Another Deployment Question

The deployment of reports and datasources via the Deploy function in vs2005
works fine. However we often have to deploy to clients where there is a
firewall with no ports open. We do have Remote Desktop Connection access
and need to deploy reports and datasources by transfering files. (restoring
the entire ReportService database is not granular enough).
We can export and import .rdl files but we cannot find a way to do the same
with Datasources. I know that a datasource .rds file is a brief xml file
that looks like this...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<RptDataSource xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<Name>DataSource1</Name>
<DataSourceID>6aac99b7-1658-479f-be09-fbcb874dbe04</DataSourceID>
<ConnectionProperties>
<Extension>SQL</Extension>
<ConnectString>Data Source=(local);Initial
Catalog=MyApplication</ConnectString>
<IntegratedSecurity>true</IntegratedSecurity>
</ConnectionProperties>
</RptDataSource>
So it's basically just a connection string with a GUID in it.
How can we deploy Datasources via file transfer? Or is there a better way
in which to deploy reports and datasources to other ReportServer instances
that are behind firewalls.
Thanks,
GaryHello Gary,
As for the ReportServer, currently it can only import report through file
uploading (by provide the report's rdl file). DataSource doesn't support
such importing. And the "rds" file is only used in development environment
(the BI studio or Visual Studio). However, we can use the "rs.exe" utility
to execute script to deploy SSRS report or datasource. The following BOL
reference has provided description and sample on scripting SSRS report and
datasource...
#Scripting Deployment and Administrative Tasks
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159720.aspx
#Script Samples (Reporting Services)
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms160854.aspx
The following script block is the one used for creating datasource in the
sample script
=========Public Sub CreateSampleDataSource(name As String, extension As String,
connectionString As String)
'Define the data source definition.
Dim definition As New DataSourceDefinition()
definition.CredentialRetrieval = CredentialRetrievalEnum.Integrated
definition.ConnectString = connectionString
definition.Enabled = True
definition.EnabledSpecified = True
definition.Extension = extension
definition.ImpersonateUser = False
definition.ImpersonateUserSpecified = True
'Use the default prompt string.
definition.Prompt = Nothing
definition.WindowsCredentials = False
Try
rs.CreateDataSource(name, parentPath, False, definition, Nothing)
Console.WriteLine("Data source {0} created successfully", name)
Catch e As Exception
Console.WriteLine(e.Message)
End Try
End Sub
===========
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Steven Cheng
Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.|||Thanks Steven
Now that I understand thet the "rds" is only used in the dev environment it
looks like export/import is the way to go when we are limited to file
transfer.
--
Regards,
Gary Blakely
"Steven Cheng[MSFT]" <stcheng@.online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:tHvKqMmqGHA.5740@.TK2MSFTNGXA01.phx.gbl...
> Hello Gary,
> As for the ReportServer, currently it can only import report through file
> uploading (by provide the report's rdl file). DataSource doesn't support
> such importing. And the "rds" file is only used in development environment
> (the BI studio or Visual Studio). However, we can use the "rs.exe"
> utility
> to execute script to deploy SSRS report or datasource. The following BOL
> reference has provided description and sample on scripting SSRS report and
> datasource...
>
> #Scripting Deployment and Administrative Tasks
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159720.aspx
> #Script Samples (Reporting Services)
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms160854.aspx
> The following script block is the one used for creating datasource in the
> sample script
> =========> Public Sub CreateSampleDataSource(name As String, extension As String,
> connectionString As String)
> 'Define the data source definition.
> Dim definition As New DataSourceDefinition()
> definition.CredentialRetrieval = CredentialRetrievalEnum.Integrated
> definition.ConnectString = connectionString
> definition.Enabled = True
> definition.EnabledSpecified = True
> definition.Extension = extension
> definition.ImpersonateUser = False
> definition.ImpersonateUserSpecified = True
> 'Use the default prompt string.
> definition.Prompt = Nothing
> definition.WindowsCredentials = False
> Try
> rs.CreateDataSource(name, parentPath, False, definition, Nothing)
> Console.WriteLine("Data source {0} created successfully", name)
> Catch e As Exception
> Console.WriteLine(e.Message)
> End Try
>
> End Sub
> ===========> Hope this helps.
> Sincerely,
> Steven Cheng
> Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
>
> This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights.
>|||Thanks for your response Gary,
If you have any further question later, please feel free to post in the
newsgroup.
Have a good day!
Sincerely,
Steven Cheng
Microsoft MSDN Online Support Lead
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Analysis Services Deployment/Management Question

I have a local server for development that is on my local domain that I can work on very easily. However, my production server is offsight and on a different domain. Since Management Studio will only allow Windows Authentication when connecting to an Analysis Services instance, how can I manage the remote cube without having to remote desktop into the production server?

TIA

Right, you need to either TS to the machine, or establish a VPN connection to the domain. One possible, solution would be to use SQL Managment Studio against your local AS database, and instead of committing the changes, script out the XMLA. Then, if you had an http pump setup on a middle-tier, you could send the XMLA to via http using an admin user basic authentication that you create and you'd have a way to effectively do the administrative actions that you want. This isn't straightforward, but would get the job done.

Hope that helps.

Analysis Services Deployment Security Issue

We have been working on moving our database from SQL2000 to 2003 the last couple of months. We are now working on our cube migration and have attempted a few deployments. The problem is, every time we try to process the deployed cube it gives us the following error:

The following system error occurred: Logon failure: unknown user name or bad password.

