An XML/A connection describes how to connect to a remote XML/A provider, such as an XML/A source in another instance of JasperReports Server. In this case, the XML/A source points to a Mondrian connection in the remote server.

JasperReports Server can act as either an XML/A provider or as an XML/A client. In the former case, remote servers retrieve data from an OLAP data source exposed by an XML/A definition in the JasperReports Server repository. In the latter case, JasperReports Server connects to a remote XML/A provider to retrieve data that populate reports and views. Typically, the server accesses a remote instance of JasperReports Server to form a distributed environment (Performance Tuning), but the server can also connect to other types of XML/A provider, such as Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services (SSAS). Because JasperReports Server uses OLAP4J (http://www.olap4j.org/), it may also be able to connect to other types of XML/A provider, though such configurations aren't currently certified. In this release, only JasperReports Server and Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services are certified as XML/A providers.

The remote server must also be configured for XML/A. For instructions regarding Jaspersoft OLAP, see Jaspersoft OLAP Administration and Creating an XML/A Source. If you're connecting to Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services, at a high level, you must:

For more information about Microsoft SQL Server Analytic Services, refer to the associated documentation.