ADO.NET connection manager
Applies to: 
SQL Server
SSIS Integration Runtime in Azure Data Factory
An ADO.NET connection manager enables a package to access data sources by using a .NET provider. Typically, you use this connection manager to access data sources such as Microsoft SQL Server. You can also access data sources exposed through OLE DB and XML in custom tasks that are written in managed code, by using a language such as C#.
When you add an ADO.NET connection manager to a package, SQL Server Integration Services creates a connection manager that is resolved as an ADO.NET connection at runtime. It sets the connection manager properties, and adds the connection manager to the Connections collection on the package.
The ConnectionManagerType property of the connection manager is set to ADO.NET. The value of ConnectionManagerType is qualified to include the name of the .NET provider that the connection manager uses.
Note
Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).
ADO.NET connection manager troubleshooting
Microsoft.Data.SqlClient driver is not supported in SQL 2022 and below. If you need msi or Microsoft Entra ID-based authentication method, please use Oledb Connection Manager instead.
You can log the calls that the ADO.NET connection manager makes to external data providers. You can then troubleshoot the connections that the ADO.NET connection manager makes to external data sources. To log the calls that the ADO.NET connection manager makes to external data providers, enable package logging, and select the Diagnostic event at the package level. For more information, see Troubleshooting Tools for Package Execution.
When being read by an ADO.NET connection manager, data of certain SQL Server date data types generates the results shown in the following table.
| SQL Server data type | Result |
|---|---|
| time, datetimeoffset | The package fails unless the package uses parameterized SQL commands. To use parameterized SQL commands, use the Execute SQL Task in your package. For more information, see Execute SQL Task and Parameters and Return Codes in the Execute SQL Task. |
| datetime2 | The ADO.NET connection manager truncates the millisecond value. |
Note
For more information about SQL Server data types and how they map to Integration Services data types, see Data Types (Transact-SQL) and Integration Services Data Types.
ADO.NET connection manager configuration
You can set properties through SSIS Designer, or programmatically.
Provide a specific connection string configured to meet the requirements of the selected .NET provider.
Depending on the provider, include the name of the data source to connect to.
Provide security credentials as appropriate for the selected provider.
Indicate whether the connection created from the connection manager is retained at runtime.
Many of configuration options of the ADO.NET connection manager depend on the .NET provider that the connection manager uses.
For more information about the properties that you can set in SSIS Designer, see Configure ADO.NET Connection Manager.
For information about configuring a connection manager programmatically, see ConnectionManager and Adding Connections Programmatically.
Configure ADO.NET connection manager
Use the Configure ADO.NET Connection Manager dialog box to add a connection to a data source that can be accessed by using a .NET Framework data provider. For example, one such provider is the SqlClient provider. The connection manager can use an existing connection, or you can create a new one.
To learn more about the ADO.NET connection manager, see ADO.NET Connection Manager.
Options
Data connections
Select an existing ADO.NET data connection from the list.
Data connection properties
View properties and values for the selected ADO.NET data connection.
New
Create an ADO.NET data connection by using the Connection Manager dialog box.
Delete
Select a connection, and then delete it by selecting Delete.
Managed identities for Azure resources authentication
When running SSIS packages on Azure-SSIS integration runtime (IR) in Azure Data Factory (ADF), you can use Microsoft Entra authentication with the managed identity for your ADF to access Azure SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance. Your Azure-SSIS IR can access and copy data from or to your database using this managed identity.
Note
When you authenticate with a user-assigned managed identity, the SSIS integration runtime needs to be enabled with the same identity. For more information, see Enable Microsoft Entra authentication for Azure-SSIS integration runtime.
To enable your ADF to access Azure SQL Database using its managed identity, follow these steps:
Provision a Microsoft Entra administrator for your logical server in Azure SQL Database through the Azure portal, if you haven't already done so. The Microsoft Entra administrator can be a user or group. If you assign a group as the admin, and your ADF's managed identity is a member of that group, you can skip steps 2 and 3. The administrator has full access to your logical server.
Create a contained database user to represent the managed identity assigned to your ADF. Connect to the database from or to which you want to copy data using SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) with a Microsoft Entra user that has at least ALTER ANY USER permission. Run the following T-SQL statement:
CREATE USER [your managed identity name] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER;If you use the system-assigned managed identity for your ADF, then your managed identity name is your ADF name. If you use a user-assigned managed identity for your ADF, then your managed identity name is the name of the managed identity.
Grant the managed identity for your ADF the required permissions, as you normally do for SQL users. Refer to Database-level roles for appropriate roles. Run the following T-SQL statement. For more options, see this article.
EXEC sp_addrolemember [role name], [your managed identity name];
To use a managed identity assigned to your ADF to access Azure SQL Managed Instance, follow these steps:
Provision a Microsoft Entra administrator for your Azure SQL Managed Instance in Azure portal, if you haven't already done so. The Microsoft Entra administrator can be a user or group. If you assign a group as the admin, and your managed identity is a member of that group, you can skip steps 2 - 4. The administrator has full access to your managed instance.
Create a login for your ADF's managed identity. In SSMS, connect to your managed instance using an account with sysadmin permissions, or the Microsoft Entra admin. In the
masterdatabase, run the following T-SQL statement:CREATE LOGIN [your managed identity name] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER;If you use the system-assigned managed identity for your ADF, then your managed identity name is your ADF name. If you use a user-assigned managed identity for your ADF, then your managed identity name is the name of the managed identity.
Create a contained database user representing the managed identity for your ADF. Connect to the database that you want to copy data from using SSMS and run the following T-SQL statement:
CREATE USER [your managed identity name] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER;Grant the managed identity for your ADF the required permissions, as you normally do for SQL users. Run the following T-SQL statement. For more options, see this article.
ALTER ROLE [role name e.g., db_owner] ADD MEMBER [your managed identity name];
Finally, you can configure Microsoft Entra authentication with the managed identity of your ADF on the ADO.NET connection manager. Here are the options to do this:
Configure at design time. In SSIS Designer, right-click on your ADO.NET connection manager, and select Properties. Update the property
ConnectUsingManagedIdentitytoTrue.Note
The connection manager property
ConnectUsingManagedIdentitydoesn't take effect when you run your package in SSIS Designer or on SQL Server, indicating that Microsoft Entra authentication with the managed identity of your ADF doesn't work.Configure at run time. When you run your package via SSMS or Execute SSIS Package activity in ADF pipeline, find the ADO.NET connection manager and update its property
ConnectUsingManagedIdentitytoTrue.Note
On Azure-SSIS IR, all other authentication methods (for example, integrated security and password) preconfigured on your ADO.NET connection manager are overridden when using Microsoft Entra authentication with the managed identity of your ADF.
To configure Microsoft Entra authentication with the managed identity of your ADF on your existing packages, the preferred way is to rebuild your SSIS project with the latest SSIS Designer at least once. Redeploy your SSIS project to run on Azure-SSIS IR, so that the new connection manager property ConnectUsingManagedIdentity is automatically added to all ADO.NET connection managers in your project. Alternatively, you can directly use property overrides with the property path \Package.Connections[{the name of your connection manager}].Properties[ConnectUsingManagedIdentity] assigned to True at run time.