---
name: watsonx-bi-microsoft_azure
title: Microsoft Azure SQL Database
description: Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a managed cloud database that is provided as part of Microsoft Azure.
last-updated: 2026-03-25
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/watsonx-bi?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Microsoft Azure SQL Database
{: #microsoft_azure_sql}

Microsoft Azure SQL Database is a managed cloud database that is provided as part of Microsoft Azure. {: #shortdesc}


## Create a connection to Microsoft Azure SQL Database
{: #create_microsoft_azure_sql}

To create the connection, you need these connection details:

- Database name 
- Hostname or IP address
- Port number 
- SSL certificate, if required by the database server


## Credentials
{: #credentials_microsoft_azure_sql}

Choose an authentication method:

- Username and password

   Username and password to access the database in Microsoft Azure SQL Database.

- Entra ID authentication 

  Prerequisite for Entra ID authentication -  [Microsoft Entra ID](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/whatis) is a cloud-based identity and access management service. To obtain connection values for the Entra ID authentication method, sign in to the [Microsoft Azure portal](https://login.microsoftonline.com/organizations/oauth2/v2.0/authorize?redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fportal.azure.com%2Fsignin%2Findex%2F&response_type=code%20id_token&scope=https%3A%2F%2Fmanagement.core.windows.net%2F%2Fuser_impersonation%20openid%20email%20profile&state=OpenIdConnect.AuthenticationProperties%3D5yQBebvex6f4g9Xe_Cm13mtF0h5wTOVqDYavGxKhtmE3Ms-KIOBl3nNFqu6NIjiXQAbsX07xSdZlLlp_wiM0YQRn0EQ3byw91xFD6c_cF1k5uL61hBqa7E48--1ztG6PYigaTB_q4F_AnXEjEYcfwf2F6X17M0K8IjNC1yZJSP5x8UBTVjffV6AXlRoe0ViAn9xoRXF8YGyMM25sqLQYINZBkaHLgUx6B4zKGZuc3DEoDGS0YaDqnm7fqf8rXxHICWkaWTrc5WH3MURn2NF4WHU6fYKgwSlw151ya98EYKjUTQdH5oDukTzRUks0m77to5zNPcPKx_eIqhWX78N6WGBBVrQYjXvzRBBQEwBl7yxkkL4xG79iUIxZh43FV08csXljm5TW-k1dfmLLEcmzekLFyKlkwX_RTqA13tC1b5jF6lZVPLdbf6Sa7kzs8mlXCU7rWr6yrAQ59pasEEECu1q9NB9BSTS-lRFWNwGucU8&response_mode=form_post&nonce=638894979132594798.MTIyMmMyMmUtYzlkZC00ZGYwLTgwNDMtYzkzZjkyYjYwZjkwODQ5ZWY3ZmEtNjA2OS00OTZhLTlkMDUtNzFiZjc4MmZmNTk0&client_id=c44b4083-3bb0-49c1-b47d-974e53cbdf3c&site_id=501430&instance_aware=true&client-request-id=21ec90fc-c894-4534-bf73-504c1fdd798b&x-client-SKU=ID_NET472&x-client-ver=8.3.0.0&sso_reload=true).
{: note}

  - Entra ID client secret credential

    - Client ID: The client ID for authorizing access to Microsoft Azure. 
    
      To find the Client ID for your application, select **Microsoft Entra ID**. From **App registrations**, select your application. Click **Copy** to copy the Client ID of your application. 
      
      For more information, see [Register a Microsoft Entra app and create a service principal](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/howto-create-service-principal-portal).
    
    - Client secret: The authentication key that is associated with the client ID for authorizing access to Microsoft Azure. 
    
    To find the Client secret for your application, select **Microsoft Entra ID**. From **App registrations**, select your application. Go to **Certificates & secrets > Client secrets**. Click **Copy** to copy the existing Client secret or click **New client secret** to create a new Client secret and copy it. 
    
    For more information, see [Register a Microsoft Entra app and create a service principal](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity-platform/howto-create-service-principal-portal).

  - Entra ID username password credential

    Username and Password for the Microsoft Azure account.

For **Private connectivity**, to connect to a database that is not externalized to the internet (for example, behind a firewall), you must set up a [secure connection](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/watsonx-bi?topic=watsonx-bi-satellite&format=markdown){: external}

If you connect with IBM Cloud Satellite, you need to set the Proxy connection policy on the Azure server in order to connect to the Azure SQL Database. For more information, see [Azure SQL Database connectivity architecture](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-sql/database/connectivity-architecture?view=azuresql).