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Set up your Azure SQL Database connection

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This article outlines how to set up a connection to Azure SQL Database.

Supported authentication types

The Azure SQL Database connector supports the following authentication types for copy and Dataflow Gen2 respectively.

Authentication type Copy Dataflow Gen2
Basic √ √
Organizational account √ √
Service Principal √

Set up your connection in Dataflow Gen2

Data Factory in Microsoft Fabric uses Power Query connectors to connect Dataflow Gen2 to an Azure SQL database. The following links provide the specific Power Query connector information you need to connect to an Azure SQL database in Dataflow Gen2:

In some cases, the Power Query connector article might include advanced options, troubleshooting, known issues and limitations, and other information that could also prove useful.

Set up your connection in a data pipeline

To create a connection in a data pipeline:

  1. From the page header in the Data Factory service, select Settings > Manage connections and gateways.

    Screenshot showing how to open manage gateway.

  2. Select New at the top of the ribbon to add a new data source.

    Screenshot showing the '+ new' page.

    The New connection pane opens on the left side of the page.

    Screenshot showing the 'New connection' pane.

Set up your connection

Step 1: Specify the connection name, connection type, account, and domain

Screenshot showing new connection page.

In the New connection pane, choose Cloud, and specify the following fields:

  • Connection name: Specify a name for your connection.
  • Connection type: Select SQL Server.
  • Server: Enter your Azure SQL server name. You can find it in the Overview page of your Azure SQL server.
  • Database: Enter your Azure SQL Database name.

Step 2: Select and set your authentication

Under Authentication method, select your authentication from the drop-down list and complete the related configuration. The Azure SQL Database connector supports the following authentication types.

Screenshot showing selecting authentication method page.

Basic authentication

Select Basic under Authentication method.

Screenshot showing Basic authentication.

  • Username: Specify the user name of your Azure SQL Database.
  • Password: Specify the password of your Azure SQL Database.

OAuth2 authentication

Open Edit credentials. You notice the sign in interface. Enter your account and password to sign in your account. After signing in, go back to the New connection page.

Screenshot showing OAuth2 authentication method.

Service Principal authentication

Screenshot showing Service Principal authentication method page.

  • Tenant Id: Specify the tenant information (domain name or tenant ID) under which your application resides. Retrieve it by hovering over the upper-right corner of the Azure portal.
  • Service principal ID: Specify the application's client ID.
  • Service principal key: Specify your application's key.

To use service principal authentication, follow these steps:

  1. Create a Microsoft Entra application from the Azure portal. Make note of the application name and the following values that define the connection:

    • Tenant ID
    • Application ID
    • Application key

  2. Provision a Microsoft Entra administrator for your server on the Azure portal if you haven't already done so. The Microsoft Entra administrator must be a Microsoft Entra user or Microsoft Entra group, but it can't be a service principal. This step is done so that, in the next step, you can use a Microsoft Entra identity to create a contained database user for the service principal.

  3. Create contained database users for the service principal. Connect to the database from or to which you want to copy data by using tools like SQL Server Management Studio, with a Microsoft Entra identity that has at least ALTER ANY USER permission. Sign in to your Azure SQL Database through Entra ID authentication and run the following T-SQL:

    CREATE USER [your application name] FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDER;

  4. Grant the service principal needed permissions as you normally do for SQL users or others. Run the following code. For more options, go to ALTER ROLE (Transact-SQL).

    ALTER ROLE [role name] ADD MEMBER [your application name];

  5. Configure an Azure SQL Database connection.

Step 3: Specify the privacy level that you want to apply

In the General tab, select the privacy level that you want apply in Privacy level drop-down list. Three privacy levels are supported. For more information, go to privacy levels.

Step 4: Create your connection

Select Create. Your creation is successfully tested and saved if all the credentials are correct. If not correct, the creation fails with errors.

Screenshot showing connection page.

Table summary

The following connector properties in the table are supported in pipeline copy.

Name Description Required Property Copy
Connection name A name for your connection. Yes ✓
Connection type Select a type for your connection. Select SQL Server. Yes ✓
Server Azure SQL server name. Yes ✓
Database Azure SQL Database name. Yes ✓
Authentication Go to Authentication Yes Go to Authentication
Privacy Level The privacy level that you want to apply. Allowed values are Organizational, Privacy, Public Yes ✓

Authentication

The following properties in the table are the supported authentication types.

Name Description Required Property Copy
Basic ✓
- Username The user name of your Azure SQL Database. Yes
- Password The password of your Azure SQL Database. Yes
OAuth2 ✓
Service Principal ✓
- Tenant ID The tenant information (domain name or tenant ID). Yes
- Service Principal ID The application's client ID. Yes
- Service Principal key The application's key. Yes

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