Hello again! In my last article, I showed you how to deploy a Web App with ARM templates. Today I want to share something more challenging – deploying Azure SQL Database with secure parameters.<\/p>
This was harder than the Web App because I needed to handle passwords securely. Let me show you what I learned!<\/p>
Most web applications need a database. In my home lab, I’m building a simple product catalog app. It needs to store data somewhere. Azure SQL Database is a managed database service – Microsoft handles backups, updates, and security patches for me.<\/p>
Here is my actual code from GitHub:<\/p>
{\n \"$schema\": \"https:\/\/schema.management.azure.com\/schemas\/2019-04-01\/deploymentTemplate.json#\",\n \"contentVersion\": \"1.0.0.0\",\n \"parameters\": {\n \"SQLLogin\": {\n \"type\":\"string\",\n \"metadata\":{\n \"description\":\"The administrator user name\"\n }\n },\n \"SQLPassword\": {\n \"type\":\"secureString\",\n \"metadata\":{\n \"description\":\"The administrator password\"\n }\n }\n },\n \"functions\": [],\n \"variables\": {},\n \"resources\": [\n {\n \"type\": \"Microsoft.Sql\/servers\",\n \"apiVersion\": \"2022-02-01-preview\",\n \"name\": \"rezasqlserverr9473\",\n \"location\": \"[resourceGroup().location]\",\n \"properties\":{\n \"administratorLogin\": \"[parameters('SQLLogin')]\",\n \"administratorLoginPassword\": \"[parameters('SQLPassword')]\"\n }\n },\n {\n \"type\": \"Microsoft.Sql\/servers\/databases\",\n \"apiVersion\": \"2022-02-01-preview\",\n \"name\": \"[format('{0}\/{1}','rezasqlserverr9473','appdb')]\",\n \"location\": \"[resourceGroup().location]\",\n \"sku\":{\n \"name\":\"Basic\",\n \"tier\":\"Basic\"\n },\n \"properties\":{},\n \"dependsOn\":[\n \"[resourceId('Microsoft.Sql\/servers','rezasqlserverr9473')]\"\n ]\n }\n ],\n \"outputs\": {}\n}<\/code><\/pre>Understanding Parameters – The New Part!<\/h3>
This template is different from my first one. Look at the parameters section:<\/p>
\"parameters\": {\n \"SQLLogin\": {\n \"type\":\"string\",\n \"metadata\":{\n \"description\":\"The administrator user name\"\n }\n },\n \"SQLPassword\": {\n \"type\":\"secureString\",\n \"metadata\":{\n \"description\":\"The administrator password\"\n }\n }\n}<\/code><\/pre>What Are Parameters?<\/h3>
Parameters make templates flexible. Instead of hard-coding username and password in the template, I pass them during deployment.<\/p>
Important difference:<\/p>
- “type”:”string” – normal parameter, visible in logs<\/li>
- “type”:”secureString” – password parameter, hidden in logs!<\/li><\/ul>
When I first learned this, I used “type”:”string” for passwords. That was a security mistake! Always use secureString for passwords and secrets.<\/p>
Metadata Section<\/h3>\"metadata\":{\n \"description\":\"The administrator user name\"\n}<\/code><\/pre>This is documentation inside the template. When someone deploys this template, they see this description. It helps others understand what this parameter is for.<\/p>
Creating the SQL Server<\/h3>{\n \"type\": \"Microsoft.Sql\/servers\",\n \"apiVersion\": \"2022-02-01-preview\",\n \"name\": \"rezasqlserverr9473\",\n \"location\": \"[resourceGroup().location]\",\n \"properties\":{\n \"administratorLogin\": \"[parameters('SQLLogin')]\",\n \"administratorLoginPassword\": \"[parameters('SQLPassword')]\"\n }\n}<\/code><\/pre>Technical details:<\/p>
- type: Microsoft.Sql\/servers – this creates the SQL Server (not the database yet!)<\/li>
- name: rezasqlserverr9473 – must be globally unique across all Azure<\/li>
- administratorLogin: [parameters(‘SQLLogin’)] – using parameter here!<\/li>
- administratorLoginPassword: [parameters(‘SQLPassword’)] – secure parameter<\/li><\/ul>
Why the Name Has Random Numbers?<\/h3>
Azure SQL Server names must be unique across ALL of Azure, not just your subscription. When I tried rezasqlserver, Azure said “name already taken”. So I added 9473 at the end.<\/p>
In my next articles, I will show you how to use uniqueString() function to generate unique names automatically.<\/p>
Creating the Database<\/h3>{\n \"type\": \"Microsoft.Sql\/servers\/databases\",\n \"apiVersion\": \"2022-02-01-preview\",\n \"name\": \"[format('{0}\/{1}','rezasqlserverr9473','appdb')]\",\n \"location\": \"[resourceGroup().location]\",\n \"sku\":{\n \"name\":\"Basic\",\n \"tier\":\"Basic\"\n },\n \"properties\":{},\n \"dependsOn\":[\n \"[resourceId('Microsoft.Sql\/servers','rezasqlserverr9473')]\"\n ]\n}<\/code><\/pre>The Nested Resource Name<\/h3>
Look at this line carefully:<\/p>
\"name\": \"[format('{0}\/{1}','rezasqlserverr9473','appdb')]\"<\/code><\/pre>This uses the format() function. It creates the name: rezasqlserverr9473\/appdb<\/p>
