SSMS / Error when modifying SSAS connection string in Tabular Model #39

When attempting to modify the connection string of an existing SSAS data source in a Tabular Model project, the following error occurs:

Could not load file or assembly 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.Data.Framework, Version=18.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b03f5f7f11d50a3a' or one of its dependencies. The system cannot find the file specified.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Open a Tabular Model project in SSMS 22.2.1
2. Navigate to Connections in the model
3. Right-click on an existing data source connection (e.g., "DataWarehouseSource") and click on Properties
4. On the general tab, select the Connection String line and click on the 3 dots button to edit
5. The error dialog appears

Expected Behavior:

The connection properties dialog should open successfully, allowing the user to modify the connection string without errors.

Actual Behavior:

An error dialog appears indicating that the system cannot load Microsoft.VisualStudio.Data.Framework assembly version 18.0.0.0.

Environment:

• SSMS Version: 22.2.1
• SSAS Server Version: 16.0 (SQL Server 2022/2019)
• Model Type: Tabular
• Connection Type: Sql server connection

Reproducibility:

This issue has been confirmed on multiple workstations running SSMS 22.2.1, indicating it's not an isolated or machine-specific problem.

Additional Context:

• The issue occurs when editing existing connections in deployed/existing models
• The error references assembly version 18.0.0.0, which may indicate a version mismatch between SSMS 22.x components and older Visual Studio Data Framework dependencies
• Unknown if this issue existed in earlier SSMS 22.x versions (22.0, 22.1)

Workaround:

None identified in that version. Currently unable to modify connection strings through the UI.