Last updated: 03/12/2024
Introduction
ManagementStudio can provide live data to multiple applications, such as Power Bi, using Datamining endpoints. While it is possible to make access to this data open for all to read, it is often necessary to use authenticated access to ManagementStudio. For this, a ManagementStudio user account is required, and typically, any user account requires an email address. This article discusses how to create and maintain multiple datamining accounts using just one email address.
Issue
When adding an account to ManagementStudio, a Username, First Name, Last Name, and email address are required. When creating an account, ManagementStudio will compare the new account to ensure that the email address does not already exist in any ManagementStudio project. The administrator of ManagementStudio already has an account, so she cannot use her email address to set up the new account.
Solution
In the example below, we require a user account to provide authenticated access to a published Power BI endpoint. The new account will need to have a password set, and for that, we need to send an email to the account owner.
This solution relies on a feature available in Exchange and Gmail, sometimes known as “Plus Addressing”. The administrator can reuse her email address using the following format:
Original Email: bonnie.smith@thiscompany.com
Alias Email: bonnie.smith+MigrationStatusPowerBIReport@thiscompany.com
Since the alias email address does not match any existing account, ManagementStudio will allow the creation of the new account. By configuring a new account in this way, Bonnie will receive an email and be able to reset the password, allowing the Power BI team to access the data with authentication.
It is important to note that there is a dependency on this feature being permitted in a corporate environment, but it is very quick to test from a mail client prior to configuration.
Auth Tokens
It is possible to create an Authentication (Auth) Token for an account when the Administrator knows the password. The token can be used in scripts, Power BI, or REST calls to the datamining engine.
The token is linked to the account selected during creation and cannot be revoked or recovered if lost. One account can have multiple tokens created. Deleting or disabling the associated user account will disable all tokens generated for that account. Tokens will expire based on the date selected when they were created.
A completed token will look like this:-
eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIrInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJodHRwOi8vc2NoZW1hcy54bWxzb2FwLm9yZy93cy8yMDA1LzA1L2lkZW50aXR5L2NsYWltcy9uYW1lIjoiRGF2ZSIsImlzcyI6Imh0dHA6Ly9NYW5hZ2VtZW50U3R1ZGlvLmNvbSIpFGImF1ZCI6Imh0dHA6Ly9991NYW5hZ2VtZW50U3R1ZGlvLmNvbSIsIm5iZiI6IjE3MzMyMjIwNzIiLCJleHYYWAiOiIxNzM1NjA0NTEyIn0.d5qfcPRKKXjmFBh_FqgyhFfbTxCV6VyZXE05VyVy4_s
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Further Support
If you require further support, please visit ManagementStudio's Service Desk at https://support.managementstudio.com/ to search the knowledge base or create a new support ticket.