Create SSAS Tabular Models from Azure Synapse Data



How to build a SQL Server Analysis Service Tabular Model from Azure Synapse data using CData drivers.

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) is an analytical data engine used in decision support and business analytics. It provides enterprise-grade semantic data models for business reports and client applications, such as Power BI, Excel, Reporting Services reports, and other data visualization tools. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse, you can create a tabular model from Azure Synapse data for deeper and faster data analysis.

Create a Connection to Azure Synapse Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

Connecting to Azure Synapse

In addition to providing authentication (see below), set the following properties to connect to a Azure Synapse database:

  • Server: The server running Azure. You can find this by logging into the Azure portal and navigating to Azure Synapse Analytics -> Select your database -> Overview -> Server name.
  • Database: The name of the database, as seen in the Azure portal on the Azure Synapse Analytics page.

Authenticating to Azure Synapse

Connect to Azure Synapse using the following properties:

  • User: The username provided for authentication with Azure.
  • Password: The password associated with the authenticating user.

Creating a Data Source for Azure Synapse

Start by creating a new Analysis Services Tabular Project in Visual Studio. Next create a Data Source for Azure Synapse in the project.

  1. In the Tabular Model Explorer, right-click Data Sources and select "New Data Source"
  2. Select "ODBC" from the Other tab and click "Connect"
  3. Select the DSN you previously configured
  4. Choose "Default or Custom" as the authentication option and click "Connect"

Add Tables & Relationships

After creating the data source you are ready to import tables and define the relationships between the tables.

  1. Right-click the new data source, click "Import New Tables" and select the tables to import
  2. After importing the tables, right-click "Relationships" and click "Create Relationships"
  3. Select table(s), and choose the foreign keys, cardinality, and filter direction

Create Measures

After importing the tables and defining the relationships, you are ready to create measures.

  1. Select the column in the table for which you wish to create a measure
  2. In the Extensions menu -> click "Columns" -> "AutoSum" and select your aggregation method

Deploy the Model

Once you create measures, you are ready to deploy the model. Configure the target server and database by right-clicking the project found in the Solution Explorer and selecting "Properties." Configure the "Deployment Server" properties and click "OK."

After configuring the deployment server, open the "Build" menu and click "Deploy Solution." You now have a tabular model for Azure Synapse data in your SSAS instance, ready to be analyzed, reported, and viewed. Get started with a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Azure Synapse.

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Azure Synapse Icon Azure Synapse ODBC Driver

The Azure Synapse ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live data from Azure Synapse, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Azure Synapse data like you would a database - read, write, and update Azure Synapse. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.