Connect to Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source

To visualize Azure SQL Data Warehouse data in Bold Reports®, create an Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source from the Data configuration panel in the Web Report Designer. You can connect with basic options, advanced options, or a custom SQL query.

How do I create an Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source?

To create an Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source in the Bold Reports® Web Report Designer, open the Data configuration panel and choose the Azure SQL Data Warehouse connection type.

  1. Click the Data icon in the configuration panel. Data icon configuration panel
  2. In the DATA configuration panel, click the NEW DATA button. Data icon configuration panel
  3. In the connection type panel, choose the Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source type. Connection types panel

Create Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source with basic options

When you create a new data source in the Web Report Designer, the NEW DATASOURCE panel shows the basic options.

  1. Specify the data source name without special characters in the Name field.
  2. Enter a valid Azure SQL Data Warehouse server or host name in the Server Name field.
  3. Enter a valid Azure SQL Data Warehouse username in the UserName text box.
  4. Enter a valid Azure SQL Data Warehouse password in the Password text box.
  5. Select a database that you want to query in the listed database associated with the given Azure SQL Data Warehouse server in the database combo box.
  6. Configure the Encrypt and Trust Server Certificate options based on your SQL Server configuration.
  7. Click Connect to connect Bold Reports® with the Azure SQL Data Warehouse server database. New connection panel
  8. Drag and drop the table from the table schema in the query design view page. New connection panel
  9. Click Finish to save the data source with a relevant name and continue designing the report. New connection panel

Enable the Save password option to embed the credentials within the report when saving it in Bold Reports® Report Server.

Save password

On report download action, the credentials will be not be saved with report data.

Create Azure SQL Data Warehouse data source with advanced options

The Bold Reports® advanced options let you build your own connection string for Azure SQL Data Warehouse.

  1. Click Advanced Options in the New Data panel.

    New connection panel

  2. The panel switches to advanced options. Set the connection string and authentication type as required, then click Connect.

    New connection panel

  3. Drag and drop the table from the table schema in the query design view page.

    New connection panel

  4. Click Finish to save the data source with a relevant name and continue designing the report.

New connection panel

Click Basic Options to switch back to the basic connection settings.

New connection panel

Connection string

A connection string is the text representation of connection properties for a data provider. Bold Reports® uses it in the advanced options to connect to Azure SQL Data Warehouse.

If the database is located in the Azure SQL Server Database Engine and installed on your local computer, specify the connection string as in the following example:

Data source=<InstanceName>; initial catalog=AdventureWorks; Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;

If the database is located in any other server domain, specify the connection string with or without credentials as in the following examples:

Data Source=myserver.domain.com;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;

Data Source=myserver.domain.com;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;user id=sa;password=sa@123;Encrypt=True;TrustServerCertificate=True;

If the database is accessed using an Azure Managed Identity, specify the connection string as in the following example, without user ID and password properties. Authentication is handled via Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD):

Data Source=myserver.database.windows.net;Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;Authentication=Active Directory Managed Identity;

Note:

  • Ensure that the Bold Reports® server (or the app hosting it) is running in Azure and has a Managed Identity enabled.
  • The Azure SQL Database must have a Microsoft Entra ID user mapped to the Managed Identity with appropriate permission.

Authentication types for advanced connection

Bold Reports® advanced connections support Azure SQL server credentials, prompted credentials, or no credentials.

Advanced authentication

SQL Server - A user name and password must be supplied to access the Azure SQL Server database, the credentials might be for a database login. The credentials are passed to the data source for authentication.

Advanced authentication

Enable the Save password option to embed the credentials within the report when saving it in Report Server.

On report download action, the credentials will be not be saved with report data.

Prompt - When you configure a data source connection to use prompted credentials, each user who accesses the report must enter a user name and password on preview action to retrieve the data.

Advanced authentication

None - Choose the authentication type as None when the authentication details or any other arguments required to connect with the data source are provided in the connection string.

How do I connect through a custom SQL query?

The Bold Reports® Web Report Designer lets you define the data source of certain data connections with a manually written SQL query instead of dragged tables. The custom SQL query applies to connection types such as Microsoft SQL connections.

Connect to the Azure SQL Server database with Basic Options or Advanced Options. After the connect action, the query design view opens.

How do I switch to code view?

The Bold Reports® query design view opens in design view by default. To switch to code view, enable the slider option in the tools pane, as highlighted in the following image.

New connection panel

The query editor pane then switches to code view, as shown in the following image.

New connection panel

How do I write and execute a query?

In the Bold Reports® Query Editor pane, you can write your own query to access table schema information and retrieve data from your database.

  1. Write your query in the Query Editor pane.
  2. Click the Execute option in the tools pane. The data for your query appears at the bottom of the Query Editor.

New connection panel

If you disable the Code Slider in the tools pane to switch back to design view, an alert message asks you to confirm removing your query. Proceeding with this action resets the code view query.

New connection panel

Click Yes to discard the query and go to design view, or click No to keep it. Save the data source by clicking the Finish button.

How do I view the query for tables added in design view?

The Bold Reports® Query Editor pane shows the query for a data source you already created in design view.

For example, drag the SalesOrderDetail table in design view and apply filters.

Then, enable the Code Switcher to view the query. The query shows the applied filters and the changes made in the table.

New connection panel

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Azure Managed Identity with Azure SQL Data Warehouse?

Yes. Use a connection string without user ID and password with Authentication=Active Directory Managed Identity. Authentication is handled via Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).

Are credentials saved when I download the report?

No. On report download action, the credentials are not saved with report data.

Which authentication types are available for advanced connections?

You can choose SQL Server, Prompt, or None.

See also