We only have one connection in this deployment and have tried with various cubes all the way down to one dimension.

Our connection always tests successfully on the dialog box itself, we have attempted both, windows and SQL authentication, and both always yield the same error.

Up to this point we have not able to process any cube we have attempted.

As far as I can tell our SQL and Analysis services both are set to the same instance name, but I’m thinking this may be a configuration issue, since it seems that internally Analysis services just cant contact SQL services.

Anyone has an idea of what may be wrong with the configuration?

Have you tried setting the Impersonation Information to Default, and including the user name and password in the connect string?|||Hmm, I had not tried that. Attempted it now and it worked.

This solves my problem but now I question why would the other settings not work?

Analysis Services 2005 Deployment Wizard doubts

As I understand it SSAS encrypts its data by default; however, I'm looking for strategies on encrypting data in the underlying datawarehouse. If you have a column encrypted in the datawarehouse, what are the options to expose that data, selectively of course, through Analysis Services? The only solution I've found is to bind a dimension to a view in the datasource and have that view decrypt the column. The dimension attribute could then be selectively exposed based on the role(s) the user has access to.

Is this the BEST way to do it? Are there other options and considerations? Are there any great whitepapers on this subject? I haven't found any myself.

Thanks in advance,

Terry

Havent seen any whitepapers on the subject.

Another idea for you to consider is to create a named query in Analysis Services DSV. See if you can use that to skip creating a view in relational database.

Edward Melomed.
--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

|||I am working with SQL server 2005 analysis and reporting services. I am

instructed to create a cube for a database using analysis services and
then replicate it so as to produce reports online by reporting services

when requested by clients. I am able to create the cube and also deploy

the report made, in HTTP separately. But the following doubts arise
during the Cube deployment:

The Cube was created as per the requirements by my team lead. Then I
used the deployment wizard in the analysis services 2005 to convert it
into XML script. Using the SQL Management Studio I opened it as
Analysis Server scripts and used the local host as the system in the
connections windows then loaded the XML script into the Queries window
as a XMLA query and executed it. What has to be done after this in
order to use it as a production server?

Once the production server is setup and the connection is made with the

staging server, How can we set the timings to when the updating of the
production server has to be set in terms of hours, days or weeks?

Hoping these doubts would be clarified as early as possible.

Analysis Services 2005 Deployment Wizard

Hi,
I used the deployment wizard in the analysis services 2005 to convert
the cube into XML script. Using the SQL Management Studio I opened it
as Analysis Server scripts and used the local host as the system in the
connections windows then loaded the XML script into the Queries window
as a XMLA query. What has to be done after this in order to use it as a
production server?
Thanks,
Somu
Hi,
I was able to connect with a local machine but while synchronising the
dev and production servers i am getting an error "peer prematurely
closed the conn" , " error was encountered in the transport layer" Wat
should i do to over come this...
Thanks,
SOMU

Analysis Services 2005 Deployment Wizard

Hi,
I used the deployment wizard in the analysis services 2005 to convert
it into XML script. Using the SQL Management Studio I opened it as
Analysis Server scripts and used the local host as the system in the
connections windows then loaded the XML script into the Queries window
as a XMLA query. What has to be done after this in order to use it as a
production server?
Thanks,
SomuHi,
I was able to connect with a local machine but while synchronising the
dev and production servers i am getting an error "peer prematurely
closed the conn" , " error was encountered in the transport layer" Wat
should i do to over come this...
Thanks,
SOMU|||Hi,
I was able to connect with a local machine but while synchronising the
dev and production servers i am getting an error "peer prematurely
closed the conn" , " error was encountered in the transport layer" Wat
should i do to over come this...
Thanks,
SOMU

Analysis Services 2005 Deployment Wizard

I am working with SQL server 2005 analysis and reporting services. I am

instructed to create a cube for a database using analysis services and
then replicate it so as to produce reports online by reporting services

when requested by clients. I am able to create the cube and also deploy

the report made, in HTTP separately. But the following doubts arise
during the Cube deployment:

The Cube was created as per the requirements by my team lead. Then I
used the deployment wizard in the analysis services 2005 to convert it
into XML script. Using the SQL Management Studio I opened it as
Analysis Server scripts and used the local host as the system in the
connections windows then loaded the XML script into the Queries window
as a XMLA query and executed it. What has to be done after this in
order to use it as a production server?

Once the production server is setup and the connection is made with the

staging server, How can we set the timings to when the updating of the
production server has to be set in terms of hours, days or weeks?

Hoping these doubts would be clarified as early as possible.

Take a look at the Synchronization functionality in Analysis Services. It allows you to synchronize on database to another using single command.

In your case I can imagine, you having updates done to a single master server, and then running sycnhronization commands against multiple servers telling them to synchronize the changes happend on the master.

Edward Melomed.
--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Analysis Services 2005 Deployment Wizard

Hi,
I used the deployment wizard in the analysis services 2005 to convert
the cube into XML script. Using the SQL Management Studio I opened it
as Analysis Server scripts and used the local host as the system in the
connections windows then loaded the XML script into the Queries window
as a XMLA query. What has to be done after this in order to use it as a
production server?
Thanks,
SomuHi,
I was able to connect with a local machine but while synchronising the
dev and production servers i am getting an error "peer prematurely
closed the conn" , " error was encountered in the transport layer" Wat
should i do to over come this...
Thanks,
SOMU