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Asking for input from SSAS backups and restores

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I'm an experienced operational DBA but an SSAS dunce so I have some questions to ask.1. Is it important to take SSAS backups as a general rule? I've read that they can mostly be reconstituted from SSDT projects, on the assumption you have those projects, and can bear the downtime to recalculate everything. I would read this as, "You probably don't have that, so yes it's important," but would like confirmation.2. Are server-level backups taken by infrastructure considered appropriate as SSAS backups?I read the SQL 2005 whitepaper which says that a simple copy of the entire SSAS directory would do - with the caveats it doesn't cover remote partitions (which I have yet to investigate how common these are, and this it take a while to work out how to analyse it across a few hundred instances to find if they have any). But on the assumption that infrastructure covers all disks, how recoverable is SSAS from these on average?I'd be very nervous about directly attaching MDF/LDF from that kind of "backup". I'm not sure how this translates in the SSAS world.3. Do you backup your SSAS encryption keys as well? I found _very_ little information on the web about it, though it does seem possible to do, it's almost as if nobody does it. I understand that in most cases it's attached to the user/AD credentials, but if something "happens"... is this a possible/likely scenario that should be catered for?4. How do you execute your SSAS backups? I have read about using PowerShell, agent jobs, and SSIS packages to do it. Using XMLA though seems to be per-database/cube, and so do you iterate the instance first to work out what's there? Or does the XMLA take * parameter for the database/cubes to backup? Do the 2012 PS cmdlets operate on older instances like 2008? Or do you use ASO?If you're only backing up one instance and so don't have much variability, that's ok.5. What's your starting point for frequency?While it may "depend" based on cube reprocessing, etc, if you don't know, what would you start with? Daily? Daily unless it exceeds a certain size? If you took weekly backups is it "likely" that you will have to recalculate, and so that it's something usually best done daily?6. What about PowerPivot?I read that this is a special case and that the PS/ASO stuff won't work on it, and that it stores its data in normal relational databases which are the ones which need to be backed up. But if you were iterating your SSAS instances and backing things up; do you need to know which ones are in PowerPivot mode in order to skip them; or are they not connectable as normal SSAS instances; or are they connectable but show no databases/cubes inside to backup?I've searched through a lot of websites and "Pro" SSAS books and while they mention basic backups I haven't seen any that go to this kind of detail on each point. So best to pick the brains of people who maintain it daily.Thanks.

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