I’m a long time fan of Analysis Services, and this latest feature is a really cool addition to the offering. Currently in Preview, Azure Analysis Services Web Designer offers the following functionality that extends Azure Analysis Services, all through a simple web UI:
- Add a new logical server in Azure
- Create a new Analysis Services model from SQL DB, Azure SQL DW and….Power BI workbooks! (More data sources to come)
- Browse an existing Analysis Services model and add new measures for quick validation
- Open an existing Analysis Services model as a Visual Studio Project, in Excel, or in Power BI
- Edit an existing Analysis Services model using TMSL (Tabular Model Scripting Language)
Example – Creating a Model from Power BI Desktop
In this example, I’ve created a simple Power BI workbook (.pbix file) that’s connecting to an Azure SQL DB instance running the sample AdventureWorks database:
To connect to the new service, I can access via the Azure portal or go direct to https://analysisservices.azure.com:
On this occasion, I’ll use the server I already have and instead go straight to adding a new model:
Once created, I can browse the model in the Designer:
Or open it using Power BI, Excel or Visual Studio:
This is in preview right now, with many features still to come. The ability to import Power BI models into Analysis Services is a massive feature in its own right, but aside from that it already shows how you can quickly create and modify models without having to delve into Visual Studio/SQL Server Data Tools. New features are coming every month, so keep on eye on the team blog (below) to follow its progress.
Further Reading
SQL Of The North 
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