Microsoft Azure Documentation

Create and Manage Azure Analysis Services Servers

This article guides you through the process of creating, configuring, and managing Azure Analysis Services servers. Azure Analysis Services is a fully managed Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides enterprise-grade data modeling capabilities, enabling business intelligence analysts and developers to build semantic models that are used by business intelligence tools such as Power BI, Excel, and SQL Server Reporting Services.

1. Creating an Azure Analysis Services Server

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

1.1 Using the Azure Portal

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
  2. In the search bar, type Analysis Services and select it.
  3. Click Create.
  4. On the Basics tab, select your Subscription, Resource group, and Region.
  5. Enter a unique Server name.
  6. Select a Pricing tier. The pricing tier determines the performance and scalability of your server.
  7. Click Review + create, then click Create.

1.2 Using Azure CLI

Use the following command to create a server:

az analysis Services create --name <server-name> --resource-group <resource-group-name> --location <region> --sku <sku-name> --administrator <admin-login>

Replace placeholders with your specific values.

2. Managing Your Server

Once your server is created, you can manage it through the Azure portal. Key management tasks include:

2.1 Connecting to the Server

You can connect to your Azure Analysis Services server using tools like:

  • SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS): Enter the server name in the format <server-name>.asazure.windows.net.
  • Visual Studio with Analysis Services projects: Specify the server name when creating or deploying a model.
  • Power BI Desktop: Select "Azure Analysis Services" as a data source and provide the server name.

2.2 Scaling Your Server

You can scale your server up or down by changing the pricing tier or scaling up the number of units within a tier to accommodate changing workloads.

  • Navigate to your Analysis Services server in the Azure portal.
  • Under Settings, click Scale.
  • Select a new Pricing tier or adjust the Scale units.
  • Click Apply.

2.3 Configuring Security

Secure your server by configuring access control and roles. Administrators and users can be granted specific permissions.

  • Server Administrators: By default, the user who created the server is an administrator. You can add other Azure AD users or groups.
  • Database Roles: Define roles within your Analysis Services models to control access to data and objects.
Note: For more in-depth security configurations, refer to the Azure Analysis Services Security documentation.

2.4 Monitoring Your Server

Monitor the performance and health of your server using Azure Monitor and Query Performance Insight. This helps in identifying bottlenecks and optimizing queries.

3. Additional Operations

  • Restarting the server: Occasionally, you may need to restart your server. This can be done from the server's overview page in the Azure portal.
  • Deleting the server: If the server is no longer needed, you can delete it from the Azure portal to avoid incurring further charges.

By following these steps, you can effectively create, configure, and manage your Azure Analysis Services servers to power your business intelligence solutions.