🏭🗒️Microsoft Fabric: [Azure] Service Principals (SPN) [Notes]

Disclaimer: This is work in progress intended to consolidate information from various sources for learning purposes. For the latest information please consult the documentation (see the links below)! 

Last updated: 20-Jan-2025

[Azure] Service Principal (SPN)  

• {def} a non-human, application-based security identity used by applications or automation tools to access specific Azure resources [1]
• can be assigned precise permissions, making them perfect for automated processes or background services
• allows to minimize the risks of human error and identity-based vulnerabilities
• supported in datasets, Gen1/Gen2 dataflows, datamarts [2]
• authentication type 
• supported only by [2]
• Azure Data Lake Storage
• Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2
• Azure Blob Storage
• Azure Synapse Analytics
• Azure SQL Database
• Dataverse
• SharePoint online
• doesn’t support
• SQL data source with Direct Query in datasets [2]
• when registering a new application in Microsoft Entra ID, a SPN is automatically created for the app registration [4]
• the access to resources is restricted by the roles assigned to the SPN
• ⇒ gives control over which resources can be accessed and at which level [4]
• {recommendation} use SPN with automated tools [4]
• rather than allowing them to sign in with a user identity  [4]
• {prerequisite} an active Microsoft Entra user account with sufficient permissions to 
• register an application with the tenant [4]
• assign to the application a role in the Azure subscription [4]
• ⇐ requires Application.ReadWrite.All permission [4]
• extended to support Fabric Data Warehouses [1]
• {benefit} automation-friendly API Access
• allows to create, update, read, and delete Warehouse items via Fabric REST APIs using service principals [1]
• enables to automate repetitive tasks without relying on user credentials [1]
• e.g. provisioning or managing warehouses
• increases security by limiting human error
• the warehouses thus created, will be displayed in the Workspace list view in Fabric UI, with the Owner name of the SPN [1]
• applicable to users with administrator, member, or contributor workspace role [3]
• minimizes risk
• the warehouses created with delegated account or fixed identity (owner’s identity) will stop working when the owner leaves the organization [1]
• Fabric requires the user to login every 30 days to ensure a valid token is provided for security reasons [1]
• {benefit} seamless integration with Client Tools: 
• tools like SSMS can connect to the Fabric DWH using SPN [1]
• SPN provides secure access for developers to 
• run COPY INTO
• with and without firewall enabled storage [1]
• run any T-SQL query programmatically on a schedule with ADF pipelines [1]
• {benefit} granular access control
• Warehouses can be shared with an SPN through the Fabric portal [1]
• once shared, administrators can use T-SQL commands to assign specific permissions to SPN [1]
• allows to control precisely which data and operations an SPN has access to  [1]
• GRANT SELECT ON <table name> TO <Service principal name>  
• warehouses' ownership can be changed from an SPN to user, and vice-versa [3]
• {benefit} improved DevOps and CI/CD Integration
• SPN can be used to automate the deployment and management of DWH resources [1]
• ⇐ ensures faster, more reliable deployment processes while maintaining strong security postures [1]
• {limitation} default semantic models are not supported for SPN created warehouses [3]
• ⇒ features such as listing tables in dataset view, creating report from the default dataset don’t work [3]
• {limitation} SPN for SQL analytics endpoints is not currently supported
• {limitation} SPNs are currently not supported for COPY INTO error files [3]
• ⇐ Entra ID credentials are not supported as well [3]
• {limitation} SPNs are not supported for GIT APIs. SPN support exists only for Deployment pipeline APIs [3]
• monitoring tools
• [DMV] sys.dm_exec_sessions.login_name column [3] 
• [Query Insights] queryinsights.exec_requests_history.login_name [3]
• Query activity
• submitter column in Fabric query activity [3]
• Capacity metrics app: 
• compute usage for warehouse operations performed by SPN appears as the Client ID under the User column in Background operations drill through table [3]

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References:

[1] Microsoft Fabric Updates Blog (2024) Service principal support for Fabric Data Warehouse [link]

[2] Microsoft Fabric Learn (2024) Service principal support in Data Factory [link]

[3] Microsoft Fabric Learn (2024) Service principal in Fabric Data Warehouse [link] 

[4] Microsoft Fabric Learn (2024) Register a Microsoft Entra app and create a service principal [link]

[5] Microsoft Fabric Updates Blog (2024) Announcing Service Principal support for Fabric APIs [link] 

 

Acronyms:

ADF - Azure Data Factory

API - Application Programming Interface

CI/CD - Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment

DMV - Dynamic Management View

DWH - Data Warehouse

SPN - service principal

SSMS - SQL Server Management Studio