNo QuarterNo MonthNo ClaimCount MDXMeasure
2007 2007Q1 200701 100 100
2007 2007Q1 200702 10 110
2007 2007Q1 200703 20 130
2007 2007Q2 200704 15 145
...
2008 2008Q1 200801 90 90
2008 2008Q1 200802 60 150
2008 2008Q1 200803 210 360
2008 2008Q2 200804 10 370

The MDX expression for the MDXMeasure is currently a simple YTD Expression

Sum(YTD([Date Transaction]),[Measures].[ClaimCount])

But what I would like to show, and this expression is destined to form the basis of a KPI within SSAS 2005 is to compare (for example the YTD position of the previous month, thus 200807) with its counterpart the previous year (thus 200707).

Can this be done?

EO
Hertfordshire, England

 

[eo]

I have found this expression that I thought would help, but before I tried to combine it with a YTD expression (such as the one in the previous example) I thought look at it in its bare format...

([Date Transaction],[Measures].[ClaimCount])-
(ParallelPeriod(Year,1,[Date Transaction]),[Measures].[ClaimCount])

...but this gives only a #VALUE! result.

Any ideas?

EO
Hertfordshire, England