SQL auth password with special characters (quotes) is corrupted during SQL Server on Azure VM deployment

Question

Hello!

I've met an issue while trying to deploy an SQL Server on Azure VM: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-machines/sql-server/
I cannot login to the SQL Server with the SQL auth credential I've set during deployment - I get the "password did not match" error.

Deployment channel: Azure Portal (also reproduced via Azure CLI)
SQL image offer: "SQL2019-WS2019" or "SQL2017-WS2016"
SQL auth: enabled
SQL auth user password: gZ@MH%'Fb"x4gc%e (as an example)

The issue does not reproduce without the quotes in the password. Although they are not forbidden by the password field validation in the deployment wizard in Azure Portal. Also I can create another user with the same password via MS SQL Management Studio and it works. So the issue happens somewhere during deployment.

According to the deployment templates, downloaded in Azure Portal, this password is passed into the SqlVirtualMachines resource:

     "name": "[parameters('sqlVirtualMachineName')]",  

        "type": "Microsoft.SqlVirtualMachine/SqlVirtualMachines",
        "apiVersion": "2017-03-01-preview",
        "location": "[parameters('sqlVirtualMachineLocation')]",
        "properties": {
            "virtualMachineResourceId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines', parameters('sqlVirtualMachineName'))]",
            "sqlManagement": "Full",
            "SqlServerLicenseType": "PAYG",
            ...
            "ServerConfigurationsManagementSettings": {
                "SQLConnectivityUpdateSettings": {
                    "ConnectivityType": "[parameters('sqlConnectivityType')]",
                    "Port": "[parameters('sqlPortNumber')]",
                    "SQLAuthUpdateUserName": "[parameters('sqlAuthenticationLogin')]",
                    "SQLAuthUpdatePassword": "[parameters('**sqlAuthenticationPassword**')]"
                },
            ....

Deployment with the debug option shows how this password was passed in the HTTP request:

       "ServerConfigurationsManagementSettings": {  

          "SQLConnectivityUpdateSettings": {
            "ConnectivityType": "Private",
            "Port": 1433,
            "SQLAuthUpdateUserName": "testuser1",
            "SQLAuthUpdatePassword": "gZ@MH%'Fb\"x4gc%e"
          },
          "AdditionalFeaturesServerConfigurations": {
            "IsRServicesEnabled": "false"
          }
        }

So there is a backslash (attempt to login with the backslash fails too). What happens next is unclear. I found several tickets about issues with special characters when used via Azure CLI, Azure pipelines etc. For example, https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli/issues/15529. But they seem not the exact issue I am facing and I cannot apply the suggested workarounds when deploying via Azure Portal.

Does anybody know how to report a bug to Azure about the mentioned issue in the SQL Server on Azure VM deployment?
Or maybe someone knows an existing ticket or discussion for this problem? I did not find. Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi,

this is great information and definitely you should report it and get the "credit" for reporting it :-)

This is Microsoft bug report system: https://feedback.azure.com/d365community/

Ans since this seems to be an issue in the portal, you can report it here:

https://feedback.azure.com/d365community/forum/a222eda7-2425-ec11-b6e6-000d3a4f09d0