Concepts
Introduction to the XMLA endpoint
The XMLA endpoint is an industry standard protocol for accessing and managing analytical data. It allows you to interact with datasets in Power BI as if they were traditional relational databases. You can use XMLA endpoints to create, update, delete, and refresh datasets programmatically.
To access the XMLA endpoint, you need to enable it on your Power BI workspace. Once enabled, you can use various tools and programming languages, such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) or PowerShell, to interact with datasets.
Creating and deploying datasets
To create a dataset using the XMLA endpoint, you need to define the data model and schema in XMLA format. You can use tools like Visual Studio or Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) Studio to create the schema.
Once you have defined the schema, you can deploy the dataset to Power BI. You can do this using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), PowerShell, or any other programming language that supports XMLA. The deployment process involves establishing a connection to the XMLA endpoint, authenticating the user, and sending the XMLA commands to create the dataset.
Here is an example of deploying a dataset using PowerShell:
# Set the connection string
$connectionString = "Provider=MSOLAP;Integrated Security=ClaimsToken;Data Source=powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myworkspace/mydatamodel;Initial Catalog=MyDataset"
# Connect to the XMLA endpoint
$connection = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection($connectionString)
$connection.Open()
# Specify the XMLA command to create the dataset
$commandText = @"
My dataset
MyDataset
MyDataset
MyCube
MyCube
MyDimension
MyDimension
"@
# Execute the XMLA command
$command = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand($commandText, $connection)
$command.ExecuteNonQuery()
# Close the connection
$connection.Close()
Updating and refreshing datasets
Once a dataset is deployed, you can update it by sending XMLA commands to modify the schema, add or remove data, or apply transformations. You can use tools like Visual Studio or DAX Studio to generate the XMLA commands.
To refresh a dataset, you can use the XMLA endpoint to execute the `Refresh` command. This will update the data in the dataset based on the source data. You can schedule refresh operations using PowerShell or REST APIs.
Here is an example of refreshing a dataset using PowerShell:
# Set the connection string
$connectionString = "Provider=MSOLAP;Integrated Security=ClaimsToken;Data Source=powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myworkspace/mydatamodel;Initial Catalog=MyDataset"
# Connect to the XMLA endpoint
$connection = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection($connectionString)
$connection.Open()
# Specify the XMLA command to refresh the dataset
$commandText = "MyCube "
# Execute the XMLA command
$command = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand($commandText, $connection)
$command.ExecuteNonQuery()
# Close the connection
$connection.Close()
Managing security and access control
The XMLA endpoint supports fine-grained security and access control mechanisms. You can create roles, define permissions, and assign users or groups to these roles. This allows you to control who can access and modify datasets.
To manage security and access control, you can use XMLA commands to create roles, add members, and define permissions. You can also use the Power BI portal or PowerShell cmdlets to manage security settings programmatically.
Here is an example of creating a role and assigning permissions using PowerShell:
# Set the connection string
$connectionString = "Provider=MSOLAP;Integrated Security=ClaimsToken;Data Source=powerbi://api.powerbi.com/v1.0/myworkspace/mydatamodel;Initial Catalog=MyDataset"
# Connect to the XMLA endpoint
$connection = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbConnection($connectionString)
$connection.Open()
# Specify the XMLA command to create a role
$commandText = @"
MyRole
MyRole
ExpandFull
ProcessFull
Create
Update
[UserPrincipalName]
[UserPrincipalName]
"@
# Execute the XMLA command
$command = New-Object System.Data.OleDb.OleDbCommand($commandText, $connection)
$command.ExecuteNonQuery()
# Close the connection
$connection.Close()
Monitoring and troubleshooting
The XMLA endpoint provides various methods for monitoring and troubleshooting activities. You can use SQL Server Profiler or Extended Events to capture and analyze XMLA commands and events.
Additionally, you can enable diagnostic logging for the XMLA endpoint to collect logs for tracking requests, errors, and performance metrics. These logs can be stored in Azure Storage or streamed to Azure Event Hubs for further analysis.
Conclusion
In this article, we explored how to deploy and manage datasets by using the XMLA endpoint in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Power BI. We covered the basics of using the XMLA endpoint, creating and deploying datasets, updating and refreshing datasets, managing security and access control, and monitoring and troubleshooting. By leveraging the XMLA endpoint, you can automate and streamline your analytics solution deployment and management processes.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
When using the XMLA endpoint to deploy and manage datasets in Power BI, which authentication method is NOT supported?
- a) Azure AD authentication
- b) SQL Server authentication
- c) Windows authentication
- d) Anonymous authentication
Correct answer: d) Anonymous authentication
Which HTTP verb should be used to create a new workspace database using the XMLA endpoint?
- a) GET
- b) POST
- c) PUT
- d) DELETE
Correct answer: b) POST
True or False: When deploying a dataset using the XMLA endpoint, the dataset’s schema can be modified during the deployment process.
- a) True
- b) False
Correct answer: b) False
Which parameter is required when executing an XMLA command to process a table partition in Power BI?
- a) Database ID
- b) Workspace ID
- c) Dataset ID
- d) Table Name
Correct answer: c) Dataset ID
True or False: The XMLA endpoint supports only synchronous processing of datasets in Power BI.
- a) True
- b) False
Correct answer: b) False
When deploying a dataset using the XMLA endpoint, which action can be performed to ensure compatibility with previous versions of Analysis Services?
- a) Enable translation support
- b) Enable overwrite of existing objects
- c) Enable incremental data loading
- d) Enable workaround for query folding
Correct answer: a) Enable translation support
Which XMLA command is used to delete an existing dataset in Power BI?
- a) CREATE DATABASE
- b) CREATE MINING MODEL
- c) DROP DATABASE
- d) DROP TABLE
Correct answer: c) DROP DATABASE
True or False: The XMLA endpoint allows users to schedule dataset refreshes in Power BI.
- a) True
- b) False
Correct answer: b) False
When publishing a dataset using the XMLA endpoint, which metadata object is used to define the processing options for the dataset?
- a) Model
- b) Role
- c) Partition
- d) DataSource
Correct answer: c) Partition
Which parameter is required when executing an XMLA command to refresh a dataset in Power BI?
- a) Database ID
- b) Workspace ID
- c) Dataset ID
- d) Refresh Type
Correct answer: c) Dataset ID
Great post! The XMLA endpoint is a game changer for managing datasets in Power BI.
Can someone explain how to enable the XMLA endpoint for read/write operations?
Excellent resource on deploying datasets! Very detailed and useful.
I’m having trouble connecting to the XMLA endpoint using SSMS. Any ideas?
Thanks for the guide! Helped me understand alot about XMLA endpoints.
Is there a way to automate dataset deployment using the XMLA endpoint?
Appreciate the effort on this blog!
I encountered a ‘403 Forbidden’ error while accessing the endpoint. Any pointers?