Install and Configure Power BI for Analysis Services Cube

[AbhinavJain]

I've to install and configure POwer BI for my project for Analysis Services Cubes. I need help on the approach I should take :

1. I've a specific set of 20 Business Users. What should be my approach.

2. Is it possible to have a personal gateway installed on end user desktops or only On-Premises gateway is an option?

3. Is Azure Active Directory is a compultion to connect with Windows Active Directory or is there any workaround wherein I can avoid  AD integration. I learnt about Mapping Users where I can map Power BI email logins to windows Logins (for SSAS cubes), keeping in view that I've only 20 business users and I am OK manually mapping the users?

4. Do I need Pro license of is there any approach in which I can manage with Free lIcenses?

5. When we publish a report and share the URL , how can it be exported to excel?

[Seth_C_Bauer · Accepted solution]

1. I've a specific set of 20 Business Users. What should be my approach.

2. Is it possible to have a personal gateway installed on end user desktops or only On-Premises gateway is an option?

The refresh is handled by the owner of the report. So if you are sharing it with 20 users, you would need to have the gateway, not them. I would recommend you use the On-Premises Data Gateway / installed on the same machine as the cube.

3. Is Azure Active Directory is a compultion to connect with Windows Active Directory or is there any workaround wherein I can avoid  AD integration. I learnt about Mapping Users where I can map Power BI email logins to windows Logins (for SSAS cubes), keeping in view that I've only 20 business users and I am OK manually mapping the users?

You need Azure AD otherwise the users can't log in. You can manually create the users in AAD, you just need to make sure their UPN matches the on premises AD. Obviously, any changes to passwords or such on the AD side will cause issues if you don't sync.

Mapping users only applies to granting them access to the tabular model. If they need accounts to access the dashboards you share, then they need their own user account in Azure AD.

4. Do I need Pro license of is there any approach in which I can manage with Free lIcenses?

SSAS is an on premises data source, it requires a Pro license. It also requires that all end users have a Pro license.

5. When we publish a report and share the URL , how can it be exported to excel?

I believe Analyze in Excel just became available for use against SSAS sources. Otherwise each visual has the optiont to export data. (Both of these can be disabled via the Admin Portal -> Tenant Settings

[Seth_C_Bauer · Accepted solution]

@AbhinavJain Sorry, The only option would be to import your data into the Power BI Desktop. This tool allows you to build a tabular model from the data you import. It may not work if your cube is extremely large though, as it there is a size limitation to push it to the Power BI Service to share. (1GB)

I would recommend you look at upgrading SQL versions... 

[Seth_C_Bauer · Accepted solution]

1. I've a specific set of 20 Business Users. What should be my approach.

2. Is it possible to have a personal gateway installed on end user desktops or only On-Premises gateway is an option?

The refresh is handled by the owner of the report. So if you are sharing it with 20 users, you would need to have the gateway, not them. I would recommend you use the On-Premises Data Gateway / installed on the same machine as the cube.

3. Is Azure Active Directory is a compultion to connect with Windows Active Directory or is there any workaround wherein I can avoid  AD integration. I learnt about Mapping Users where I can map Power BI email logins to windows Logins (for SSAS cubes), keeping in view that I've only 20 business users and I am OK manually mapping the users?

You need Azure AD otherwise the users can't log in. You can manually create the users in AAD, you just need to make sure their UPN matches the on premises AD. Obviously, any changes to passwords or such on the AD side will cause issues if you don't sync.

Mapping users only applies to granting them access to the tabular model. If they need accounts to access the dashboards you share, then they need their own user account in Azure AD.

4. Do I need Pro license of is there any approach in which I can manage with Free lIcenses?

SSAS is an on premises data source, it requires a Pro license. It also requires that all end users have a Pro license.

5. When we publish a report and share the URL , how can it be exported to excel?

I believe Analyze in Excel just became available for use against SSAS sources. Otherwise each visual has the optiont to export data. (Both of these can be disabled via the Admin Portal -> Tenant Settings

[AbhinavJain]

Thanks Eno, your response is indeed helpful.

I've one more question, that I've SSAS 2008 and I want to connect to the cubes in Power BI.  I've learnt that Power BI doesn't support earlier version of SQL Server 2012. Please help me with a possible and easy:) workaround.

[Seth_C_Bauer]

@AbhinavJain Hmm. I wish I could. The version support is directly tied to support for DAX... The only ways around this would be to import your data (and basically rebuild the cube in the Destktop). Or upgrade to a new version of SQL that supports it...

[AbhinavJain]

Hi Eno,

What do you mean by building the cube in the desktop?

[Seth_C_Bauer · Accepted solution]

@AbhinavJain Sorry, The only option would be to import your data into the Power BI Desktop. This tool allows you to build a tabular model from the data you import. It may not work if your cube is extremely large though, as it there is a size limitation to push it to the Power BI Service to share. (1GB)

I would recommend you look at upgrading SQL versions... 

[AbhinavJain]

Thanks Eno,

Another one:).

If I've multiple cubes will I be able to create multiple tabular models each of 1GB max or 1 GB is restricted for desktop?

[Seth_C_Bauer · Accepted solution]

@AbhinavJain The Desktop file can be as large as you want (or will run) locally. The limitation is when you deploy that to the Power BI Service, then the PBIX file can only be 1GB.

The Service (assuming you have a Pro account) allows for a total of 10 GB of space usage per account.

You can create additional Group Workspaces in the Service to get around the total 10GB limit though. (Also a Pro feature)