Running All Create SQL Scripts Hosted in Synapse Workspace Using Azure DevOps Pipeline CI/CD

As organizations adopt Azure Synapse Analytics for their data warehousing and big data analytics workloads, they need to automate their deployment and release processes to ensure consistency and reliability. Azure DevOps provides a robust and flexible platform for continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) of Synapse Analytics artifacts, including SQL scripts, notebooks, pipelines, and more.

In this blog post, we will focus on how to use Azure DevOps Pipeline to run all the Create SQL scripts that are hosted in Synapse Workspace at the end of the deployment process. We will provide step-by-step instructions, code snippets, and best practices for achieving this goal.

Step 1: Create a Synapse Workspace

To start, we need to have a Synapse Workspace that contains one or more SQL scripts that we want to run. Follow these steps to create a Synapse Workspace:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal and navigate to the Synapse Workspace resource.
2. Click on the "Add" button to create a new Synapse Workspace.
3. Provide a unique name, subscription, resource group, and region for the workspace.
4. Review and accept the default settings for the workspace, such as workspace pricing tier, workspace storage account, and workspace managed virtual network.
5. Click on the "Review + create" button to create the workspace.
6. Wait for the workspace to be created, which may take a few minutes.

Step 2: Create a SQL script in Synapse Workspace

Now, let's create a sample SQL script in Synapse Workspace that we will use for testing the pipeline later. Follow these steps to create a SQL script:

1. Sign in to the Azure Synapse Studio by clicking on the "Open Synapse Studio" button on the Synapse Workspace resource page.
2. Navigate to the "Develop" tab and click on the "New" button to create a new SQL script.
3. Provide a name and a description for the script.
4. Write the SQL code that creates a sample table in the workspace.
5. Click on the "Save" button to save the script.

Step 3: Create an Azure DevOps Pipeline

Next, let's create an Azure DevOps Pipeline that will deploy the Synapse Workspace artifacts and run the SQL scripts at the end of the deployment. Follow these steps to create a pipeline:

1. Sign in to the Azure DevOps portal and navigate to the project that contains the Synapse Workspace artifacts.
2. Click on the "Pipelines" menu and then click on the "New pipeline" button.
3. Select the "Azure Repos Git" option as the source of the pipeline.
4. Select the repository that contains the Synapse Workspace artifacts.
5. Select the "Starter pipeline" template as the starting point for the pipeline.
6. Click on the "Save and run" button to save and run the pipeline.

Step 4: Add a PowerShell script to the pipeline

To run the SQL scripts in Synapse Workspace, we need to add a PowerShell script to the pipeline that will execute the scripts. Follow these steps to add a PowerShell script to the pipeline:

1. Open the pipeline editor by clicking on the "Edit" button on the pipeline page.
2. Navigate to the "Tasks" section and click on the "+" button to add a new task.
3. Search for the "PowerShell" task and after adding this task, when the pipeline is run, it will list out all the SQL scripts found in the Synapse Workspace for the specified environment.
4. To actually run these SQL scripts, we need to add another task that will connect to the Synapse Workspace and execute these scripts. For this, we can use the Azure Synapse Analytics SQL script execution task.
5. Here's an example YAML code for this task:

- task: SqlTask@2

  inputs:

    azureSubscription: '<Azure subscription name>'

    sqlServerName: '<Synapse workspace name>'

    databaseName: '<Database name>'

    sqlFile: '**/Create*.sql'

 

In this code, we are specifying the Azure subscription name, Synapse workspace name, and database name where the SQL scripts are located. We are also using the **/Create*.sql pattern to search for all SQL scripts that start with "Create" in any folder.

This task will connect to the Synapse workspace and execute all the SQL scripts found by the previous task.

With these two tasks added to our pipeline, we can now automatically run all the Create SQL scripts that are hosted in the Synapse Workspace after deploying our artifacts to the specified environment.

By using Azure DevOps and Azure Synapse Analytics together, we can automate the entire deployment process for our data analytics solution, including the creation of the necessary database objects. This reduces the time and effort required for manual deployment, improves consistency and accuracy, and ensures that the same process is followed for every deployment. 

