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Version: I2023.1.0

Using AtScale With Microsoft Power BI Desktop

Before you begin​

  • Configure authentication with external directory

    Microsoft's Power BI "SQL Server Analysis Services" Connector does not support Basic Authentication. To connect Power BI to AtScale, AtScale must be configured to authenticate with an external Directory that supports Windows Authentication (NTLM v2). You also need to enable concurrent NTLM authentication requests. For details, see Connecting to AtScale Using Windows Authentication.

    In case the Active Directory used for authentication is configured to use channel binding, you need to configure the communication between AtScale and Active Directory. For details, see Connecting to Active Directory that uses LDAP Channel Binding.

  • Make sure you are using a supported version of Microsoft Power BI Desktop. For details, see AtScale Supported Tools and Platforms.

  • The AtScale cube you will connect to must be part of a published project. For details, see Publish a Project.

  • Obtain the AtScale MDX connection URL. For details, see Getting Cube Connection Information.

  • Optionally, you can enable Xpress compression to improve the communication. To do this, you can the turn on soap.xpress.enabled engine setting. For more information, see Changing Engine Settings.

Procedure: Connect Power BI Desktop to an AtScale Cube​

  1. In Microsoft Power BI Desktop, select Get Data > [more] > SQL Server Analysis Services database. Click Connect.

  2. In the dialog's Server field, enter the AtScale MDX connection URL. An example url is http://atscale-host:10502/xmla/default.

  3. Optionally, enter the AtScale project name for the Database field.

  4. Choose Connect Live as your Data Connectivity mode.

    Choosing "Import" is not recommended because doing so is the equivalent to exporting your entire dataset in cube form. AtScale will deliberately fail export queries that exceed a complexity threshold to prevent service disruption. If you wish to export data from AtScale, please contact AtScale Sales and Consulting Services for more information.

  5. Do not enter an MDX or DAX query as a connection parameter. This feature is not supported by AtScale.

  6. Click OK.

  7. Select your project and cube from the Display Options drop-down, and click OK.

  8. Power BI will connect to AtScale and return a representation of the published cube in the Fields Pane.

What to do next​

  1. Build your report in Power BI. For details see Create reports and dashboards in Power BI.
  2. Review the list of AtScale's Power BI Known Issues and Limitations.
  3. Configure Power BI Service Integration and publish your report to Power BI Service.