XML for Analysis Overview (XMLA)
The XML for Analysis (XMLA) open standard supports data access to data sources that reside on the World Wide Web. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services (SSAS) implements XMLA per the XMLA 1.1 specification.
Handling XMLA Communications
The XMLA open standard describes two generally accessible methods: Discover and Execute. These methods use the loosely-coupled client and server architecture supported by XML to handle incoming and outgoing information on an instance of Analysis Services.
The Discover method obtains information and metadata from a Web service. This information can include a list of available data sources, as well as information about any of the data source providers. Properties define and shape the data that is obtained from a data source. The Discover method is a common method for defining the many types of information a client application may require from data sources on Analysis Services instances. The properties and the generic interface provide extensibility without requiring you to rewrite existing functions in a client application.
The Execute method allows applications to run provider-specific commands against XMLA data sources.
Although the XMLA protocol is optimized for Web applications, it can also be leveraged for LAN-oriented applications. The following applications can benefit from this XML-based API:
- Client/server applications that require flexible technology between clients and the server
- Client/server applications that target multiple operating systems
- Clients that do not require significant state in order to increase server capacity
XMLA and the Unified Dimensional Model
XMLA is the protocol used by business intelligence applications that employ the Unified Dimensional Model (UDM) methodology. For more information about the Unified Dimensional Model methodology, see Unified Dimensional Model.
See Also
Concepts
Using XML for Analysis in Analysis Services (XMLA)
Other Resources
XML for Analysis Reference (XMLA)