Create Azure Analysis Services-Connected Business Apps in AppSheet

Google AppSheet is a no-code development platform for application software, enabling users to design mobile, tablet, and web applications. When combined with CData Connect AI, you gain immediate cloud-to-cloud access to Azure Analysis Services data for business applications. This article outlines the process of connecting to Azure Analysis Services using Connect AI and constructing a basic app from Azure Analysis Services data within AppSheet.

CData Connect AI offers a dedicated cloud-to-cloud interface for Azure Analysis Services, enabling the creation of reports directly from live Azure Analysis Services data within AppSheet, all without the need for data replication to a native database. When you design applications that interact with data, AppSheet formulates SQL queries to retrieve the required information. With its inherent optimized data processing capabilities, CData Connect AI efficiently channels all supported SQL operations, including filters and JOINs, directly to Azure Analysis Services. This leverages server-side processing to swiftly deliver the requested Azure Analysis Services data.

Configure Azure Analysis Services Connectivity for AppSheet

Connectivity to Azure Analysis Services from AppSheet is made possible through CData Connect AI. To work with Azure Analysis Services data from AppSheet, we start by creating and configuring a Azure Analysis Services connection.

1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
👁 Adding a Connection

2. Select "Azure Analysis Services" from the Add Connection panel
👁 Selecting a data source

3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Azure Analysis Services.

   To connect to Azure Analysis Services, set the Url property to a valid server, for instance, asazure://southcentralus.asazure.windows.net/server, in addition to authenticating. Optionally, set Database to distinguish which Azure database on the server to connect to.

   Azure Analysis Services uses the OAuth authentication standard. OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Azure Analysis Services using the browser. You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. See the Help documentation for more information.

   👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
   
4. Click Save & Test
5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Azure Analysis Services Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions
   

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
   
4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

With the connection configured and a PAT generated, you are ready to connect to Azure Analysis Services data from AppSheet.

Connect to Azure Analysis Services from AppSheet

The steps below outline connecting to CData Connect AI from AppSheet to create a new Azure Analysis Services data source.

1. Log into AppSheet
2. Click "My account" in the menu
3. Click the Sources tab and add a new data source 👁 Creating a new data source
   
4. Select Cloud Database and set the connection information
   • Type: Sql Server
   • Server: tds.cdata.com,14333
   • Database: the Azure Analysis Services connection, for example, AAS1
   • Username: a Connect AI user, for example, [email protected]
   • Password: the PAT for the above Connect AI user
   • SSL: Require SSL
   👁 Connecting to Connect AI
   
5. Click "Test Connection"
6. Click "Authorize Access"

Create an App

Once you create the data source for Azure Analysis Services, you can start building apps on Azure Analysis Services data. Start by clicking "My apps" in the menu.

1. Click to create a new app and select "Start with your own data"
2. Name the app and select an appropriate category, based on your data
3. Select the newly created data source
4. Select the table or view with the data you want 👁 Selecting a table
   

At this point, you can configure the design of your app, selecting which columns from the selected table to display, use as labels, and more. Preview the app in the preview panel and then publish or share it when ready.

To get live data access to hundreds of SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, try CData Connect AI today!