Ever get the below error when trying to connect to Analysis Services? From the looks of things at forums.microsoft.com, lots of folks do.
The problem is the account that the “SQL Server Browser Service” uses to authenticate, which by default is the account selected for services during setup. But this account needs to have administrator rights. So if the “Network Service” account is used, the quick fix is to change the SQL Server Browser Service to run as “Local System” instead. Have a look at this Books Online article for details on the minimum rights required for the browser service to work properly – you’ll want this account to have the least permissions required in a production environment.
But according to Microsoft: “To work properly, the SQL Server Browser service must run under a security account that has local administrator rights, such as the local system account.” (Pasted from http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/bestpractice/CISQL2005ASCS.mspx)
This seems a bit ambiguous to me. The books online article recommends using minimum permissions, but the technet article says you have to use an admin account. On my laptop, the browser service appears to have all of the recommended rights, but will not let me connect until I run as Local System. Strange but true.
Note: The SQL Server Browser Service in (SQL Server 2005) is only necessary when using named instances or a side-by-side installation with SQL Server 2000. Otherwise, SQL Server setup does not configure the browser service to start automatically.
