sp_addlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)

Artikel
08/21/2024

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance

Creates a linked server. A linked server provides access to distributed, heterogeneous queries against OLE DB data sources. After a linked server is created by using sp_addlinkedserver, distributed queries can be run against this server. If the linked server is defined as an instance of SQL Server, remote stored procedures can be executed.

Note

Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

sp_addlinkedserver
    [ @server = ] N'server'
    [ , [ @srvproduct = ] N'srvproduct' ]
    [ , [ @provider = ] N'provider' ]
    [ , [ @datasrc = ] N'datasrc' ]
    [ , [ @location = ] N'location' ]
    [ , [ @provstr = ] N'provstr' ]
    [ , [ @catalog = ] N'catalog' ]
    [ , [ @linkedstyle = ] linkedstyle ]
[ ; ]

Arguments

[ @server = ] N'server'

The name of the linked server to create. @server is sysname, with no default.

[ @srvproduct = ] N'srvproduct'

The product name of the OLE DB data source to add as a linked server. @srvproduct is nvarchar(128), with a default of NULL. If the value is SQL Server, @provider, @datasrc, @location, @provstr, and @catalog don't have to be specified.

[ @provider = ] N'provider'

The unique programmatic identifier (PROGID) of the OLE DB provider that corresponds to this data source. The @provider must be unique for the specified OLE DB provider installed on the current computer. @provider is nvarchar(128), with a default of NULL.

In SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and earlier versions, if @provider is omitted, SQLNCLI is used. Using SQLNCLI will redirect SQL Server to the latest version of SQL Server Native Client OLE DB Provider. The OLE DB provider is expected to be registered with the specified PROGID in the registry. Instead of SQLNCLI, MSOLEDBSQL is recommended.
Starting with SQL Server 2022 (16.x), you must specify a provider name. MSOLEDBSQL is recommended. If you omit @provider, you can experience unexpected behavior.

Important

The SQL Server Native Client (often abbreviated SNAC) has been removed from SQL Server 2022 (16.x) and SQL Server Management Studio 19 (SSMS). Both the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider (SQLNCLI or SQLNCLI11) and the legacy Microsoft OLE DB Provider for SQL Server (SQLOLEDB) are not recommended for new development. Switch to the new Microsoft OLE DB Driver (MSOLEDBSQL) for SQL Server going forward.

[ @datasrc = ] N'datasrc'

The name of the data source as interpreted by the OLE DB provider. @datasrc is nvarchar(4000), with a default of NULL. @datasrc is passed as the DBPROP_INIT_DATASOURCE property to initialize the OLE DB provider.

[ @location = ] N'location'

The location of the database as interpreted by the OLE DB provider. @location is nvarchar(4000), with a default of NULL. @location is passed as the DBPROP_INIT_LOCATION property to initialize the OLE DB provider.

[ @provstr = ] N'provstr'

The OLE DB provider-specific connection string that identifies a unique data source. @provstr is nvarchar(4000), with a default of NULL. The argument provstr is either passed to IDataInitialize or set as the DBPROP_INIT_PROVIDERSTRING property to initialize the OLE DB provider.

When the linked server is created against the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider, the instance can be specified by using the SERVER keyword as SERVER=servername\instancename to specify a specific instance of SQL Server. The servername is the name of the computer on which SQL Server is running, and instancename is the name of the specific instance of SQL Server to which the user will be connected.

To access a mirrored database, a connection string must contain the database name. This name is necessary to enable failover attempts by the data access provider. The database can be specified in the @provstr or @catalog parameter. Optionally, the connection string can also supply a failover partner name.

If you run sp_addlinkedserver from a local login, or a login that isn't part of the sysadmin role, you might receive the following error:

Access to the remote server is denied because no login-mapping exists.

To resolve this issue, add the User ID parameter to your connection string. In the following example, myUser is the User ID passed to the connection string:

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver @server = N'LinkServerName',
    @provider = N'SQLNCLI',
    @srvproduct = 'MS SQL Server',
    @provstr = N'SERVER=serverName\InstanceName;User ID=myUser'

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin @rmtsrvname = N'LinkServerName',
    @locallogin = NULL,
    @useself = N'False',
    @rmtuser = N'myUser',
    @rmtpassword = N'*****'

For more information, see Access to the remote server is denied because no login-mapping exists.

[ @catalog = ] N'catalog'

The catalog to be used when a connection is made to the OLE DB provider. @catalog is sysname, with a default of NULL. @catalog is passed as the DBPROP_INIT_CATALOG property to initialize the OLE DB provider. When the linked server is defined against an instance of SQL Server, catalog refers to the default database to which the linked server is mapped.

