Identify data sources in Azure by using Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Purview is a powerful data governance service that allows you to discover, understand, and manage your data across various sources in Azure. With Purview, you can efficiently identify data sources and gain insights into your data landscape. In this article, we will explore how to leverage Microsoft Purview to identify data sources in Azure.

Connect Azure Services

Purview integrates with various Azure services, including Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics, and more. By connecting these services to Purview, you can automatically discover and catalog data assets within these sources. Purview uses metadata scanning techniques to extract valuable information about your data, such as schema, data types, and relationships between tables.

To connect an Azure service to Purview, navigate to the Purview Studio in the Azure portal, select the “Data sources” tab, and click on the “New” button. From here, you can select the desired Azure service and provide the necessary connection details. Once connected, Purview begins scanning the metadata of the data assets within the selected service.

Scan On-Premises Data Sources

Purview not only supports Azure services but also enables you to scan on-premises data sources. By installing and configuring a Purview scanner on your on-premises environment, you can discover and catalog data residing in your local databases, file systems, and other data repositories.

To set up an on-premises data source in Purview, navigate to the Purview Studio in the Azure portal, select the “Data sources” tab, and click on the “New” button. From the available options, choose the “On-premises SQL” or “On-premises Filesystem” option, depending on your data source. Follow the instructions provided to install and configure the Purview scanner in your environment. Once the scanner is up and running, Purview will start scanning the metadata and bring it into the overall data catalog.

Discover Sensitive Data

Identifying and managing sensitive data is crucial for ensuring data security and compliance. Purview helps you discover sensitive data by automatically applying and scanning built-in and custom classifiers. Built-in classifiers in Purview recognize patterns such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and email addresses. You can also create custom classifiers tailored to your organization’s specific needs.

To discover sensitive data in Purview, navigate to the Purview Studio in the Azure portal, select the “Classifiers” tab, and create or modify classifiers based on your requirements. You can choose built-in classifiers or create custom classifiers using regular expressions or other matching techniques. Once the classifiers are defined, Purview automatically scans the data assets and tags any sensitive information it finds.

Collaborate and Annotate Data Assets

Purview enables collaboration and annotation of data assets by providing a user-friendly interface. You can assign business glossary terms, data classifications, and annotations to data assets. These annotations help enrich the context of the data and make it easier to search and understand within the data catalog.

To collaborate and annotate data assets, navigate to the Purview Studio in the Azure portal and select the “Data catalog” tab. Here, you can search for specific data assets or browse through the available categories. Once you find the desired data asset, you can add annotations, assign classifications, and link business glossary terms to provide additional context.

Leverage AI and Machine Learning

Purview leverages AI and machine learning capabilities to automatically infer schema and identify relationships between data assets. By using these capabilities, Purview saves time and effort in manually defining and documenting these relationships, making it easier to navigate and analyze your data.

When you connect data sources to Purview, it automatically scans the metadata and identifies relationships between tables, files, and other data assets. You can view these relationships in the Purview Studio, helping you understand how different datasets are linked together.

In conclusion, Microsoft Purview is a comprehensive data governance solution that allows you to identify, understand, and manage your data sources in Azure. By utilizing Purview’s features, such as connecting Azure services, scanning on-premises data sources, discovering sensitive data, collaborating and annotating data assets, and leveraging AI and machine learning capabilities, you can efficiently navigate and gain insights from your data landscape.