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In: SSAS Tabular
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The previous post looked at how to process SSAS Tabular models with TMSL. Since SQL Server adds new JSON capabilities in 2016, let’s look at how to convert TMSL JSON to a Table with OPENJSON. OPENJSON is a new function in SQL Server 2016 that, per Microsoft: OPENJSON is a table-valued function that parses JSON text and returns objects and properties from the JSON input as rows and columns. In short, OPENJSON converts JSON text to a table. Since TMSL is JSON, this function can convert a SSAS Tabular processing script into a table. This could be useful if you wanted to document a SSASRead More →

Process SSAS Tabular Tables and Partitions with TMSL

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In: SSAS Tabular
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This post shows how to process SSAS Tabular tables and partitions with TMSL. TMSL stands for Tabular Model Scripting Language, and it is used for working with SSAS Tabular databases programmatically starting with compatibility level 1200 (SQL Server 2016). Multidimensional models and previous versions of SQL Server all use Analysis Services Scripting Language (ASSL for XMLA). A common use for TMSL is automating the processing of tabular models using the SQL Agent, SSIS, PowerShell, or some other application. One typical processing sequence is a series of Process Data commands followed by a Process Recalc at the end. Here’s what the TMSL code looks like in this scenario:

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Download JSON Data with SSIS

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In: Data Integration
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In a post on the Allegient blog, I showed how you can download JSON data with PowerShell. Now we’ll take a look at how to download JSON data with SSIS. As a dedicated data integration tool, SSIS has many advantages over PowerShell for this type of work. SSIS does not have a built in source component for JSON data, so you’ll have to use the Script Component. When you drag the Script Component into a data flow, you’ll be asked how you want to use it. In this case you’ll use it as a source. Define Output Columns Once the Script Component has been defined asRead More →

Call an Azure Function from Power BI

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In: Data Integration, Power BI, Power Query
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This post shows how to call an Azure Function from Power BI. This scenario offers some interesting possibilities, because it allows for integrating the power of several common programming languages with Power BI and Power Query. If you’re not familiar with Azure Functions, it’s a service that allows you to run small pieces of code without having to deal with a server. In this example, we’ll write a query in Power BI that submits a time zone to an Azure Function. The function simply returns the current time in the specified time zone. While this is a very basic example, it is important because itRead More →

Read the Top N Rows from Large Text Files with C#

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In: Data Integration
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This post describes one way that you can read the top N rows from large text files with C#. This is very useful when working with giant files that are too big to open, but you need to view a portion of them to determine the schema, data types, etc. I’ve used PowerShell many times to do this with large csv files, but in this example we’re going to use C# and look at the Wikipedia XML dump of pages and articles. The 3017-03-01 dump is very large and comes in at 59.5 GB. The script is short and simple. All it does is readRead More →

Delete SSAS Partitions with TMSL and PowerShell

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In: PowerShell, SSAS Tabular
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This post demonstrates how to delete SSAS partitions with TMSL and PowerShell. TMSL stands for Tabular Model Scripting Language, and it is used for working with SSAS Tabular databases programmatically at compatibility level 1200 (SQL Server 2016). Multidimensional models and previous versions of SQL Server all use Analysis Services Scripting Language (ASSL for XMLA). A common use for TMSL is automating the processing of tabular models using the SQL Agent, SSIS, PowerShell, or some other application. Another use could be deleting partitions used for development after deploying a model. That process goes like this: A partition is created for development purposes that contains a subset of theRead More →

JSON Array in Power Query Featured Image

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In: Data Integration, Power Query
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Update 2016-04-27:  Imke Feldmann sent me an M query that accomplishes the same goal of this post with less than half the code! The query is here. Imke’s blog is a great resource and you can also find her on Twitter. Thank you, Imke! Basic JSON structures can be parsed pretty easily by Power Query, as they often represent tabular structures that are familiar to those that work with data. Power Query simply converts the JSON to a table and you’re good to go. Working with a JSON array in Power Query, however, can be difficult and may result in duplicate rows in your dataset. JSON is builtRead More →