Create and configure database tasks by using automation

Azure SQL databases play a critical role in modern application development and data management. Creating and configuring databases manually can be a time-consuming and error-prone task. Thankfully, Azure provides automation capabilities to simplify and streamline these processes. In this article, we will explore how to create and configure Azure SQL databases using automation techniques.

Prerequisites

Before diving into automation, let’s quickly highlight the essentials of Azure SQL databases. Azure SQL is a fully managed, intelligent, and scalable cloud database service based on Microsoft SQL Server. It offers various deployment models, including single databases, elastic pools, and managed instances.

To create an Azure SQL database programmatically, we can utilize Azure PowerShell or Azure CLI. Let’s examine how to achieve this using Azure PowerShell.

Creating an Azure SQL Database

First, ensure that you have the Azure PowerShell module installed on your machine. Once installed, open the Azure PowerShell console and sign in to your Azure account using the following command:

Connect-AzAccount

After successfully signing in, we can proceed with creating a new Azure SQL database. The fundamental steps involved are:

1. Specify the resource group and server that will host the database.
2. Define the database name and server-level settings.

Let’s see how to create a single Azure SQL database using PowerShell code:

powershell
# Set the resource group and server parameters
$resourceGroupName = “YourResourceGroupName”
$serverName = “YourAzureSqlServerName”
$location = “East US” # Replace with your desired location

# Specify the database details
$databaseName = “YourAzureSqlDatabaseName”
$databaseEdition = “Standard” # Replace with your desired edition (e.g., Standard, Basic, or Premium)
$databaseSize = 10GB # Replace with your desired size

# Create a new Azure SQL database
New-AzSqlDatabase -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -ServerName $serverName -DatabaseName $databaseName -Edition $databaseEdition -RequestedServiceObjectiveName $databaseSize -Location $location

Make sure to replace the placeholder values with your own resource group, server, and database names. The code above creates a new Azure SQL database with the specified edition, size, and location.

Configuring Firewall Rules

In addition to creating databases, we may need to configure settings such as firewall rules, auditing, or threat detection. These settings can also be automated using PowerShell.

Let’s explore an example where we configure a firewall rule to allow access from a specific IP range. Consider the following PowerShell code:

powershell
# Get the target server
$server = Get-AzSqlServer -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -ServerName $serverName

# Configure a new firewall rule
$firewallRuleName = “AllowAccess”
$firewallRuleStartIpAddress = “10.0.0.0”
$firewallRuleEndIpAddress = “10.0.0.255”
New-AzSqlServerFirewallRule -ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -ServerName $serverName -FirewallRuleName $firewallRuleName -StartIpAddress $firewallRuleStartIpAddress -EndIpAddress $firewallRuleEndIpAddress

In the above code, we obtain the server object using Get-AzSqlServer, and then we create a new firewall rule using New-AzSqlServerFirewallRule. This rule allows access to the Azure SQL server from the specified IP range.

Additional Configuration Tasks

Similarly, you can automate other configuration tasks using PowerShell, such as enabling auditing, setting up database threat detection policies, or configuring transparent data encryption.

By employing Azure PowerShell or Azure CLI, you can leverage automation to create and configure Azure SQL databases efficiently. This not only saves time but also ensures consistency and reduces the chances of human error.