# Microsoft SQL Server

Microsoft SQL Server is a reliable and secure relational database management system. It can be used as the main data store for various applications, websites, and products.

Microsoft enables developers to create cloud-hosted SQL Server databases.

Through this integration, Apono helps you securely manage access to your Microsoft SQL Server database.

***

### Prerequisites

<table><thead><tr><th width="242">Item</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Apono Connector</strong></td><td><p>On-prem connection serving as a bridge between a Microsoft SQL Server database instance and Apono:</p><ul><li><a href="../../aws-environment/apono-connector-for-aws">AWS</a></li><li><a href="../../azure-environment/apono-connector-for-azure">Azure</a></li><li><a href="../../gcp-environment/apono-connector-for-gcp">GCP</a></li><li><a href="../../kubernetes-environment/apono-connector-for-kubernetes">Kubernetes</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Microsoft SQL Server Info</strong></td><td><p>Information for the database instance to be integrated:</p><ul><li>Hostname</li><li>Port number</li></ul></td></tr></tbody></table>

***

### Create a Microsoft SQL Server user

You must create a user in your Microsoft SQL Server instance for the Apono connector.

Use the following steps to create a user and grant it permissions to your databases:

1. In your preferred client tool, create a new user. Use *apono\_connector* or another name of your choosing for the username. Be sure to set a strong password for the user.

{% hint style="warning" %}
The password must be a minimum of 8 characters and include characters from at least three of these four categories:

* Uppercase letters
* Lowercase letters
* Digits (0-9)
* Symbols
  {% endhint %}

```sql
CREATE LOGIN apono_connector WITH PASSWORD = 'password';
```

2. Grant the following access to the user. These permissions allow Apono to view database names, modify login information, grant administrative-level access, manage server-level roles, and perform instance-level configuration tasks.

{% hint style="info" %}
While these permissions are elevated, they are required for Apono to securely and reliably manage access provisioning across your SQL Server environment.
{% endhint %}

```sql
GRANT VIEW ANY DATABASE TO apono_connector;
USE master GRANT ALTER ANY LOGIN TO apono_connector;
USE master GRANT CONTROL SERVER TO apono_connector;
USE master ALTER SERVER ROLE securityadmin ADD MEMBER apono_connector;
USE master ALTER SERVER ROLE serveradmin ADD MEMBER apono_connector;
```

3. Using the credentials from step **1**, [create a secret](https://docs.apono.io/docs/connectors-and-secrets/apono-integration-secret) for the database instance.

You can now [integrate Microsoft SQL Server](#integrate-microsoft-sql-server).

***

### Integrate Microsoft SQL Server

<figure><img src="https://1094436629-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fv6MBfUGvblSdAz31yJXm%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c2b49e75ca5ff850922f34076cfe0a83fbf8fe7e%2FIntegrate-microsoft-sql-server.png?alt=media" alt="" width="563"><figcaption><p>Microsoft SQL Server tile</p></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="success" %}
You can also use the steps below to integrate with Apono using Terraform.

In step **11**, instead of clicking **Confirm**, follow the **Are you integrating with Apono using Terraform?** guidance.
{% endhint %}

Follow these steps to complete the integration:

1. On the [**Catalog**](https://app.apono.io/catalog?search=microsoft+sql+server) tab, click **Microsoft SQL Server**. The **Connect Integration** page appears.
2. Under **Discovery**, click one or more resource types to sync with Apono.

{% hint style="info" %}
Apono automatically discovers and syncs all the instances in the environment. After syncing, you can manage access flow to these resources.
{% endhint %}

3. Click **Next**. The **Apono connector** section expands.
4. From the dropdown menu, select a connector. Choosing a connector links Apono to all the services available on the account where the connector is located.

