Linked services and Key Vault

Question

Hello,

Just a question regarding link services, basically, our orgnisation has linked services with one datasbases from different business area, now we need to ingest data from different source, ideally from sharepoint with all the csv files for other business area, My main question is that when I built the linked service as attached. would I need to set up a new key vault( there is an existing one for other linked services already) in order to complete this new linked services?

Answer 1

@Nick Wong

Thanks for using MS Q&A platform and posting your query.

No, you don't necessarily need to set up a new key vault to complete this new linked service if you already have an existing one that stores credentials for other linked services. You can reuse the existing key vault to store the service principal key for the new linked service that connects to SharePoint Online List.

Here's why:

• Azure Key Vault benefits: Azure Key Vault helps you securely manage and access secrets like passwords, connection strings, and API keys. By storing the service principal key in Key Vault, you can improve security by avoiding storing it directly in the linked service.
• Reusing existing Key Vault: If your existing Key Vault has the appropriate access policies configured to grant the Data Factory service principal with Get permissions, you can reference the service principal key stored there for the new linked service. This eliminates the need to create a separate Key Vault just for this linked service.

Here are some additional points to consider:

Access Policies: Ensure that the Data Factory service principal has been granted Get permissions on the service principal key within the existing Key Vault.

Managed Identity: Consider using a managed identity for Data Factory instead of a service principal key. A managed identity eliminates the need to store credentials altogether. Data Factory can automatically acquire a token to access Azure resources on your behalf.

Overall, reusing an existing Key Vault is perfectly suitable for this scenario, provided the necessary access policies are in place.

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

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