Overview

The Deployment Wizard guides you through the process of publishing an Analysis Services database (cube, tabular model, or data mining structure) from a development environment to a target server. It validates the model, resolves dependencies, and generates a deployment script that can be executed automatically or reviewed manually.

Wizard Steps

1. Welcome – Introduction and version information.
2. Select Source – Choose the BISM file (*.abf, *.bim, or *.xmla) that contains the model to deploy.
3. Target Server – Specify the Analysis Services instance and database name.
4. Processing Options – Decide whether to process the model immediately after deployment.
5. Deployment Options – Choose between Overwrite existing database, Deploy to new database, or Update only changed objects.
6. Review Script – View the generated XMLA script before execution.
7. Deploy – Execute the script and monitor progress.
8. Completion – Summary of deployment status and any warnings.

Configuration Options

Processing Mode

You can select one of the following processing modes:

• None – Deploy only, do not process.
• Full – Full processing of all partitions after deployment.
• Incremental – Process only partitions with changed data.

Deployment Script Settings

<Create>
  <Database>
    <Name>AdventureWorksDW2019</Name>
    <ID>AdventureWorksDW2019</ID>
    <CreateMode>Full</CreateMode>
  </Database>
</Create>

Command‑Line Usage

The wizard can be launched from the command line using Microsoft.AnalysisServices.DeploymentWizard.exe. This enables automation in CI/CD pipelines.

Microsoft.AnalysisServices.DeploymentWizard.exe ^
  /SourceFile:"C:\Projects\MyModel.bim" ^
  /TargetServer:"tcp:myasserver,2383" ^
  /TargetDatabase:"MyProductionModel" ^
  /Process:true ^
  /Overwrite:true ^
  /OutputFile:"C:\Deployments\DeployScript.xmla"

Example PowerShell wrapper:

$wizard = "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\150\Tools\Binn\Microsoft.AnalysisServices.DeploymentWizard.exe"
& $wizard /SourceFile:"$PSScriptRoot\Model.bim" `
    /TargetServer:"tcp:prodas,2383" `
    /TargetDatabase:"ProdModel" `
    /Process:true `
    /Overwrite:true `
    /OutputFile:"$PSScriptRoot\Deploy.xmla"

Best Practices

• Always generate a backup of the target database before overwriting.
• Validate the model in a staging environment prior to production deployment.
• Use the /OutputFile option to keep a copy of the XMLA script for auditing.
• Enable Processing Mode: Full only when necessary; incremental processing reduces downtime.
• Integrate the wizard in automated build pipelines with appropriate error handling.

Troubleshooting

Common Errors