What is Azure Analysis Services?
Azure Analysis Services is a fully managed PaaS service for enterprise BI data modeling. The service hosts Tabular data models that serve as a semantic layer between data sources and BI tools like Power BI, Excel, and Reporting Services.
Core Features
- Tabular Models: In-memory data models with DAX for complex calculations
- DirectQuery: Real-time queries against data sources without data import
- Query Scale-out: Read replicas for better query performance with many users
- Partitioning: Incremental refresh of large data volumes
- Row-Level Security: Data-based access control for multi-tenant scenarios
- Azure AD Integration: Authentication and authorization via Azure Active Directory
Typical Use Cases
Corporate BI Semantic Layer: Companies create a unified view of business data. Metrics, hierarchies, and relationships are centrally defined and consistently used by all BI tools.
Self-Service Analytics: Business analysts access curated data models. They create their own reports in Power BI or Excel without SQL knowledge and with guaranteed correct calculations.
Financial Reporting: Finance departments model complex consolidation and allocation logic. Time intelligence functions enable period comparisons and rolling calculations.
Benefits
- Familiar technology for SSAS-experienced teams
- Pausable for cost optimization outside business hours
- Seamless integration with the Microsoft BI stack
- Row-Level Security for secure multi-tenant scenarios
Integration with innFactory
As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, innFactory supports you with Azure Analysis Services: We develop performant data models, migrate existing SSAS solutions, and implement self-service BI architectures.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference from Power BI Premium?
Analysis Services is a dedicated modeling server for complex enterprise models. Power BI Premium includes Analysis Services capacity but additionally offers report hosting and sharing.
Which data sources are supported?
Analysis Services connects to Azure SQL, Synapse, Data Lake, SQL Server, Oracle, Teradata, and many other sources via DirectQuery or import.
Can I migrate existing SSAS models?
Yes, Tabular models from SQL Server Analysis Services can be directly migrated to Azure Analysis Services. Multidimensional models must be converted to Tabular.
How does Azure Analysis Services scale?
Scaling is done via Query Replicas for read operations. Processing occurs on a separate instance to avoid impacting user queries.
Is Azure Analysis Services recommended for new projects?
For new projects, Microsoft recommends Power BI Premium or Fabric. Analysis Services remains relevant for existing workloads and specific enterprise requirements.
