Managing Azure Analysis Services Servers

Azure Analysis Services is a fully managed Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides enterprise-grade data modeling capabilities that allow business intelligence analysts to develop semantic models that are used in BI applications like Power BI, Excel, and others.

Server Management Tasks

Creating an Azure Analysis Services Server

You can create an Analysis Services server instance using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, PowerShell, or Azure Resource Manager templates.

1. Navigate to the Azure portal.
2. Click "Create a resource".
3. Search for "Analysis Services".
4. Select "Analysis Services" and click "Create".
5. Fill in the required details, including subscription, resource group, server name, location, and pricing tier.
6. Click "Review + create", then "Create".

Connecting to a Server

You can connect to your Analysis Services server using tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Visual Studio with Analysis Services projects.

When prompted for the server name, use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of your server (e.g., yourservername.asazure.windows.net).

Scaling Your Server

To scale your server for performance, you can adjust the performance tier (S-series) or use autoscale features.

1. In the Azure portal, navigate to your Analysis Services server.
2. Under "Settings", click "Scale".
3. Choose a different performance tier or configure autoscale rules based on metrics like CPU utilization.

Managing Permissions

Control access to your Analysis Services server and models by assigning roles.

• Administrator Role: Full control over the server.
• Read/Query Role: Allows users to query models.
• Process Role: Allows users to process (refresh) models.

Permissions are typically managed through the server properties in SSMS or by configuring tabular model roles.

Backing Up and Restoring

Regular backups are crucial. Azure Analysis Services provides automated backups, but you can also perform manual backups.

-- Example of manual backup using TOM (Tabular Object Model) or PowerShell
Invoke-ASCmd -Server "yourservername.asazure.windows.net" -Database "YourDatabase" -ScriptBlock {
    Backup-ASDatabase -DatabaseName "YourDatabase" -BackupPath "ms-azure://.blob.core.windows.net//YourDatabase_backup.abf" -AllowOverwrite
}

To restore, you can use the Azure portal or command-line tools.

Monitoring Server Performance

Monitor key metrics to ensure optimal performance and identify potential issues.

Utilize Azure Monitor for metrics such as:

• CPU Utilization
• Memory Usage
• Query Latency
• Query Throughput

Set up alerts for critical thresholds.