Quickstart: Create an Azure Analysis Services server

This quickstart guides you through creating an Azure Analysis Services server instance. Azure Analysis Services is a fully managed Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides enterprise-grade data modeling capabilities, enabling business intelligence applications to connect to your data models.

Prerequisites

An Azure subscription. If you don't have one, create a free account before you begin.
Permissions to create resources in your Azure subscription.

Create an Azure Analysis Services server

You can create an Azure Analysis Services server using the Azure portal.

Using the Azure Portal

Sign in to the Azure portal.
Click Create a resource.
In the search box, type Analysis Services and then select Azure Analysis Services from the search results.
In the Azure Analysis Services blade, click Create.
In the Basics tab, configure the following settings:
- Subscription: Select your Azure subscription.
- Resource group: Select an existing resource group or create a new one. A resource group is a logical container for your Azure resources.
- Server name: Enter a unique name for your Analysis Services server. The name must contain only letters, numbers, and hyphens, and must start and end with a letter or number.
- Location: Select a region for your server. Choose a region close to your data sources and users for better performance.
- Select size: Choose a pricing tier and capacity for your server. For a quickstart, a lower tier (e.g., Developer or Basic) is sufficient.
- Administrator: Enter the User Principal Name (UPN) of the user who will administer the server. This is typically your Azure Active Directory user.
Click Review + create.
Review the configuration and click Create.

Tip: For development and testing, the Developer tier offers the lowest cost. For production environments, consider the Standard tier for higher performance and scalability.

Deployment can take several minutes. Once the deployment is complete, you can access your Analysis Services server from the Azure portal.

Next Steps

After creating your Azure Analysis Services server, you can start modeling your data. Here are some common next steps:

Connect to the server: Use tools like SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or Visual Studio with Analysis Services projects to connect to your new server.
Create a tabular model: Design and build your semantic data model.
Import data: Connect to your data sources (e.g., Azure SQL Database, SQL Server, Power BI datasets) and import data into your model.
Deploy to production: Once your model is ready, deploy it to your Azure Analysis Services server.

Note: You will need to configure firewall rules to allow connections to your Analysis Services server.

Congratulations! You have successfully created your first Azure Analysis Services server. This foundational step enables you to build powerful analytical solutions.