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The Dynamics CRM ODBC Driver is a powerful tool that allows you to connect with live Dynamics CRM (OnPremise & Online) account data, directly from any applications that support ODBC connectivity.

Access Dynamics CRM data like you would a database - read, write, and update Leads, Contacts, Opportunities, Accounts, etc. through a standard ODBC Driver interface.

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Create SSAS Tabular Models from Dynamics CRM Data


How to build a SQL Server Analysis Service Tabular Model from Dynamics CRM data using CData drivers.

SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) is an analytical data engine used in decision support and business analytics. It provides enterprise-grade semantic data models for business reports and client applications, such as Power BI, Excel, Reporting Services reports, and other data visualization tools. When paired with the CData ODBC Driver for Dynamics CRM, you can create a tabular model from Dynamics CRM data for deeper and faster data analysis.

Create a Connection to Dynamics CRM Data

If you have not already, first specify connection properties in an ODBC DSN (data source name). This is the last step of the driver installation. You can use the Microsoft ODBC Data Source Administrator to create and configure ODBC DSNs.

The connection string options meet the authentication and connection requirements of different Dynamics CRM instances. To connect to your instance, set the User and Password properties, under the Authentication section, to valid Dynamics CRM user credentials and set the Url to a valid Dynamics CRM server organization root. Additionally, set the CRMVersion property to 'CRM2011+' or 'CRMOnline'. IFD configurations are supported as well; set InternetFacingDeployment to true.

Additionally, you can provide the security token service (STS) or AD FS endpoint in the STSURL property. This value can be retrieved with the GetSTSUrl stored procedure. Office 365 users can connect to the default STS URL by simply setting CRMVersion.

Creating a Data Source for Dynamics CRM

Start by creating a new Analysis Services Tabular Project in Visual Studio. Next create a Data Source for Dynamics CRM in the project.

  1. In the Tabular Model Explorer, right-click Data Sources and select "New Data Source"
  2. Select "ODBC" from the Other tab and click "Connect"
  3. Select the DSN you previously configured
  4. Choose "Default or Custom" as the authentication option and click "Connect"

Add Tables & Relationships

After creating the data source you are ready to import tables and define the relationships between the tables.

  1. Right-click the new data source, click "Import New Tables" and select the tables to import
  2. After importing the tables, right-click "Relationships" and click "Create Relationships"
  3. Select table(s), and choose the foreign keys, cardinality, and filter direction

Create Measures

After importing the tables and defining the relationships, you are ready to create measures.

  1. Select the column in the table for which you wish to create a measure
  2. In the Extensions menu -> click "Columns" -> "AutoSum" and select your aggregation method

Deploy the Model

Once you create measures, you are ready to deploy the model. Configure the target server and database by right-clicking the project and selecting "Properties." Configure the "Deployment Server" properties and click "OK."

After configuring the deployment server, open the "Build" menu and click "Deploy Solution." You now have a tabular model for Dynamics CRM data in your SSAS instance, ready to be analyzed, reported, and viewed. Get started with a free, 30-day trial of the CData ODBC Driver for Dynamics CRM.