We’ve received inquiries from SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) users these recent years concerned about its long-term support within Microsoft’s SQL Server ecosystem. If SSAS is a critical part of your infrastructure, should you be worried?
Below, we address these concerns, outline the current state of SSAS, and compare it with the alternatives Microsoft has been promoting.
SSAS supported in SQL Server 2022
SSAS remains a component of SQL Server 2022, continuing to be supported in SQL Server 2022, retaining its core capabilities for multidimensional analysis and MDX queries. While Microsoft has not officially announced an end-of-support date for SSAS, its strategic emphasis has clearly pivoted toward cloud-based platforms like Power BI, AAS and Fabric. This shift has fueled speculation in community forums about the long-term viability of SSAS, with users questioning whether SSAS is becoming outdated or nearing end-of-life.
As noted by industry expert Chris Webb, Microsoft’s strategic direction is increasingly centered around cloud-based analytical platforms. For SSAS Multidimensional users, there are no tools to fully convert multidimensional models into the newer tabular format. In such cases, organizations may opt to retain multidimensional models on-premises or run them in virtualized environments in the cloud.
Despite these changes, SSAS continues to be a supported solution for on-premises analytics. Based on community observations, innovation for it appears to have slowed, as well as some features, such as Data Mining, have been officially deprecated and are no longer supported. Organizations heavily invested in SSAS can continue using it while preparing for an eventual shift toward cloud-based or flexible platforms.
Comparing SSAS
The table below compares SSAS with Microsoft’s analytics platforms:
Options for SSAS Multidimensional Models
Here are some options to maintain or complement your current model environment:
- Maintain SSAS On-Premises:
- Pros: Retains full MDX support, no changes to your model, integrates with existing tools.
- Cons: Requires on-premises infrastructure maintenance.
- Best For: Organizations with stable, effective multidimensional models.
- Run SSAS in Azure VM:
- Pros: Moves your model to the cloud without changes, supports MDX, maintains existing functionality.
- Cons: Requires VM management, potentially higher costs.
- Best For: Cloud hosting while preserving your multidimensional model.
- Explore Tabular Models for New Projects:
- Pros: Aligns with Microsoft’s cloud-based analytical platforms.
- Cons: No direct conversion from multidimensional models, necessitating manual redesign; lacks MDX’s complex features like named sets (dynamic dimension subsets), calculated members with custom rollups, or multidimensional calculations across multiple axes; learning curve for complex calculations compared to MDX; separate model management.
- Best For: Experimenting with modeling approaches aligned with Microsoft’s direction
Conclusion
While Microsoft’s focus on Azure Analysis Services, Power BI and Microsoft Fabric has raised questions about SSAS’s long-term role, creating a perception of risk and mixed signals among users, SQL Server Analysis Services remains supported in SQL Server 2022 and there is no official communication indicating an end of support. Organizations using SSAS can continue leveraging its strengths for on-premises analytics while exploring cloud-based options for future-proofing, noting that well-established, complex multidimensional models may be difficult or impractical to fully migrate.
References
- Microsoft Learn, “What’s new in SQL Server Analysis Services”
- Microsoft Lifecycle Policy
- Microsoft Learn, “Data Mining (SSAS)”
- Blog Crossjoin by Chris Webb, “What’s new in Analysis Services 2022”
- Blog Crossjoin by Chris Webb, “Migration From Analysis Services Multidimensional”
- Reddit, r/SQL, “SSRS and SSAS deprecated?”
- Reddit, r/SQL, “Is SSAS now outdated and not used?”