What Does XMLA Endpoints Imply for Energy BI and Learn how to Check it for Free?

XMLA endpoint connectivity for public preview has been introduced late March 2019. As at as we speak, it’s only out there for Energy BI Premium capability customers. This appears like a large restriction to lots of people who don’t have a Premium capability, however they’d like to see the way it works. On this article I present you a straightforward option to get your palms to Energy BI XMLA endpoint as fast as attainable. Earlier than I begin, I’d like to easily clarify what XMLA endpoint is and what it actually means for Energy BI customers.

Usually talking, Energy BI has two completely different layers, presentation layer and knowledge mannequin layer. Presentation layer is the visible layer, the one you make all these compelling experiences and visualisations. The info mannequin because the identify resembles, is the layer that you simply make your knowledge mannequin in. This layer is the one you may entry it by way of XMLA connectivity.

In a Energy BI Desktop file, you may see each layers:

How XMLA Pertains to Totally different Layers in Energy BI?

As you could have already guessed, XMLA is barely associated to the info mannequin layer and it has nothing to do with the presentation layer. So it’s possible you’ll join to an information mannequin, browse the info mannequin, import knowledge from the mannequin to different platforms like Excel and so forth.

Critically? Sure, critically. It’s not new. It’s been round
for a few years and maybe you’ve already used it zillions of occasions. Each time
you’re connecting to an occasion of SQL Server Evaluation Providers, both
Multidimensional or Tabular from any instruments like SQL Server Administration Studio
(SSMS), Energy BI Report Builder, Excel, Tableau, and many others…, you’re utilizing XMLA
connectivity certainly.

Energy BI is an Occasion of SSAS Tabular

It’s true. Energy BI runs an area occasion of SSAS Tabular
mannequin. So, everytime you open a Energy BI Desktop file (PBIX), Energy BI creates a
native occasion of SSAS Tabular mannequin with a random native port quantity that may
be accessed in your native machine solely. Once you shut the file, the native
occasion of SSAS Tabular is shut down and its port quantity is launched.

I first revealed the truth that you may hook up with the underlying knowledge mannequin in Energy BI Desktop from entire completely different vary of instruments like SSMS, SQL Server Profiler, Excel, and many others… on Jun 2016. So, we certainly had been utilizing XMLA to connect with Energy BI knowledge fashions for a very long time. We will even take a step additional to import our Energy BI knowledge fashions into an occasion of SSAS Tabular. In that sense, we are actually producing XMLA scripts from Energy BI to create the identical knowledge mannequin in SSAS Tabular. How cool is that?

Sooo… What’s new then?

To this point, I solely talked about Energy BI Desktop, the report
authoring software put in on our native machine. What usually occurs after we
construct our report is that we publish these experiences into Energy BI Service. Proper?
You guessed it. The significance of XMLA endpoints is that it makes a
connectivity channel to all fashions printed to Energy BI Service. That is
wonderful. Simply take into consideration the limitless prospects it may open for us. You possibly can
now hook up with the info fashions printed to Energy BI Service similar to you
usually hook up with an occasion of SSAS. You should use SSMS (v18.0 RC1), DAX
Studio, Excel, Tabular Editor, Tableau, and many others… to connect with printed knowledge
fashions to Energy BI Service.

Here’s a desk displaying how Energy BI assets map to SSAS Tabular occasion:

Here’s a screenshot of SSMS linked a Energy BI Service Workspace utilizing XMLA Endpoints, an area Energy BI Desktop file opened on my native machine and an occasion of SSAS Tabular.

As talked about earlier, XMLA endpoints is out there in Energy
BI Premium Capability which is a large roadblock for lots of us who don’t have
entry to a Energy BI Premium capability. However the excellent news is that XMLA can also be
out there in Energy BI Embedded Capability. You might ask, so what? I additionally don’t
have entry to an Embedded capability. Properly, you fall in a single two classes under:

• You may have an MSDN
  subscription
• You don’t have that one
  both

Both method, the excellent news is you can create an Embedded
Capability in azure if you have already got an MSDN subscription. When you don’t have
it, don’t fear, you may get
a free trial subscription.

Now let’s see how we will create a Energy BI Embedded
Capability.

Creating Energy BI Embedded Capability

Login to your Azure tenant
with the identical account as your Energy BI Service, then:

• Click on “Create a useful resource”
• Kind in “Energy BI” within the
  search field
• Click on “Energy BI Embedded”
  from the listing

Word that you choose A1 pricing tier in any other case it drains all of your credit score in a short time. It’s good to click on “View full pricing particulars” to have a greater concept on across the prices.

As you see, even A1 pricing tier
is NOT low cost in any respect. So, it’s possible you’ll take into account pausing the capability when not used.

We’re nearly there, only one
extra step to take.

After you create your embedded capability there is only one little factor you must do is to login to Energy BI Service and make
any desired workspace part of your embedded capability.

• Click on “Workspaces”
• Discover a desired Workspace
  and click on ellipsis button
• Click on “Workspace settings”

• Within the settings pane click on “Premium” tab
• Change “Devoted Capability” on
• After you turn the devoted capability on you see a dropdown field you can choose an out there capability for the workspace
• As you most likely seen the “Workspace Connection” is the one you might be after. You possibly can copy the connection then click on “Save”

After you save the adjustments you instantly see that fabulous
diamond icon exhibits up on the Workspace.

As you anticipate it’s very easy from right here.

Connecting to Energy BI Service from SQL Server Administration Studio (SSMS)

As acknowledged earlier you must set up SSMS
v18.0 RC1 in any other case you get the next error:

“The connection string shouldn’t be legitimate. (Microsoft.AnalysisServices.AppLocal.AdomdClient)”

• Open SSMS
• From “Hook up with Server”
  choose “Evaluation Providers” for Server Kind
• Paste the Workspace
  Connection in “Server Identify”
• From “Authentication”
  dropdown choose “Home windows Authentication”

• Choose/enter your Energy BI
  Service credentials

Baaam!

Connecting to Energy BI Service from Excel

• Open Excel
• Click on Get Information
• From Database, click on “From
  Evaluation Providers”

• Paste the Workspace
  Connection you copied earlier
• Click on “Use the next
  Consumer Identify and Password” then enter your credentials
• Click on Subsequent

• From dropdown listing choose a
  desired dataset then click on Subsequent

Right here you go!

Connecting to Energy BI Service from DAX Studio

• Open DAX Studio
• Choose “Tabular Server”
• Paste the Workspace
  Connection
• Click on Join

• Choose/enter your Energy BI Service
  credentials

All completed!