What Is Azure Data Share and How It Works

Azure Data Share is a service that enables you to share data with others, both within and outside your organization.

It allows you to share data with anyone, whether they're inside or outside your organization, and it's a secure and scalable way to do so.

You can share data from Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Blob Storage, and even from other data sources like SQL Server and Oracle.

By using Azure Data Share, you can simplify the process of sharing data with others and make it easier for them to access and use it.

To create a Data Share in Azure, you'll need to navigate to your Data Share Overview page and select Start sharing your data. From there, you can follow the prompts to create a share.

The first step is to fill out the details for your share, including a name, share type, description of share contents, and terms of use (if applicable). You'll also need to select the dataset type you'd like to add, which may vary depending on the share type you've chosen.

To add datasets to your share, navigate to the object you'd like to share and select 'Add Datasets'. You can then enter the email addresses of your Data Consumer in the Recipients tab.

Here are the steps to create a Storage account and Data Share using Azure CLI:

1. Run the `az storage account create` command to create a Storage account.

2. Use the `az storage container create` command to create a container inside the Storage account.

3. Run the `az datashare create` command to create your Data Share.

4. Use the `az datashare invitation create` command to create the invitation for the specified address.

Alternatively, you can use PowerShell to create a Data Share:

1. Run the `New-AzDataShare` command to create your Data Share.

2. Use the `New-AzDataShareInvitation` command to create the invitation for the specified address.

3. Use the `New-AzDataShareSynchronizationSetting` command to set a synchronization recurrence for your share.

Once you've completed these steps, your Azure Data Share has been created and the recipient of your Data Share is now ready to accept your invitation.

To share data from Azure Synapse Analytics (workspace) SQL pool, you'll need a few specific permissions and settings in place.

You'll need permission to write to the SQL pool in Synapse workspace, which is present in the Microsoft.Synapse/workspaces/sqlPools/write permission, and this permission exists in the Contributor role.

To allow the Data Share resource's managed identity to access Synapse workspace SQL pool, you'll need to follow a few steps.

Synapse workspace Firewall access is also required, which can be done through a specific process.

Here are the specific permissions and settings you'll need to ensure data sharing from Azure Synapse Analytics (workspace) SQL pool works as expected:

Azure Data Share allows you to share data from multiple Azure data stores with other organizations in just a few clicks. There's no infrastructure to set up or manage, and no SAS keys are required.

You can share structured and unstructured data, including datasets from Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage, and Azure Data Explorer. Data Share will support more Azure data stores in the future.

To create a Data Share, you can use the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or PowerShell. For example, to create a Data Share using the Azure CLI, you can run the command `az datashare create --resource-group testresourcegroup --name ContosoMarketplaceDataShare --account-name ContosoMarketplaceAccount --description "Data Share" --share-kind "CopyBased" --terms "Confidential"`.

You can share data from multiple Azure data stores with other organizations in just a few clicks, without needing to set up or manage any infrastructure. No SAS keys are required, and sharing is all code-free.

To share data, you'll need to create a Data Share account, which can be done through the Azure portal or using the Azure CLI or PowerShell. You can create a Data Share account by selecting the "Create a resource" button in the Azure portal, searching for "Data Share", and following the prompts.

You can also create a Data Share account using the Azure CLI or PowerShell by running commands such as `az datashare account create` or `New-AzDataShareAccount`.

To share data from a specific Azure data store, you'll need to select the data store as the source of your Data Share. You can choose from a variety of data stores, including Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, and Azure Data Explorer.

Here are some examples of data stores that can be used as a source for Azure Data Share:

Each data store has its own specific requirements and settings for sharing data, so be sure to check the documentation for the data store you're using to learn more about how to share data from it.

To start using Azure Data Share, you'll need to meet some basic requirements. First, you'll need an Azure subscription, which you can create for free if you don't already have one.

To share data from Azure Synapse Analytics (workspace) SQL pool, you'll need permission to write to the SQL pool, which is present in the Microsoft.Synapse/workspaces/sqlPools/write permission. This permission is already included in the Contributor role.

To create a Data Share resource, you'll need to register the Microsoft.DataShare resource provider in the subscription where the Azure data store is located, if it's different from the subscription you'll use to create the Data Share resource.

You'll also need your recipient's Azure email address, not their email alias, to share data with them.

Here are the prerequisites summarized in a list:

Now that you've learned how to create an Azure Data Share and invite recipients, you're ready to learn more about how to accept and receive data.

To continue your journey, you can follow the tutorial on accepting and receiving data using Azure Data Share.

To start sharing data, you'll want to check out the Share your data tutorial.

Azure Data Share offers flexibility in terms of storage options, allowing data consumers to choose where they want to accept and store shared data.

Data consumers can select from a variety of data stores, including Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, Azure SQL Database, Synapse Analytics (formerly SQL Data Warehouse), Synapse Analytics (workspace) dedicated SQL pool, and Data Explorer.

The data store support matrix is a useful tool for understanding the combinations and options available. Here is a summary of the supported data stores and their corresponding receiving options:

Azure Data Share allows you to share files, folders, and file systems from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1 and Gen2, as well as blobs, folders, and containers from Azure Blob Storage.

You can share block, append, or page blobs, and they're received as block blobs. This means you can share different types of data and they'll be converted to a format that's easily accessible.

File systems, containers, or folders shared in snapshot-based sharing can be received as a full copy of the data or used for incremental snapshot copying. This is especially useful if you have large amounts of data that need to be shared.

Existing files with the same name as files in the received data will be overwritten in a snapshot. This ensures that the most up-to-date information is always available.

Azure Data Share supports a variety of data stores, making it a versatile tool for sharing data across different platforms.

You can share data from Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1, and Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, which are all popular choices for storing and managing large amounts of data.

Azure Data Share also supports sharing data from Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics (formerly Azure SQL Data Warehouse), and Azure Synapse Analytics (workspace) dedicated SQL pool.

If you're looking to share data from Azure Data Explorer, you're in luck - it's also supported by Azure Data Share.

Here's a breakdown of the data stores supported by Azure Data Share: