Create SSAS Tabular Models from BugHerd Data

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 API Driver for ODBC, you can create a tabular model from BugHerd data for deeper and faster data analysis.

Create a Connection to BugHerd 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.

Start by setting the Profile connection property to the location of the BugHerd Profile on disk (e.g. C:\profiles\BugHerd.apip). Next, set the ProfileSettings connection property to the connection string for BugHerd (see below).

BugHerd API Profile Settings

BugHerd uses HTTP Basic authentication with an API key as the username. To obtain an API key:

1. Sign in to your BugHerd account at https://www.bugherd.com
2. Navigate to Settings > General Settings
3. Locate the API Key section and copy the generated key

After obtaining your API key, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: Set this to APIKey.

Set the following in the ProfileSettings connection property:

• APIKey: Set this to your BugHerd API key. The driver uses the key as the Basic auth username and sets the password internally to the literal value 'x' as required by BugHerd.

Creating a Data Source for BugHerd

Start by creating a new Analysis Services Tabular Project in Visual Studio. Ensure that you select a Compatibility Level of 1400 or higher in the Tabular model designer dialog. Next create a Data Source for BugHerd 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 BugHerd data in your SSAS instance, ready to be analyzed, reported, and viewed. Get started with a free, 30-day trial of the CData API Driver for ODBC.