Synapse

Azure Synapse connectors are secure database connectors that allow data stored in a Synapse workspace to be accessed and represented as assets within the Harbr platform.

By configuring a Synapse connector, you define a live connection to a specific database within your Synapse environment. This enables tables and views to be referenced directly from the platform and created as Data Assets, either for on-platform use or via at-source consumption.

Harbr currently supports Synapse connectors for asset creation. Once created, assets behave the same way as any other asset in the platform and can be included in products and consumed through supported methods such as Spaces and Data Sharing.

Pre-requisites

To create a Synapse connector, you need:

• Access to an Azure Synapse workspace

• Credentials with read access to the required schemas, tables, or views

• Network access configured to allow inbound connections from the Harbr platform

• Minimum Role/Permission:

  • VIEW ANY DATABASE

  • VIEW DEFINITION

  • SELECT

• The following connection details:

  • Host: Your Synapse SQL endpoint’s fully qualified domain name (e.g. myworkspace-ondemand.sql.azuresynapse.net). If your Synapse workspace is reached over private endpoints, you must use the .privatelink. variant of the hostname instead — see Connecting over Private Endpoints below.

  • Port: Typically 1433 for Azure Synapse connections. This is the standard default — update this value if your environment uses a different port.

  • Username: Credentials for a user account with read access to the required schemas, tables, or views.

  • Password

  • Database name (required for Dedicated Pools - Specifying a database allows you to limit the connector’s scope or target a specific database.)

Network and Security Requirements

• Firewall Rules: Ensure the Harbr platform’s outbound IP ranges are permitted in your Azure Synapse workspace firewall.

• Encrypted Connections: Azure Synapse supports encrypted connections using TLS.
  By default, the JDBC driver enforces encryption when connecting to Azure Synapse.

• Azure Synapse Workspace Setting: For Azure Synapse, ensure “Allow Azure services and resources to access this workspace” is enabled in the workspace networking settings.

• Confirm workspace-level permissions allow inbound connections from the Harbr platform.

Connecting over Private Endpoints

If your Synapse workspace sits on a private network and is reached through Azure Private Endpoints - for example, where the platform uses Federation Proxy or Serverless compute - the hostname you enter on the connector determines how Synapse handles the connection.

Use the .privatelink. variant of your Synapse hostname in the Host field:

Once private endpoints are in place, both hostnames resolve to the same private IP address on your network, but Synapse behaves differently depending on which one you connect with. With the standard hostname, or with the private IP address directly, Synapse redirects the session from port 1433 to other addresses across a wide port range. These redirected connections fall outside the network rules the platform relies on, so connection tests, asset creation and sampling fail. With the .privatelink. hostname, Synapse keeps the whole session on port 1433 and the connection works as expected.

Dedicated vs On-Demand (Serverless) Pools

• Dedicated Pools

  • The database name must be specified when configuring the connector.

  • Asset creation references this database directly.

• On-Demand (Serverless) Pools

  • The database may be selected dynamically during asset creation.

  • Ensure the workspace name is appended to the username (e.g. user@synapseworkspace).

Other Considerations

• Azure Synapse connectors must include a database name when used with Dedicated Pools.

• Ensure credentials have sufficient permissions to read the required schemas and objects.

• Network restrictions are the most common cause of connection test failures — check these first if validation fails.

• If your Synapse workspace is reached over private endpoints and connections fail with redirect errors, check that the connector’s Host uses the .privatelink. hostname rather than the standard hostname or a private IP address.

Create the Connector

1. Click Manage in the navigation bar.

2. Select Connectors to open the Manage Connectors screen.

3. Click Create Connector.

4. Enter a Name for your connector and an optional Description.

5. Choose Type > Synapse.

6. Provide the required configuration details:

   • Host

   • Port

   • Username

   • Password

   • Database

7. Add any Integration Metadata if required for programmatic use.

8. Click Create.

Once created, the platform will automatically run a connection test to validate the provided details.

Creating an Assets

After the connector has been successfully configured, you can create assets directly from your Synapse environment.

1. Navigate to Create Asset.

2. Select Synapse as the source.

3. Choose a previously configured Synapse connector.

4. Select the desired schema and table or view.

5. Choose whether the asset should be created as:

   • An on-platform tabular asset, or

   • An at-source tabular asset.

6. Complete the remaining asset configuration steps.

Once created, Synapse-backed assets can be:

• Added to products

• Governed using standard access controls

• Consumed through supported methods such as Spaces and Data Sharing

From a consumer perspective, they behave no differently from assets created via other supported connectors.