Adapters > Using the Adapter for SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) > Preparing the SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) Environment

Preparing the SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) Environment

Topics:

How to:

The Adapter for SQL Server Analysis Services minimally requires the installation of the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services version 10.0 and up, which is part of the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) installation.

Procedure: How to Set Up the Environment

Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services 9.0, 10.0, or 11.0 must be installed in your system.

The Adapter for SQL Server Analysis Services provides read-only access to analytical data stored in cubes. The adapter is an OLE DB for OLAP consumer. It employs Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) language to access aggregated or rolled-up data used for decision-support processing.

You can use any server front-end technology with the WebFOCUS reporting engine to access the OLAP data retrieved by the server for Windows. This makes your OLAP data available to your entire enterprise. Additionally, data from SSAS cubes can be joined with data from any other supported data source, providing additional information to your analytical process.

Setting SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) Security

There are three methods by which you can be authenticated when connecting to SQL Server Analysis Services:

Operating System (Trusted) mode. The user ID and password used to log on to the operating system are automatically used to connect to the Analytical Engine. The server data access agent impersonates an operating system user according to the server deployment mode. The agent process establishes a connection to a SSAS based on the impersonated operating system user credentials.

SSAS recognizes the security restrictions that the OLAP Database Administrator specifies and applies them to catalogs and cubes. This includes the role of security on the database and the application level. Although the Server for Windows establishes the connection to SSAS, an impersonation of the client is used to maintain access privileges.

  • Security off. If the Server is running with security off, the user ID and password of user that started the Reporting Server is passed to the Analytical Engine in order to establish a connection and access rights. This is the logon ID specified for the Windows or Windows Workstation after it is first started.
  • Security on. If the Server is running with security on, the system credentials of the client connecting to the server is passed to the Analytical Engine in order to establish a connection and access privileges. This process is called impersonation.

Explicit mode. The user ID and password are explicitly specified for each connection and passed to SQL Server Analysis Services, at connection time, for authentication

Password passthru mode. The user ID and password are explicitly specified for each connection and passed to SQL Server Analysis Services, at connection time, for authentication.

Accessing SQL Server Analysis Services

Using the standard rules for deploying OLE DB, the server supports connections to:

  • Local SQL Server Analysis Services.
  • Remote SQL Server Analysis Services. (To connect to a remote SSAS instance, you must have Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Analysis Services 9.0 installed in your system.)

WebFOCUS

Feedback