how to connect to a Fabric semantic model from SSMS

[Jeanxyz]

I can open a Fabric warehouse from SSMS with no problem, but when I try to connect SSMS to a semantic model in Fabric workspace, I got an error. I find the connection string in Semantic dataset - settings - Server settings. Below is my login at SSMS and error message. 

Thanks!

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @Jeanxyz,

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[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @Jeanxyz,

checking in to see if your issue has been resolved. If the response provided was helpful, kindly mark it as the solution so that others with the same issue can benefit.
let us know if you still need assistance.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @Jeanxyz,

checking in to see if your issue has been resolved. If the response provided was helpful, kindly mark it as the solution so that others with the same issue can benefit.
Please let us know if you still need assistance.

Thank you.

[v-saisrao-msft]

Hi @Jeanxyz,

Please use Analysis Services as the Server Type instead of Database Engine in SSMS — that worked for us when connecting to a Fabric Semantic Model. The issue occurs because the XMLA endpoint requires the Analysis Services protocol.

For more details, you can refer to the official Microsoft documentation here:

Troubleshoot XMLA endpoint connectivity in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.

[Jeanxyz]

Thanks for help. 

It looks you have used the connection string of the workspace + server type as Analysis Engine, indeed I was able to find semantic models and tables in SSMS this time, but I still couldn't run DAX queries. the error message says: 

Executing the query ...
The CurrentCatalog XML/A property was not specified.

Technical Details:
RootActivityId: e63e863f-ec32-4f38-b198-5925f43cd566
Date (UTC): 6/26/2025 2:40:33 PM
Run complete

[v-saisrao-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @Jeanxyz,

I'm glad to hear the connection worked after switching to Analysis Services. The error "The CurrentCatalog XML/A property was not specified" appears because SSMS doesn't know which semantic model to use when connecting at the workspace level. To resolve this, select your semantic model from the Database drop-down in the query window, or right-click the model in Object Explorer and select New Query. You can also set the Initial Catalog in the connection string when logging in.

Beow is the link for your reference:

Troubleshoot XMLA endpoint connectivity in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Learn

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as a solution to help the other members find it more quickly.

Thank you.