Model AlloyDB Data Using Azure Analysis Services

Microsoft Azure Analysis Services (AAS) is a fully-managed platform-as-a-service (PaaS) offering that delivers enterprise-grade data models in the cloud. When combined with CData Connect Cloud, AAS facilitates immediate cloud-to-cloud access to AlloyDB data for applications. This article outlines the process of connecting to AlloyDB via Connect Cloud and importing AlloyDB data into Visual Studio using an AAS extension.

CData Connect Cloud offers a seamless cloud-to-cloud interface tailored for AlloyDB, enabling you to create live models of AlloyDB data in Azure Analysis Services without the need to replicate data to a natively supported database. While constructing high-quality semantic data models for business reports and client applications, Azure Analysis Services formulates SQL queries to retrieve data. CData Connect Cloud is equipped with optimized data processing capabilities right from the start, directing all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to AlloyDB. This leverages server-side processing for swift retrieval of the requested AlloyDB data.

Prerequisites

Before you connect, you must first do the following:

• Connect a data source to your CData Connect Cloud account. Detailed steps are provided in the next section.
• Generate a Personal Access Token (PAT). Copy this down, as it acts as your password during authentication.
• Create a server in Azure Analysis Services to which you will deploy your data from CData Connect Cloud.
• Install and configure an On-Premise Gateway in your system. This will pull data from the source via CData Connect Cloud into the Azure Analysis Services project and deploy models to the server. Refer to the given link to find the detailed process.

Configure AlloyDB Connectivity for AAS

Connectivity to AlloyDB from Azure Analysis Services is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with AlloyDB data from Azure Analysis Services, we start by creating and configuring a AlloyDB connection.

1. Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
2. Select "AlloyDB" from the Add Connection panel
3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to AlloyDB.

   The following connection properties are usually required in order to connect to AlloyDB.

   • Server: The host name or IP of the server hosting the AlloyDB database.
   • User: The user which will be used to authenticate with the AlloyDB server.
   • Password: The password which will be used to authenticate with the AlloyDB server.

   You can also optionally set the following:

   • Database: The database to connect to when connecting to the AlloyDB Server. If this is not set, the user's default database will be used.
   • Port: The port of the server hosting the AlloyDB database. This property is set to 5432 by default.

   Authenticating with Standard Authentication

   Standard authentication (using the user/password combination supplied earlier) is the default form of authentication.

   No further action is required to leverage Standard Authentication to connect.

   Authenticating with pg_hba.conf Auth Schemes

   There are additional methods of authentication available which must be enabled in the pg_hba.conf file on the AlloyDB server.

   Find instructions about authentication setup on the AlloyDB Server here.

   Authenticating with MD5 Authentication

   This authentication method must be enabled by setting the auth-method in the pg_hba.conf file to md5.

   Authenticating with SASL Authentication

   This authentication method must be enabled by setting the auth-method in the pg_hba.conf file to scram-sha-256.

   Authenticating with Kerberos

   The authentication with Kerberos is initiated by AlloyDB Server when the ∏ is trying to connect to it. You should set up Kerberos on the AlloyDB Server to activate this authentication method. Once you have Kerberos authentication set up on the AlloyDB Server, see the Kerberos section of the help documentation for details on how to authenticate with Kerberos.

4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add AlloyDB Connection page and update the User-based permissions.

Add a Personal Access Token

If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that lacks support for OAuth authentication, you have the option to generate a Personal Access Token (PAT) for authentication purposes. It's advisable to follow best practices by creating a distinct PAT for each service to uphold access granularity.

1. Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
2. On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give your PAT a name and click Create.
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to AlloyDB data from Visual Studio using Azure Analysis Services.

Connect to AlloyDB in Visual Studio Using AAS

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect Cloud from Azure Analysis Services to create a new AlloyDB data source. You will need the Microsoft Analysis Services Project extension installed in Microsoft Visual Studio to continue.

1. In Visual Studio, create a new project. Select Analysis Services Tabular Project. Click on Next.
2. In the Configure your new project dialog box, enter a name for your project in the Project name field. Fill in the rest of the fields.
3. Click on Create. The Tabular model designer dialog box opens. Select Workspace server and enter the address of your Azure Analysis Services server (for example, asazure://eastus.azure.windows.net/myAzureServer). Also, make sure to select the option SQL Server 2022 / Azure Analysis Services (1600) from the Compatibility level dropdown. Click on Test Connection to check if the connection details are correct. Click OK and sign in to your server.
4. Now, click on OK to create the project. Your Visual Studio window should resemble the following screenshot:
5. In the Tabular Model Explorer window of Visual Studio, right-click Data Sources and select Import From Data Source.
6. In the Get Data window, select SQL Server database and click Connect. In the Server field, enter the Virtual SQL Server endpoint and the port separated by a comma: e.g., “tds.cdata.com, 14333”, and click on OK.
7. Click on Database and enter the following information:
   • User name: Enter your CData Connect Cloud username. This is displayed in the top-right corner of the CData Connect Cloud interface. For example, test@cdata.com.
   • Password: Enter the PAT you generated on the Settings page.

   Click on Connect. If successful, the Navigator window will pop up.

8. In the Navigator window, search and select the tables of your choice
9. You should now see the Salesforce table populated with data in the preview section on the right panel.
10. Click on Load to import the data.

Now that you have imported the AlloyDB data into your data model, you are ready to deploy the project to Azure Analysis Services for use in business reports, client applications, and more.

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