I'm having an issue with my copy data activity in the pipeline

Question

I am using Azure Data Factory (ADF) Copy Activity to retrieve a file from SharePoint Online following the setup in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFfNu3cI-uw. However, I am encountering the following error:

Request URL: https://sharepoint.com/sites/documentation/_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/documentation/Tech documentation/')/$value.,Source=Microsoft.DataTransfer.ClientLibrary,''Type=System.Net.WebException,Message=The remote server returned an error: (403) Forbidden.,Source=System,'

Please note i gave the app permission to access and the access token is valid. Its able to access sharepoint but basically unable to fetch the data.

Answer 1

@Dima mohamed

Greetings & Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum! Thanks for posting your query!

The error message indicates that your Azure Data Factory Copy Activity is successfully authenticating with SharePoint Online but is encountering a 403 Forbidden error when trying to fetch the file.

Understanding the Error

403 Forbidden means that authentication was successful, but the authenticated user (or app) does not have the necessary permissions to access the requested resource. The request is targeting this endpoint:

https://sharepoint.com/sites/documentation/_api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/documentation/Tech documentation/')/$value

This is an API request to get a file from SharePoint using the GetFileByServerRelativeUrl method.

Possible reasons for the issue are either:

• Insufficient permissions on SharePoint for the ADF Managed Identity or Service Principal.
• Incorrect file path (e.g., trying to access a folder instead of a file).

Here are few considerations that might help you:

Check if you are accessing a Folder instead of a File - The URL contains '/sites/documentation/Tech documentation/', which looks like a folder instead of a file. If you're trying to fetch a specific file, the URL should look like:

/sites/documentation/Tech documentation/MyFile.xlsx

Make sure you specify the exact file name with the correct extension.

Test API Call in Postman or PowerShell - Try calling the API manually to verify access. If it fails, permissions or the path are incorrect.

Check ADF Copy Activity Settings - Ensure you are using "ServerRelativeUrl" in the dataset configuration. Confirm the SharePoint URL format is correct. If accessing a file inside a folder, do not include the trailing slash (/) at the end of the file path.

Please refer to MS Q&A thread - Copy File from SharePoint not working addressing similar issue.

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.

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