Automating Analysis Services with Scripting

Analysis Services offers powerful scripting capabilities that allow you to automate repetitive tasks, deploy solutions, and manage your multidimensional and tabular models programmatically. This section covers the primary scripting languages and tools used with Analysis Services.

Understanding Scripting Languages

The primary scripting languages and technologies used with Analysis Services include:

• AMO (Analysis Management Objects): A .NET library that provides a rich object model for managing Analysis Services. You can use AMO to programmatically create, configure, and manage Analysis Services objects like databases, cubes, dimensions, measures, and partitions.
• XMLA (XML for Analysis): A SOAP-based protocol for sending commands and retrieving data from Analysis Services. While AMO often abstracts away direct XMLA calls, understanding XMLA is crucial for advanced scenarios and debugging.
• PowerShell: A powerful scripting shell and object-based cmdlet system that can leverage AMO to automate Analysis Services tasks.
• T-SQL (for SQL Server Agent Jobs): While not directly an Analysis Services scripting language, T-SQL is used within SQL Server Agent jobs to trigger Analysis Services scripts and processes.

Automating Common Tasks with AMO

AMO provides a comprehensive set of classes and methods for interacting with Analysis Services. Here are some common scenarios you can automate:

Deploying Analysis Services Projects

You can automate the deployment of Analysis Services projects (.asroj files) using AMO. This is essential for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.

using Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Deployment;

// ...

DeploymentProject project = new DeploymentProject();
project.File = "C:\\Path\\To\\Your\\Project.asroj";
project.TargetServer = "YourServerName";
project.TargetDatabase = "YourDatabaseName";
project.CreateOrReplace = CreateOrReplace.Create;

DeploymentResults results = project.Execute(TargetDatabase.DeploymentMode.Automatic);

if (!results.Succeeded)
{
    // Handle deployment errors
    Console.WriteLine("Deployment failed.");
}
            

Processing Data

Automating data processing for cubes and tabular models ensures that your data is up-to-date. AMO allows you to process entire databases, specific objects, or partitions.

# Example using PowerShell with AMO
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.AnalysisServices.AdomdClient") | Out-Null
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular") | Out-Null

$server = New-Object Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.Server
$server.Connect("YourServerName")

# Process a Tabular Model
$model = $server.Databases.GetByName("YourDatabaseName").Model
$model.Process(Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.ProcessType.Full)

$server.Disconnect()
            

Scripting with XMLA

For more granular control or when AMO doesn't provide a direct method, you can execute XMLA commands directly.

<!-- Example XMLA command to process a cube -->
<Discover xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/analysisservices/2003/engine">
  <RequestType>DISCOVER_COMMANDS</RequestType>
  <Restrictions/>
  <Properties>
    <Catalog>YourDatabaseName</Catalog>
  </Properties>
</Discover>
<Execute xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/analysisservices/2003/engine">
  <Command>
    <Process xmlns:ddl="http://schemas.microsoft.com/analysisservices/2003/engine/ddl" xmlns:p="http://schemas.microsoft.com/analysisservices/2003/engine">
      <Object>
        <DatabaseID>YourDatabaseName</DatabaseID>
        <CubeID>YourCubeID</CubeID>
      </Object>
      <Type>ProcessFull</Type>
      <Partition></Partition>
    </Process>
  </Command>
  <Properties>
    <DataSource>
      <Password></Password>
    </DataSource>
  </Properties>
</Execute>
            

Scripting in Tabular Models

Tabular models, especially those using the Tabular Object Model (TOM), have a refined scripting experience. TOM is the evolution of AMO for tabular models.

Using TOM (Tabular Object Model)

TOM is the primary .NET library for interacting with and managing tabular models. It's more object-oriented and specialized for tabular structures.

Dynamic Management Views (DMVs)

DMVs are crucial for querying the metadata and state of your Analysis Services instance and databases, both multidimensional and tabular. They can be executed via AMO, XMLA, or ADOMD.NET.

Best Practices for Scripting

• Version Control: Store all your scripts and Analysis Services projects in a version control system (e.g., Git).
• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in your scripts to catch and report issues effectively.
• Modularity: Break down complex scripting tasks into smaller, reusable modules or functions.
• Logging: Add logging to your scripts to track execution progress and aid in troubleshooting.
• Security: Manage credentials securely when connecting to Analysis Services, especially in automated environments.