Error Creating Column with TMSL

Question

Hello...

I'm attempting to add a column to an existing tabular model table (1500 level) via SSMS, XMLA Query using the following JSON command(s), neither of which work:

{  
	"create": {  
		"parentObject": {  
			"database": "GeneralAccounting",  
			"table": "CustomDepartmentGrouping"  
		},  
		"column": {  
			"name": "Company 1 Utilization",  
			"dataType": "string",  
			"sourceColumn": "Company 1 Utilization"  
		}  
	}  
}  


{  
	"create": {  
		"parentObject": {  
			"database": "GeneralAccounting",  
			"table": "CustomDepartmentGrouping"  
		},  
		"columns": {  
			"type": "data"  
			"name": "Company 1 Utilization",  
			"dataType": "string",  
			"sourceColumn": "Company 1 Utilization"  
		}  
	}  
}  

Both of these are variations of a sample found in the microsoft documentation here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/analysis-services/tmsl/create-command-tmsl?view=asallproducts-allversions

Whenever I attempt to execute either of the above, I receive the following error(s):

• "The JSON DDL request failed with the following error: Unrecognized JSON property: column. Check path 'create.column'...
• "The JSON DDL request failed with the following error: Unrecognized JSON property: columns. Check path 'create.columns'...

I found a no-response post from StackOverflow along the same lines. I also attempted to use BISM Normalizer to generate an update script, only to realize that it uses a full createOrReplace on the database.

Any help on understanding what might be wrong with my JSON would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I ended up posting the question up on the sql server forum suggested above and ended up finding out that the Add Column method is a "doc bug". So if you want to add a column to a tabular model table via TMSL, you instead have to use the createOrReplace for the entire table definition.

43212126-error-creating-column-with-tmsl

Answer 2

Hi,

Thanks for the reporting. I did some test and failed too. And I tried some other object approach and I cannot add a column through TMSL.

For now I cannot tell wether it is a mistake in the documentation or an error inside the core function.

I will try dig more see if any clue could be found.

Regards,
Lukas