Deploying Your Azure Analysis Services Model
This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to deploy your Azure Analysis Services (AAS) model to your Azure subscription. Deployment involves transferring your model project from your development environment to the AAS instance.
Prerequisites
- An Azure account with an active subscription.
- An Azure Analysis Services instance created in your subscription.
- A tabular model project developed using Visual Studio with the Analysis Services projects extension or Tabular Editor.
- Necessary permissions to deploy to the Azure Analysis Services instance.
Deployment Methods
You can deploy your model using several methods:
- Visual Studio: The most common method, integrated directly into the development environment.
- Tabular Editor: A powerful tool for managing and deploying tabular models.
- Azure CLI / PowerShell: For automated or scripting deployments.
- Azure Portal: For simpler deployments or managing existing ones.
Deployment using Visual Studio
This is the recommended approach for most developers.
1. Open Your Model Project
Launch Visual Studio and open your Azure Analysis Services tabular model project.
2. Set Deployment Server Property
In the Solution Explorer, right-click on your Analysis Services project and select Properties.
Under the Deployment Options tab, enter the server name of your Azure Analysis Services instance in the Server Name field. This will typically be in the format asazure://your_region.asazure.windows.net/your_server_name.
Ensure the Database Name is set to your desired name for the deployed model.
3. Deploy the Model
Right-click on your Analysis Services project in Solution Explorer and select Deploy.
Visual Studio will build the project and connect to your Azure Analysis Services instance. You may be prompted to enter your Azure credentials.
Once the deployment is complete, you'll see a success message in the Output window.
Deployment using Tabular Editor
Tabular Editor provides a more advanced interface for managing your models.
- Open your model project in Tabular Editor.
- In the File menu, select Deploy to Azure Analysis Services.
- Enter your Azure Analysis Services server name and connection details.
- Configure any other deployment settings as needed and click Deploy.
Connection String Example
A typical connection string for an Azure Analysis Services instance looks like this:
"Provider=MSOLAP;Data Source=asazure://eastus.asazure.windows.net/myserver;Initial Catalog=MyDatabase;Integrated Security=False;User ID=user@domain.com;Password=your_password;Impersonation Level=Impersonate"For authentication, consider using Azure Active Directory service principals or managed identities for more secure and automated deployments.
Best Practices
- Use version control for your model projects.
- Automate deployments using Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or Azure CLI/PowerShell scripts.
- Test deployments thoroughly in a staging environment before deploying to production.
- Monitor your AAS instance performance and resource utilization after deployment.