SQL Server Analysis Services Development

Deployment of SSAS Projects

Deploying your SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) projects is a critical step in making your multidimensional or tabular models available to users. This section covers the various methods and best practices for deploying SSAS solutions, from development environments to production servers.

Understanding the Deployment Process

Deployment typically involves taking a compiled project (usually a solution file generated by SQL Server Data Tools or Visual Studio) and processing it onto an SSAS instance. This process includes:

• Connecting to the target SSAS server.
• Creating or updating the database on the server.
• Processing the database objects (cubes, dimensions, tables) to load data.

Methods of Deployment

1. Using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) / Visual Studio

The most common and integrated method is using SSDT within Visual Studio. You can deploy directly from your development environment to a specified SSAS server.

1. Open your SSAS project in Visual Studio.
2. In the Solution Explorer, right-click on the Project.
3. Select Deploy.
4. The project properties will allow you to configure the Server Name and Database Name for the deployment.

This method is ideal for iterative development and testing.

2. Using Deployment Wizard

For more control or when deploying to a different machine without Visual Studio installed, you can use the SSAS Deployment Wizard.

To use the wizard:

1. Build your SSAS project to generate a .asdatabase file.
2. Launch the Analysis Services Deployment Wizard from the SQL Server program group.
3. Follow the wizard steps to select the deployment file, specify the target server, and configure processing options.

3. Using PowerShell / AMO / ADOMD.NET

For automated deployments, continuous integration (CI), and continuous deployment (CD) pipelines, scripting languages and client libraries are essential.

PowerShell with Analysis Services Cmdlets offers a robust way to script deployments.

# Example PowerShell script snippet
$asServer = New-Object Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.Server
$asServer.Connect("YourAnalysisServicesServer")

$deployment = New-Object Microsoft.AnalysisServices.Tabular.DeploymentInfo
$deployment.LoadFromProject("path\to\your\project.asdatabase")

$deployment.ProcessDatabase("YourNewDatabaseName")

$asServer.Disconnect()

Analysis Management Objects (AMO) and ADOMD.NET provide programmatic access to SSAS, allowing for custom deployment logic.

Deployment Configurations

When deploying, you can specify different configurations for various environments (e.g., Development, Test, Production). This typically involves setting different server names, database names, connection strings for data sources, and potentially encryption keys.

In Visual Studio, you can manage these configurations via the project's Properties dialog, under the Configuration Properties tab.

Processing Options

During deployment, you can choose how the database objects should be processed:

• Do not process: Deploys the structure only. Manual processing is required later.
• Process full: Processes all objects from scratch.
• Process default: Processes objects based on their dependencies and current state.
• Process incremental: For supported scenarios, this processes only the changes since the last processing.

Selecting the appropriate processing option is crucial for efficient deployment, especially in production environments.

Best Practices

• Always use separate deployment configurations for different environments.
• Automate deployments whenever possible, especially for production.
• Test deployments thoroughly in a staging environment before going to production.
• Document your deployment process and configurations.
• Consider using tabular models for their flexibility in deployment and management.