Excel 365 to OLAP Cube in SSAS

Question

We, as a company are maintaining a OLAP cube in MS Analytical Services. We use MS SQL Server Management Services. I am trying to connect Excel 365 online to the OLAP cube. I should be able to refresh connection from Excel 365.

Things I have tried:

1. Connecting Excel 2016 desktop to OLAP cube (Successful) and opening the same file in Excel 365(Failed)

2. Using power BI:

a. Created an organization gateway.

b. Connected power BI to organization gateway(Success)

c. Connect Excel 2016 Desktop to power BI dataset (Sucess)

d. Upload same excel file online and refreshing the connection. (Failed)

PS: I am using the same user account everywhere. Also, I am added as a user to all gateways and OLAP cube.

Please let me know if there is a solution for this within the existing infrastructure.

wyn hopkins · Answer

Hi Ajinkya,Were you using Get &amp; Transform to connect to the OLAP cube? What method were you using.Are you then trying to refresh that file using Excel online?

ajinkya rasam · Answer

Hi Wyn,&nbsp;Thanks for your prompt reply.&nbsp;So, in the 1st scenario I connected Excel desktop to OLAP through a connection string (Get and transform method, I guess) in Data tab on the ribbon.&nbsp;In the second scenario. I used 'Power BI' plugin for Excel desktop in order to import data from Power BI.&nbsp;In both &nbsp;the scenarios, refreshing the excel file from Excel 365 failed.&nbsp;Thanks,&nbsp;Ajinkya

wyn hopkins · Answer

Are you loading the data into the data model or into a sheet in Excel?

I've not tried any of this but you may need to set up some of this in Sharepoint

https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh525344.aspx

sergeibaklan · Answer

Hi,&nbsp;I'm not sure, but most probably that's not an issue of connection to on-premises data source. You may create simple data model published on Power BI services, connect it to Excel and try to refresh from Excel Online. It doesn't work.&nbsp;As said here&nbsp;https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/powerbi-service-analyze-in-excel/Analyze in Excel | Microsoft Power BI Since users will need to refresh the dataset, and refresh for external connections is not supported in Excel Online, it’s recommended that users open the workbook in the desktop version of Excel on their computer.&nbsp;That was publishes (more exctly updated) bit more than a month ago , don't think something changed recently. We don't use Excel Online in organization (people pushed to open in desktop), thus have no concrete experience.&nbsp;

ajinkya rasam · Answer

Thanks for answering.&nbsp;Our problem is that we can connect excel desktop to OLAP cube successfully. However, when users use multiple tabs and pivot tables, excel crashes or its very slow.&nbsp;So, would using excel 365 solve this problem? If not then what else can be done?&nbsp;Your help is much appreciated.&nbsp;

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Excel 365 to OLAP Cube in SSAS

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