Grant process permissions (Analysis Services)

Applies to: SQL Server Analysis Services Azure Analysis Services Fabric/Power BI Premium

As an administrator, you can create a role dedicated to Analysis Services processing operations, allowing you to delegate that particular task to other users, or to applications used for unattended scheduled processing. Process permissions can be granted at the database, cube, dimension, and mining structure levels. Unless you are working with a very large cube or tabular database, we recommend granting processing rights at the database level, inclusive of all objects, including those having dependencies on each other.

Permissions are granted through roles that associate objects with permissions and Windows user or group accounts. Remember that permissions are additive. If one role grants permission to process a cube, while a second role gives the same user permission to process a dimension, the permissions from the two different roles combine to give the user permission to both process the cube and process the specified dimension within that database.

Set processing permissions at the database level

This section explains how to enable processing by non-administrators, for all cubes, dimensions, mining structures, and mining models in the database.

1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of SQL Server Analysis Services, open the Databases folder, and select a database.

2. Right-click Roles | New Role. Enter a name and description.

3. In the General pane, select the Process Database check box. Additionally, select Read Definition to also enable interactive processing through one of the SQL Server tools, such as SQL Server Management Studio.

4. In the Membership pane, add the Windows user and group accounts having permission to process any object in this database.

5. Click OK to complete the role definition.

Set processing permissions on individual objects

You can set processing permissions on individual cubes, dimensions, data mining structures or models.

Processing can fail if you inadvertently exclude objects that need to be processed together (for example, if you enable processing on a cube, but not on its related dimensions). Because it can be easy to miss object dependencies, thorough testing is essential when setting processing permissions on individual objects.

1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of SQL Server Analysis Services, open the Databases folder, and select a database.

2. Right-click Roles | New Role. Enter a name and description.

3. In the General pane, clear the Process Database check box. Database permissions override the ability to set permissions on lower-level objects by making role options grayed out or un-selectable.

   Technically, no database permissions are needed for dedicated processing roles. But without Read Definition at the database level, you cannot view the database in SQL Server Management Studio, making testing more difficult.

4. Select individual objects to process:

   • In the Cubes pane, select the Process check box for each cube.

   • In the Dimensions pane, select All database dimensions, and then Process check box for each dimension. Or, select all rows, then use shift-click to toggle the check box selections.

5. In the Membership pane, add the Windows user and group accounts having permission to process these objects.

6. Click OK to complete the role definition.

Test processing

1. Hold down the shift-key and right-click SQL Server Management Studio, select Run as a different user and connect to the instance of SQL Server Analysis Services using a Windows account assigned to the role you are testing.

2. Open the Databases folder, and select a database. You will only see the databases that are visible to the roles for which your account has membership.

3. Right-click a cube or dimension and select Process. Choose a processing option. Test all of the options, for all combinations of objects. If errors occur due to missing objects, add the objects to the role.

Set processing permissions on a data mining structure

You can create a role granting permission to process data mining structures. This includes the processing of all mining models.

Drill Through and Read Definition permissions used for browsing a mining model and structure are atomic and can be added to the same role, or separated out into a different role.

1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of SQL Server Analysis Services, open the Databases folder, and select a database.

2. Right-click Roles | New Role. Enter a name and description. In the General pane, make sure that the database permission check boxes are clear. Database permissions will override the ability to set permissions on lower-level objects by making role options grayed out or un-selectable.

3. In the Mining Structures pane, select the Process check box for each mining structure.

4. In the Membership pane, add the Windows user and group accounts having permission to process any object in this database.

5. Click OK to complete the role definition.

See Also

Process Database, Table, or Partition (Analysis Services)
Processing a multidimensional model (Analysis Services)
Grant database permissions (Analysis Services)
Grant read definition permissions on object metadata (Analysis Services)