Model Power BI XMLA Data Using Azure Analysis Services

Azure Analysis Services (AAS) is a fully-managed platform as a service (PaaS) that provides enterprise-level data models in the cloud. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, AAS provides instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Power BI XMLA data for applications. This article demonstrates how to connect to Power BI XMLA using Connect Cloud and import Power BI XMLA data in Visual Studio using an AAS extension.

CData Connect Cloud provides a pure cloud-to-cloud interface for Power BI XMLA, allowing you to model live Power BI XMLA data in Azure Analysis Services — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. As you build enterprise-grade semantic data models for business reports and client applications, Azure Analysis Services generates SQL queries to gather data. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to Power BI XMLA, leveraging server-side processing to return the requested Power BI XMLA data quickly.

Connect to Power BI XMLA in Connect Cloud

CData Connect Cloud uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

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

   To connect, set the Url property to a valid PowerBIXMLA workspace. For instance, powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myorg/CData.

4. Click Create & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Power BI XMLA 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 does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.

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 Power BI XMLA data from Visual Studio using Azure Analysis Services.

Connect to Power BI XMLA in Visual Studio Using AAS

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect Cloud from Azure Analysis Services to create a new Power BI XMLA data source. You will need the Microsoft Analysis Services Project Extension installed to continue.

1. In Visual Studio, create a new project. Select Analysis Services Tabular Project.
2. In the Configure your new project dialog, enter a name for your project in the Project name field. Fill in the rest of the fields.
3. Click 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). Click Test Connection and sign in to your server.
4. Click OK to create the project. Your Visual Studio window should resemble the following screenshot:
5. In Visual Studio, in Tabular model Explorer, right-click Data Sources and select Import From Data Source.
6. In the Table Import Wizard, select SQL Server database and click Connect. In the Server field, enter the Virtual SQL Server endpoint and port separated by a comma: e.g., tds.cdata.com,14333
7. Click SQL Server Authentication 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 Test Connection. If successful, choose from the Database name list and click Next.
8. On the next screen, select Current User and click Next.
9. Now, select the first option and click Next.
10. On the next screen, select a table from the list and click Preview & Filter.
11. You should now see the table from Power BI XMLA populated with data.

Now that you have imported the Power BI XMLA 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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