Azure Analysis Services Documentation
Welcome to the official documentation for Azure Analysis Services. This service provides cloud-based data modeling capabilities for enterprise-grade semantic data models that are used to build business intelligence (BI) solutions.
Getting Started
Begin your journey with Azure Analysis Services by following these essential steps:
1. Create an Azure Analysis Services Server
Deploying a server is the first step. Learn how to provision your instance in the Azure portal:
How to create an Azure Analysis Services server
2. Connect to Your Server
Once deployed, you'll need to connect your BI tools or modeling environments to your Analysis Services instance. This typically involves using server names and authentication methods.
Connecting to Azure Analysis Services
3. Design Your Data Model
The core of Analysis Services is the semantic data model. Explore best practices for designing tabular models, importing data, and defining relationships.
Data Modeling with Analysis Services
Key Features
Azure Analysis Services offers a rich set of features to support complex BI scenarios:
- Tabular and Multidimensional Models: Support for both tabular and multidimensional model development.
- Hybrid Architectures: Integration with Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Lake Storage, and other Azure data sources.
- Performance Optimization: In-memory caching and query optimization for fast data retrieval.
- Scalability: Scale your server up or down based on demand.
- Security: Robust security features, including role-based access control and row-level security.
Tutorials and Samples
Dive deeper with practical tutorials and example scenarios:
Developer Resources
For developers looking to integrate with or automate Azure Analysis Services:
- REST API: Interact with your Analysis Services models programmatically. Learn more.
- Client Libraries: SDKs for various programming languages. Explore libraries.
- AMO (Analysis Management Objects): A .NET library for managing Analysis Services. AMO documentation.
Common Scenarios
Scenario: Real-time Sales Dashboard
Build a dashboard that provides near real-time insights into sales performance. This often involves connecting to an operational data source and creating a tabular model optimized for analytical queries.
Scenario: Financial Reporting
Empower finance teams with accurate and consistent financial reports. Azure Analysis Services can consolidate data from multiple financial systems and provide a single source of truth.
Pricing and Support
Understand the cost of running Azure Analysis Services and find help when you need it.
Related Services
Explore other Azure services that complement Azure Analysis Services:
- Power BI: For visualization and interactive reporting.
- Azure Data Factory: For data integration and ETL pipelines.
- Azure SQL Database: As a source for your data models.
- Azure Synapse Analytics: For large-scale data warehousing.