Forum Discussion
Adding a SSAS data model as a data set in a workspace
Hi jtrock ,
So far directly connecting to the SSAS data source from the Power BI service is deprecated. To create dynamic reports with data and metrics you already have in your Analysis Services solutions, use a published dataset instead.
Select Get data>Published datasets.
More reference: Create reports based on datasets from different workspaces - Power BI | Microsoft Docs
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ kalyj
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Hi kalyj,
Thank you for the response. I already understand that the only option presented to me after deprecation is to select an existing published dataset. When that happens, it gives me the list of already published datasets from each workspace. The issue is that the new development model we are standing up is not a published dataset in any of the workspaces, so I cannot follow your advice to select it.
How do I make our new development SSAS model into a published dataset in a new workspace that I can select it during the step you're describing (in which case I wouldn't need to select it to add to a workspace, because then at that point it would already be a published dataset that I would be able to switch to when changing data sources in Power BI Desktop for an existing report.)
Basically, from I can tell, your answer is "In order to make it a published dataset in a new workspace, you need to already have it as a published dataset in a different workspace." and that does not help. Did Microsoft deprecate the only way to get NEW SSAS connection into a workspace as a dataset?
To be clear:
(1) SSAS Model A is set up as a dataset in our existing workspaces before the deprecation of this functionality.
(2) We want to switch existing reports from using SSAS Model A to newly-created SSAS Model B for testing and validation of SSAS Model B
(3) The only option to switch data sources in an existing PBIX file is to switch to using another published dataset in a workspace (you can't switch from a published dataset in a workspace to specifying the SSAS server/model directly, for example)
(4) So SSAS Model B needs to be a published dataset in a workspace in order to fulfill step (3), but the way to do that has been deprecated?
(5) What is the current post-deprecation Microsoft process to take an existing report in Power BI Desktop and swap it from using a direct-connection SSAS Model A set up as a published dataset in a workspace to using a new direct-connection SSAS Model B that is not set up as a published dataset in a workspace because the way to do that no longer exists?
Hi jtrock ，
Power BI Service mainly used to share and consume business insights, it can only connect to a very limited number of data sources.
However, Power BI Desktop can connect to other large variety of data sources. For SSAS, in Desktop, select Get Data> Database> SQL Server Analysis Services database.
After you create a report based on the SSAS data model, publish it to Power BI Service, it will produce the corresponding published dataset.
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ kalyjIf this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Hello,
I guess I am not explaining myself correctly?
We have 100+ existing reports that were created in Power BI Desktop by initially selecting a data source using Get Data -> Power BI Data Sets, and then the content creator selected our SSAS model (let's call it SSAS Model A) from one of many workspaces that had it as a published data set back before that was deprecated.
Now we have SSAS Model B, which is a development model. How can we switch a subset of existing reports to use SSAS Model B as a data source? I can go into Options and settings -> Data source settings, but it will only let me change to a different published data set within the list of workspaces I have access to.
If SSAS Model B were a published data set already in a workspace, this would be no problem. But at this point, adding it as a data set to a workspace has been deprecated.
So what are the recommended steps to point existing reports already using SSAS Model A as a published data set in a workspace to SSAS Model B that is not a published data set in a workspace because Microsoft took away that ability?
Is there a gap here that Microsoft hasn't addressed, and I am stuck re-creating reports from scratch by going to Get Data -> Analysis Services and typing in the name of the server and the SSAS Model B model and then having to re-create everything, including custom measures, etc.?
There used to be a way where you could change the .pbix extension to a .zip extension and then open it as a ZIP archive and see all of the internal XML files and maybe hack a data source change that way -- not sure if that still works or not.
When I go to Options and settings -> Data source settings, instead of just assuming I want to select another data source from Power BI Datasets, it should give us the option to reselect the type of data source, so at that point I can choose Analysis Services instead, and then get a prompt to enter the server name and then select the model. That would also resolve my issue.
Hi jtrock ,
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I have a doubt, even if Model B is a published dataset, still need to re-create reports including custom measures, because when you click Transform data>data source setting, choose another dataset, all the visuals are broken, and measures created before are missing.
Best Regards,
Community Support Team _ kalyj