Microsoft Certified: Fabric Analytics Engineer AssociateImplement and manage semantic models (30-35%)Easy
A company is migrating its existing on-premises SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) tabular models to Microsoft Fabric. The SSAS models use a custom XMLA endpoint for administrative tasks and deployments. Which feature in Microsoft Fabric provides similar capabilities for managing semantic models?
- AXMLA endpoint
- BDataflow Gen2
- CPowerShell cmdlets for Fabric
- DPower BI REST APIs
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. XMLA endpoint
Microsoft Fabric's semantic models (Power BI datasets) support the XMLA endpoint, which provides read/write connectivity for administrative tasks, deployments, and advanced data modeling, similar to SSAS.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Dataflow Gen2 is for data ingestion and transformation, not for managing semantic models directly.
- C. PowerShell cmdlets offer administrative automation but the XMLA endpoint is the direct equivalent for model management and deployment.
- D. Power BI REST APIs are for broader programmatic interaction with the Power BI service but XMLA is specifically for semantic model management.
XMLA Endpoint
An industry-standard protocol used for communication with Analysis Services engines, enabling administrative tasks, data refresh, and metadata management for semantic models.
- Provides read/write access to semantic models.
- Allows deployment of .bim files (Tabular models).
- Used by tools like SSMS, Tabular Editor, and Azure Data Studio.
Memory trick: XMLA for models, APIs for automation, PowerShell for scripts, UI for basics.