{% hint style="success" %}
If the desired connector is not listed, click **+ Add new connector** and follow the instructions for creating a connector ([AWS](https://docs.apono.io/docs/aws-environment/apono-connector-for-aws), [Azure](https://docs.apono.io/docs/azure-environment/apono-connector-for-azure), [GCP](https://docs.apono.io/docs/gcp-environment/apono-connector-for-gcp), [Kubernetes](https://docs.apono.io/docs/kubernetes-environment/apono-connector-for-kubernetes)).
{% endhint %}

5. Click **Next**. The **Integration Config** section expands.
6. Define the **Integration Config** settings.

   <table><thead><tr><th width="216">Setting</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Integration Name</strong></td><td>Unique, alphanumeric, user-friendly name used to identify this integration when constructing an access flow</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Hostname</strong></td><td>Hostname of the Microsoft SQL Server instance to connect</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Port</strong></td><td>Port value for the instance<br><br>By default, Apono sets this value to <em>1433</em>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Database Name</strong></td><td>Name of the database<br><br>By default, Apono sets this value to <em>master</em>.</td></tr></tbody></table>
7. Click **Next**. The **Secret Store** section expands.
8. Associate the [secret or credentials](https://docs.apono.io/docs/connectors-and-secrets/apono-integration-secret).
9. Click **Next**. The **Get more with Apono** section expands.
10. Define the **Get more with Apono** settings.

    <table><thead><tr><th width="215">Setting</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Credential Rotation</strong></td><td>(Optional) Number of days after which the database credentials must be rotated<br><br>Learn more about the <a href="../../architecture-and-security/credentials-rotation-policy">Credentials Rotation Policy</a>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>User cleanup after access is revoked (in days)</strong></td><td><p>(Optional) Defines the number of days after access has been revoked that the user should be deleted</p><p><br>Learn more about <a href="../../architecture-and-security/periodic-user-cleanup-and-deletion">Periodic User Cleanup &#x26; Deletion</a>.</p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Custom Access Details</strong></td><td>(Optional) Instructions explaining how to access this integration's resources<br><br>Upon accessing an integration, a message with these instructions will be displayed to end users in the User Portal. The message may include up to <strong>400 characters</strong>.<br><br>To view the message as it appears to end users, click <strong>Preview</strong>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Integration Owner</strong></td><td><p>(Optional) Fallback approver if no <a href="../../access-flows/dynamic-access-management/resource-and-integration-owners">resource owner</a> is found<br><br>Follow these steps to define one or several integration owners:</p><ol><li>From the <strong>Attribute</strong> dropdown menu, select <strong>User</strong> or <strong>Group</strong> under the relevant identity provider (IdP) platform.</li><li>From the <strong>Value</strong> dropdown menu, select one or multiple users or groups.</li></ol><p><br><strong>NOTE</strong>: When <strong>Resource Owner</strong> is defined, an <strong>Integration Owner</strong> must be defined.</p></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Resource Owner</strong></td><td><p>(Optional) Group or role responsible for managing access approvals or rejections for the resource<br><br>Follow these steps to define one or several <a href="../../access-flows/dynamic-access-management/resource-and-integration-owners">resource owners</a>:</p><ol><li>Enter a <strong>Key name</strong>. This value is the name of the tag created in your cloud environment.</li><li>From the <strong>Attribute</strong> dropdown menu, select an attribute under the IdP platform to which the key name is associated.<br><br>Apono will use the value associated with the key (tag) to identify the resource owner. When you update the membership of the group or role in your IdP platform, this change is also reflected in Apono.</li></ol><p><br><strong>NOTE</strong>: When this setting is defined, an <strong>Integration Owner</strong> must also be defined.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>
11. Click **Confirm**.

<details>

<summary>💡Are you integrating with Apono using Terraform?</summary>

If you want to integrate with Apono using Terraform, follow these steps instead of clicking **Confirm**:

1. At the top of the screen, click **View as Code**. A modal appears with the completed Terraform configuration code.
2. Click to copy the code.
3. Make any additional edits.
4. Deploy the code in your Terraform.

Refer to [Integration Config Metadata](https://docs.apono.io/metadata-for-integration-config/integration-metadata/mssql) for more details about the schema definition.

</details>

Now that you have completed this integration, you can [create access flows](https://docs.apono.io/docs/access-flows/access-flows) that grant permission to your Microsoft SQL Server database.