Azure Analysis Services

Connect Dot to Azure Analysis Services semantic models

Connect Dot to your Azure Analysis Services (AAS) server to query your semantic models using natural language. Dot syncs your tables, columns, measures, and relationships so you can ask questions about your data without writing DAX.

Requirements

• An Azure Analysis Services server with at least one deployed model

• Read access to the models you want to query

• One of the two authentication methods described below

Authentication Methods

Option 1: Interactive SSO (OAuth)

Sign in with your Microsoft account. Dot uses delegated access on your behalf — no service principal setup required.

1. Go to Settings → Semantic Layers → Azure Analysis Services

2. Enter your Server URL (e.g., asazure://westeurope.asazure.windows.net/myserver)

3. Optionally enter a Database Name to sync only that model, or leave empty to sync all models on the server

4. Click Connect with Microsoft

5. Sign in with your Microsoft account and grant access

6. Dot will start syncing your semantic models

Finding your Server URL

Open your AAS resource in the Azure Portal. The server name is shown on the Overview page, formatted as: asazure://{region}.asazure.windows.net/{servername}

Option 2: Service Principal

Use an Azure AD app registration for automated, unattended access — ideal for production deployments where you don't want auth tied to a user account.

1. Create an Entra ID Application

1. Go to Azure Portal → Azure Active Directory → App registrations → New registration

2. Name: Dot-AAS-Access (or similar)

3. Account types: Accounts in this organizational directory only

4. Click Register

5. Go to Certificates & secrets → New client secret and copy the value

6. Note the Application (client) ID and Directory (tenant) ID from the Overview page

2. Grant AAS Access

Add the service principal as a member of a server role:

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and connect to your AAS server

2. Right-click the server → Properties → Security

3. Click Add and enter: app:{client_id}@{tenant_id}

4. Assign the appropriate role (Reader is sufficient for Dot)

3. Connect in Dot

1. Go to Settings → Semantic Layers → Azure Analysis Services

2. Enter your Server URL, Database Name, Client ID, Client Secret, and Tenant ID

3. Click Connect

What Gets Synced

When you connect Azure Analysis Services, Dot imports:

• Databases / Models — appear as schemas in Dot

• Tables and columns — with their descriptions and data types

• Measures — including DAX expressions

• Relationships — connections between tables

Dot periodically re-syncs to pick up changes. You can also trigger a manual sync from the connection settings.

Troubleshooting

Token Expired / Please Reconnect

If you see "No access token available" or similar errors, your OAuth refresh token may have expired (tokens last 90 days). Go to Settings → Semantic Layers → Azure Analysis Services and click Connect with Microsoft again to re-authenticate.

Limitations

Known limitations

• Cross-tenant access — querying AAS servers in a different Azure AD tenant requires B2B guest access

• Row-Level Security (RLS) — supported for Service Principal auth, but the SP must be added to an RLS role in SSMS

• Maximum 100,000 rows per query — larger result sets are truncated