"The OLE DB provider MSOLAP has not been registered"

Question

We’re updating our application to use Azure SQL Managed Instance. After adjusting some setup steps and SQL code, the database is working fine. The only issue we have now is connecting to an Analysis Services instance running on a Windows VM in Azure. We had a linked server that worked well in SQL Server (both on-prem and in an Azure VM), but when we try to use it from the Managed Instance, it gives an error. I haven’t been able to find any clear documentation on how to connect from a Managed Instance to Analysis Services. Does anyone have advice or a solution for this?

Answer 1

Hi @ Pooja rs

Azure SQL Managed Instance does not support OLE DB providers like MSOLAP, which are required for creating linked servers to SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). This is a known limitation of the platform, and currently, there is no direct way to connect from a Managed Instance to an SSAS instance via linked server.

To work around this limitation, you could consider the following options:

Use an External VM or Service: Instead of connecting directly from the Managed Instance, you can set up a VM or another service to act as an intermediary. This VM can host the necessary OLE DB provider (MSOLAP) and handle the connection to Analysis Services.

Export and Import Data: If feasible, you can export the required data from Analysis Services to a format like CSV and then import it into your Managed Instance.

Custom Application Logic: Develop an application or script that queries the Analysis Services instance and writes the results to your Managed Instance.

Please go through this Documentation that might help you:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/managed-instance/transact-sql-tsql-differences-sql-server?view=azuresql#linked-servers

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

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