Summary
The standard M function library contains a plethora of functions designed to facilitate data access and retrieval from a wide array of different systems and data storage formats. In addition, the M language also provides functions for combining and joining data together. Practical examples were included throughout this chapter to allow the reader to experiment with and visualize the output from these functions.
In this chapter, we explored data-accessing functions for a variety of file formats, folders, web content, databases, cubes, and standard data protocols such as OData and ODBC. We also covered a variety of binary functions, identity functions, and specialized functions for accessing popular software systems such as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint. Finally, we explored five functions for combining and joining data, including the ability to perform fuzzy matching when joining tables.
In the next chapter, we continue to explore the M language by seeking...