Why this format? The database is a child resource of the SQL Server. In ARM templates, child resources use the format: parentName\/childName<\/p>
- {0} = first parameter = ‘rezasqlserverr9473’ (server name)<\/li>
- {1} = second parameter = ‘appdb’ (database name)<\/li><\/ul>
When I first wrote this, I tried:<\/p>
\"name\": \"rezasqlserverr9473\/appdb\" \/\/ This works but format() is better<\/code><\/pre>Both work, but format() is cleaner when you use variables or parameters.<\/p>
SKU – Database Pricing Tier<\/h3>\"sku\":{\n \"name\":\"Basic\",\n \"tier\":\"Basic\"\n}<\/code><\/pre>This is important for cost! Azure SQL has different tiers:<\/p>
- Basic: $5\/month – good for learning and small apps<\/li>
- Standard: $15-300\/month – for production apps<\/li>
- Premium: $465+\/month – for high performance<\/li><\/ul>
I use Basic tier because I’m learning and testing. It’s cheap but has limits:<\/p>
- Max size: 2 GB<\/li>
- Limited performance<\/li>
- Good enough for my home lab!<\/li><\/ul>
The Dependency Chain<\/h3>\"dependsOn\":[\n \"[resourceId('Microsoft.Sql\/servers','rezasqlserverr9473')]\"\n]<\/code><\/pre>This is critical! The database cannot exist without the server. The dependsOn tells Azure:<\/p>
- Create SQL Server first<\/li>
- Wait until it’s ready<\/li>
- Then create the database<\/li><\/ol>
When I forgot this line, deployment failed with error: “Server does not exist”<\/p>
How I Deployed This Template<\/h3>
I use Azure CLI with inline parameters:<\/p>
# Create resource group\naz group create --name sql-test-grp --location \"North Europe\"\n\n# Deploy with parameters\naz deployment group create \\\n --resource-group sql-test-grp \\\n --template-file 02-AzureSQL.json \\\n --parameters SQLLogin=sqlusr SQLPassword='Azure@123'<\/code><\/pre>Security note: This is only for my home lab testing! In real production, never put passwords in command line. Use parameter files or Azure Key Vault instead.<\/p>
Using Parameter Files (Better Way)<\/h3>
For production, I create a separate parameter file:<\/p>
parameters.json:<\/p>
{\n \"$schema\": \"https:\/\/schema.management.azure.com\/schemas\/2019-04-01\/deploymentParameters.json#\",\n \"contentVersion\": \"1.0.0.0\",\n \"parameters\": {\n \"SQLLogin\": {\n \"value\": \"sqlusr\"\n },\n \"SQLPassword\": {\n \"value\": \"Azure@123\"\n }\n }\n}<\/code><\/pre>Then deploy:<\/p>
az deployment group create \\\n --resource-group sql-test-grp \\\n --template-file 02-AzureSQL.json \\\n --parameters @parameters.json<\/code><\/pre>The @ symbol tells Azure CLI to read from file.<\/p>
Connecting to My SQL Database<\/h3>
After deployment, I can connect using:<\/p>
- Server name: rezasqlserverr9473.database.windows.net<\/li>
- Database name: appdb<\/li>
- Username: sqlusr<\/li>
- Password: Azure@123<\/li><\/ul>
I use Azure Data Studio or SQL Server Management Studio to connect and create tables.<\/p>
What I Learned<\/h3>- Parameters make templates reusable – Same template, different values<\/li>
- secureString is mandatory for passwords – Security first!<\/li>
- Child resources use slash notation – parentName\/childName<\/li>
- format() function is useful – Better than hardcoding strings<\/li>
- dependsOn prevents errors – Always set dependencies correctly<\/li>
- Basic SKU is cheap – Perfect for learning ($5\/month)<\/li>
- Parameter files are more secure – Don’t put passwords in command line<\/li><\/ol>
My Mistakes and Fixes<\/h3>
Mistake 1: Used “type”:”string” for password<\/p>
\"SQLPassword\": {\n \"type\":\"string\" \/\/ \u274c Wrong! Password visible in logs\n}<\/code><\/pre>Fix: Changed to “type”:”secureString”<\/p>
Mistake 2: Forgot dependsOn<\/p>
\/\/ No dependsOn array<\/code><\/pre>Error: “The specified server does not exist” Fix: Added dependsOn to database resource<\/p>
Mistake 3: Name not unique globally<\/p>
\"name\": \"sqlserver\" \/\/ \u274c Already taken by someone else<\/code><\/pre>Fix: Added random numbers: rezasqlserverr9473<\/p>
Mistake 4: Wrong database name format<\/p>
\"name\": \"appdb\" \/\/ \u274c Wrong for child resource<\/code><\/pre>Fix: Used format function: [format(‘{0}\/{1}’,’rezasqlserverr9473′,’appdb’)]<\/p>
Testing My Database<\/h3>
After deployment, I connected and created a simple table:<\/p>
CREATE TABLE Products (\n ProductID int,\n ProductName varchar(1000),\n Quantity int\n);\n\nINSERT INTO Products VALUES (1, 'Mobile', 100);\nINSERT INTO Products VALUES (2, 'Laptop', 200);<\/code><\/pre>It worked! Now my Web App can connect to this database.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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