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Granting Process Permissions

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A member of the server role for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SSAS), or a member of a database role that has Full Control (Administrator) permissions in a particular database, can create a database role that only has permission to process specified objects within the database. Giving a database role permission to process a database object lets an administrator delegate the task of processing certain objects, without also granting extraneous permissions to the user who is performing the processing.

When you set processing permissions for a database role, be aware that permissions are additive. For example, one database role gives a user permission to process a particular cube, while a different database role gives the same user permission to process a dimension in that cube. The permissions from the two different roles combine to give the user permission to both process the cube and process the specified dimension within that cube.

Important

A user whose database role only has process permissions on one or more objects in a database will be unable to use SQL Server Management Studio or Business Intelligence Development Studio to connect to Analysis Services and process objects. These tools require that the user have permission to access object metadata. Therefore, a user who only has process permissions on the objects will have to use an XML for Analysis (XMLA) script to process those objects. For more information, see XML for Analysis (XMLA).

Process permissions can be granted at the database, cube, dimension, and mining structure levels.

Granting Process Permissions on an Analysis Services Database

Giving a database role permission to process an Analysis Services database means that the role has permission to perform all processing options on the database. This includes the processing of all cubes, dimensions, mining structures, and mining models in the database. However, the role does not have permission to read database metadata or access any data in the database itself.

To give a database role permission to process an Analysis Services database

  1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of Analysis Services, expand Roles for the appropriate database in Object Explorer, and then double-click a database role (or right-click Roles and select New Role to create a new database role).

  2. Click General in the Select a Page pane, and then select the Process Database check box. If this is a new role, make sure that you enter a name for the role in the Role name box.

  3. Click the OK button.

Granting Process Permissions on a Cube

Giving a database role permission to process a cube means that the role has permission to perform all processing options on the cube, but does not have permission to process the dimensions in the cube. As a result, if a user tries to process a cube and that cube contains an unprocessed dimension, the cube processing will fail unless the user also has process permissions on the unprocessed dimension.

Giving a database role permission to process a cube does not mean that the role has permission to read cube metadata or access any data in the cube itself.

To give a database role permission to process a cube

  1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of Analysis Services, expand Roles for the appropriate database in Object Explorer, and then double-click a database role (or right-click Roles and select New Role to create a new database role). If this is a new role, make sure that you enter a name for the role in the Role name box.

  2. Click Cubes in the Select a Page pane, locate the cube in the Cube list, and then select the Process check box for the cube.

  3. Click the OK button.

Granting Process Permissions on a Dimension

Giving a database role permission to process a dimension means that the role has permission to perform all processing options on the dimension. However, the role does not have permission to read dimension metadata or access the dimension data itself.

To give a database role permission to process a dimension

  1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of Analysis Services, expand Roles for the appropriate database in Object Explorer, and then double-click a database role (or right-click Roles and select New Role to create a new database role). If this is a new role, make sure that you enter a name for the role in the Role name box.

  2. Click Dimensions in the Select a Page pane, locate the dimension in the Select Dimension Set list, and then select the Process check box for the dimension.

  3. Click the OK button.

Granting Process Permissions on a Mining Structure

Giving a database role permission to process a mining structure means that the role has permission to perform all processing options on the mining structure. This includes the processing of all mining models. However, the role does not have permission to access or read the definition of the mining structures or the mining models. The role also does not have permission to drill through or browse any of the mining models.

To give a database role permission to process a mining structure

  1. In SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the instance of Analysis Services, expand Roles for the appropriate database in Object Explorer, and then double-click a database role (or right-click Roles and select New Role to create a new database role). If this is a new role, make sure that you enter a name for the role in the Role name box.

  2. Click Mining Structures in the Select a Page pane, locate the mining structure in the Mining Structures list, and then select the Process check box for the mining structure.

  3. Click the OK button.

See Also

Tasks

Granting Full Control Permissions

Concepts

Granting Read Metadata Permissions
Granting User Access
Roles (Analysis Services)

Help and Information

Getting SQL Server 2005 Assistance

Change History

Release History

17 July 2006
Changed content:
  • Updated the steps that show how to grant process permissions.