Sunday, June 2, 2013

What is the server mode of an Analysis Services instance?

In SQL Analysis Service  2012 (SSAS) a new server mode is introduced, the tabular mode. This mode is available when you are installing SQL 2012 Enterprise edition or Business Intelligence edition. More details about edition features click here. To deploy a tabular model, for instance a Power Pivot tabular model which you have converted to an SSAS tabular model, you need to have a SSAS server which is running in tabular model. In this blog I will describe how you can detect the mode in which your SSAS server is running.
The model in which the SSAS server is running is determined during the installation of the SSAS server. The model can't be changed afterwards.


To retrieve the Server mode on a running server, Start SQL Management Studio 2012. You can't use a lower version of SSMS like 2008 R2. These lower versions are not aware of this new SSAS modes.
Connect to Analysis Server. Retrieve the Analysis Server properties.