What is the difference between an app setting and a connection string in an Azure Function?

 In an Azure Function, app settings and connection strings are used to store configuration information that is required by the function at runtime. The main difference between app settings and connection strings is the type of information that they store.

An app setting is used to store any kind of configuration information that is not related to a database connection, such as API keys, URLs, or any other settings that your function might need. App settings are typically key-value pairs that can be accessed by your function through the configuration object.

On the other hand, a connection string is used to store information that is required to connect to a database or other external resource, such as a storage account. Connection strings typically include information about the server name, database name, username, and password.

While both app settings and connection strings are used to store configuration information, it is important to note that connection strings are more sensitive in nature, and should be treated with extra care. For example, you might choose to store your connection strings in a key vault or use Azure Key Vault references to prevent unauthorized access to this sensitive information.

What is Azure SignalR Service and how do you use Azure SignalR Service with Azure Functions?

 Azure SignalR Service is a fully-managed service that enables real-time messaging between client and server applications. It provides an easy way to add real-time functionality to web applications, such as chat, live updates, and real-time data visualization. SignalR supports multiple platforms and programming languages and provides a simple API for developers to use.

To use Azure SignalR Service with Azure Functions, you need to follow these steps:

1. Create an Azure SignalR Service instance in the Azure portal.
2. Create an Azure Functions app and a function in the Azure portal.
3. Install the Microsoft.Azure.SignalR nuget package for your Azure Function.
4. Add the necessary code to your Azure Function to integrate with Azure SignalR Service.
5. Configure the connection to Azure SignalR Service by providing the connection string in the Azure Function's configuration settings.
6. Deploy your Azure Function to Azure and test the real-time messaging functionality with SignalR.

By using Azure SignalR Service with Azure Functions, you can build real-time web applications that provide seamless communication between client and server applications.

How do you create a function app?

 To create a function app in Azure, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Azure portal.
2. Click on the Create a Resource button.
3. Search for "Function App" and select it from the list of results.
4. Click on the Create button to begin the creation process.
5. Fill in the required information, including the subscription, resource group, and function app name.
6. Choose the operating system, either Windows or Linux, and the hosting plan, either Consumption or App Service Plan.
7. Choose the runtime stack and version, such as Node.js, Python, .NET Core, or Java.
8. Choose the region where you want to deploy the function app.
9. Click on the Create button to create the function app.

What is a function app ?

 A function app is a container for one or more Azure Functions that allows you to group related functions together as a logical unit for deployment, management, and sharing of resources. It provides an environment for developing, testing, and running functions, and can be scaled automatically based on demand.

How do you create an Azure Function?

 You can create an Azure Function using the following steps:

1. Open the Azure portal and sign in to your account.
2. Click on the Create a Resource button in the left-hand pane and search for "Function App".
3. Click on the Function App option and then click on the Create button.
4. Fill in the required information, including the subscription, resource group, and function app name.
5. Choose the operating system, either Windows or Linux, and the hosting plan, either Consumption or App Service Plan.
6. Choose the runtime stack and version, such as Node.js, Python, .NET Core, or Java.
7. Choose the region where you want to deploy the function app.
8. Click on the Create button to create the function app.

Once the function app is created, you can create a new function by following these steps:

1. In the function app blade, click on the Functions option in the left-hand pane.
2. Click on the + button to create a new function.
3. Choose a template or create a custom function.
4. Choose a trigger type for the function.
5. Fill in the required information for the trigger and any input bindings.
6. Write the function code in your preferred programming language.
7. Test the function using the Test tab or the function URL.
8. Save and publish the function.

What programming languages can you use to develop Azure Functions?

 Azure Functions supports several programming languages for developing functions, including:

1. C#
2. Java
3. JavaScript (Node.js)
4. Python
5. PowerShell

Developers can choose the programming language based on their preference and experience. Each language has its own unique set of tools and libraries that can be used to build Azure Functions. Developers can also use integrated development environments (IDEs) such as Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code to build and debug Azure Functions written in these languages.