Connecting to Azure SQL Database

This tutorial will guide you through the process of connecting to your Azure SQL Database from various applications and environments. Understanding how to establish a secure and reliable connection is fundamental to working with Azure SQL.

Prerequisites

• An Azure subscription.
• An Azure SQL Database instance provisioned.
• The server name, database name, and login credentials (username and password) for your Azure SQL Database.

Connection Strings

Connection strings are essential for applications to authenticate and connect to your Azure SQL Database. The format of a connection string can vary slightly depending on the client library or programming language you are using.

General Format

Server=tcp:your_server_name.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=your_database_name;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=your_username;Password=your_password;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;

Replace the placeholders with your actual server name, database name, username, and password.

Example for .NET (Entity Framework Core)

string connectionString = "Server=tcp:your_server_name.database.windows.net,1433;Initial Catalog=your_database_name;Persist Security Info=False;User ID=your_username;Password=your_password;MultipleActiveResultSets=False;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=False;Connection Timeout=30;";
var contextOptions = new DbContextOptionsBuilder<YourDbContext>()
    .UseSqlServer(connectionString)
    .Options;

using (var context = new YourDbContext(contextOptions))
{
    // Your database operations here
}

Example for Python (pyodbc)

import pyodbc

server = 'your_server_name.database.windows.net'
database = 'your_database_name'
username = 'your_username'
password = 'your_password'
driver= '{ODBC Driver 17 for SQL Server}' # Or other installed driver

cnxn = pyodbc.connect('DRIVER='+driver+';SERVER='+server+';DATABASE='+database+';UID='+username+';PWD='+ password)
cursor = cnxn.cursor()

# Example query
cursor.execute("SELECT @@VERSION;")
row = cursor.fetchone()
while row:
    print(f"{row[0]}")
    row = cursor.fetchone()

Firewall Rules

Before you can connect, you need to ensure that your Azure SQL Database server's firewall is configured to allow connections from your IP address or specific IP ranges.

Steps to Configure Firewall Rules:

1. Navigate to your Azure SQL server resource in the Azure portal.
2. In the left-hand menu, select Networking under the Security section.
3. Click on Add client IP to add your current public IP address, or manually enter IP address ranges.
4. Ensure Allow Azure services and resources to access this server is set to 'No' unless required for specific Azure services.
5. Click Save.

Connecting from SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)

SSMS is a popular tool for managing SQL Server databases, including Azure SQL Database.

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio.
2. In the Connect to Server dialog, enter your Azure SQL server name (e.g., your_server_name.database.windows.net).
3. Select SQL Server Authentication as the authentication type.
4. Enter your Login (username) and Password.
5. Click Connect.

Troubleshooting Common Connection Issues

• Firewall Blocked: Verify your IP address is allowed in the Azure SQL server's firewall settings.
• Incorrect Credentials: Double-check your username, password, server name, and database name.
• Network Connectivity: Ensure there are no network issues preventing your client from reaching the Azure SQL server.
• Driver Issues: Make sure you have the correct and latest ODBC/JDBC drivers installed for your operating system and programming language.

By following these steps, you should be able to establish a successful connection to your Azure SQL Database.