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Connect Azure SQL Database

The Azure SQL Database source reads tables and views from one Azure SQL database into the Lake. The connection is always encrypted, and you can sign in with a SQL login or a Microsoft Entra service principal. Use this page to fill in each field of the form. The steps shared by every SQL engine are on Connect a SQL database.

Prerequisites

The server name and the name of the database to read.
One way to sign in:
- a SQL login with read access to the database, or
- a Microsoft Entra app registration with a client secret, that has read access to the database.
The server's firewall accepts connections from DataMind on port 1433.
Create/Edit Lake Objects in DataMind. See Who can do what in the Lake.

Add the source

Open Lake and click Add datasource, or open the New menu in the toolbar above the tree.
Choose Azure SQL Database in the picker.
Fill in the General, Connection and Datetime steps as described below.
Click Add.

Connection settings

General step

Name (Mandatory)

The name the source carries in the Lake.
At least 3 characters. The field reads Enter name until you type.

Code (Mandatory)

A short code, at least 2 characters, made of letters and numbers only.
It becomes the prefix of the table names the source forms. It fills in from Name while you type; edit it to set your own.
Name and Code cannot be changed after the source is created.

Folder (Optional)

The Lake folder the source is filed under. Leave it empty to keep the source at the top level.

Connection step: Address

Paste connection string (Optional)

Click Paste connection string, paste an ADO.NET string or a JDBC URL, and click Fill.
Example: Server=tcp:<server>.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=sales.
The string fills Host, Port and Database. A password inside it is never read.

Host (Mandatory)

The fully qualified server name, ending in .database.windows.net.

Port (Mandatory)

Default: 1433. A whole number from 1 to 65535.

Database (Mandatory)

The database to read from. The Lake shows this database and the schemas inside it.

Connection step: Authentication

Sign in with (Mandatory)

SQL login (default): a user name and password defined in the database server.
Microsoft Entra service principal: an app registration signs in with its client ID and client secret.
Switching the method clears a stored password or client secret; enter it again.

Tenant ID (Mandatory for a service principal)

Shown only for Microsoft Entra service principal.
The Directory (tenant) ID of the Microsoft Entra tenant that owns the app registration.

Username, or Client (application) ID (Mandatory)

With SQL login: the login's user name.
With Microsoft Entra service principal: the Application (client) ID of the app registration.

Password, or Client secret (Mandatory)

With SQL login: the login's password.
With Microsoft Entra service principal: a client secret of the app registration.
After you save, the field reads Stored password or Stored client secret with Replace beside it.

Connection step: Security

Always encrypted

Not a setting: the card shows the Always encrypted badge with the note "Azure SQL Database encrypts every connection; this cannot be turned off."

Trust server certificate (Optional)

Accepts a self-signed or internal-CA certificate without validating it.
Default: off. Leave it off unless the test fails on the server certificate.

Datetime step

Timezone (Optional)

The IANA timezone the database writes its datetime values in, for example Europe/Berlin.
Leave it empty when the database runs in the same timezone as the platform.

Datetime values (Optional)

Keep as written (wall clock) (default) stores each value exactly as the database shows it.
The other option converts each value from the source timezone into platform time on load.

1C source (+2000 years) (Optional)

For 1C databases, which store dates shifted by 2000 years.
Subtracts 2000 years from each value during extraction and loads the 1C empty date 2001-01-01 as NULL.
Default: off.

Timezones and datetime values explains the three settings in full.

Test and save

On the Connection step, click Test connection. The button reads Testing… while it runs.
Connection test passed means DataMind reached the database and signed in. Connection test failed shows the server's message with a copy button; fix the settings and test again.
On Datetime, check the summary: Name, Server, Database, Username or Client ID, and Security, which reads Always encrypted.
Click Add. Then import its tables.

The test is optional and never saves the source. To edit or duplicate the source later, see Connect a SQL database.

Questions, answered

Should I sign in with a SQL login or a service principal?

Either works. A SQL login is a user name and password defined on the server. A Microsoft Entra service principal signs in as an app registration with its client ID and client secret, so no personal account is tied to the source.

Where do I find the values for a service principal?

On the app registration in Microsoft Entra: Tenant ID is the Directory (tenant) ID, Client (application) ID is the Application (client) ID, and Client secret is a secret you create on the registration. The app registration also needs read access to the database.

Why is Database required?

An Azure SQL connection is made to one database, so the source reads that database and the schemas inside it. To load another database, add a second source.

My client secret cleared after I changed the Tenant ID. Why?

Your administrator turned on Require re-entering connector secrets after a host change. For this source, Host, the user name or client ID, and Tenant ID count as identity fields, so changing one clears the stored secret. The form shows, for example, "The tenant ID changed. Enter the client secret again.". Type the secret again.

Can I paste the connection string from the Azure portal?

Yes. Paste the ADO.NET string into Paste connection string and click Fill. It fills Host, Port and Database; the password in it is never read, so enter it in the form.

Can I send data back to Azure SQL Database?

No. Azure SQL Database is a source only and is not offered as a Writeback destination. The destinations are listed on Add and manage destinations.