[ @linkedstyle = ] linkedstyle

Identified for informational purposes only. Not supported. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.

Return code values

0 (success) or 1 (failure).

Result set

None.

Remarks

The following table shows the ways that a linked server can be set up for data sources that can be accessed through OLE DB. A linked server can be set up more than one way for a particular data source; there can be more than one row for a data source type. This table also shows the sp_addlinkedserver parameter values to be used for setting up the linked server.

Remote OLE DB data source	OLE DB provider	@srvproduct	@provider	@datasrc	@provstr	@catalog
SQL Server	SQL Server Native Client OLE DB Provider	SQL Server ¹ (default)
SQL Server	SQL Server Native Client OLE DB Provider		`SQLNCLI`	Network name of SQL Server (for default instance)		Database name (optional)
SQL Server	SQL Server Native Client OLE DB Provider		`SQLNCLI`	servername\instancename (for specific instance)		Database name (optional)
Oracle, version 8 and later	Oracle Provider for OLE DB	Any	`OraOLEDB.Oracle`	Alias for the Oracle database
Access/Jet	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet	Any	`Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0`	Full path of Jet database file
ODBC data source	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC	Any	`MSDASQL`	System DSN of ODBC data source
ODBC data source	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC	Any	`MSDASQL`		ODBC connection string
File system	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Indexing Service	Any	`MSIDXS`	Indexing Service catalog name
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet	Any	`Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0`	Full path of Excel file	Excel 5.0
IBM Db2 Database	Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2	Any	`DB2OLEDB`		See Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2 documentation.	Catalog name of DB2 database

¹ This way of setting up a linked server forces the name of the linked server to be the same as the network name of the remote instance of SQL Server. Use @datasrc to specify the server.

² "Any" indicates that the product name can be anything.

The SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider is the provider that is used with SQL Server if no provider name is specified or if SQL Server is specified as the product name. Even if you specify the older provider name, SQLOLEDB, it changes to SQLNCLI when persisted to the catalog.

The @datasrc, @location, @provstr, and @catalog parameters identify the database or databases the linked server points to. If any one of these parameters is NULL, the corresponding OLE DB initialization property isn't set.

In a clustered environment, when you specify file names to point to OLE DB data sources, use the universal naming convention name (UNC) or a shared drive to specify the location.

The stored procedure sp_addlinkedserver can't be executed within a user-defined transaction.

Important

Azure SQL Managed Instance currently supports only SQL Server, SQL Database, and other SQL managed instances as remote data sources.

Important

When a linked server is created by using sp_addlinkedserver, a default self-mapping is added for all local logins. For non-SQL Server providers, SQL Server Authenticated logins might be able to gain access to the provider under the SQL Server service account. Administrators should consider using sp_droplinkedsrvlogin <linkedserver_name>, NULL to remove the global mapping.

Permissions

The sp_addlinkedserver statement requires the ALTER ANY LINKED SERVER permission. (The SQL Server Management Studio New Linked Server dialog box is implemented in a way that requires membership in the sysadmin fixed server role.)

Examples

A. Use the Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB Provider

The following example creates a linked server named SEATTLESales. The product name is SQL Server, and no provider name is used.

USE master;
GO
EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
   N'SEATTLESales',
   N'SQL Server';
GO

The following example creates a linked server S1_instance1 on an instance of SQL Server by using the SQL Server OLE DB driver.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
   @server=N'S1_instance1',
   @srvproduct=N'',
   @provider=N'MSOLEDBSQL',
   @datasrc=N'S1\instance1';

The following example creates a linked server S1_instance1 on an instance of SQL Server by using the SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider.

Important

SQL Server Native Client OLE DB provider (SQLNCLI) remains deprecated and it isn't recommended to use it for new development work. Instead, use the new Microsoft OLE DB Driver for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL) which will be updated with the most recent server features.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
   @server=N'S1_instance1',
   @srvproduct=N'',
   @provider=N'SQLNCLI',
   @datasrc=N'S1\instance1';

B. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Microsoft Access

The Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 provider connects to Microsoft Access databases that use the 2002-2003 format. The following example creates a linked server named SEATTLE Mktg.

Note

This example assumes that both Microsoft Access and the sample Northwind database are installed and that the Northwind database resides in C:\Msoffice\Access\Samples on the same server as the SQL Server instance.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
   @server = N'SEATTLE Mktg',
   @provider = N'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0',
   @srvproduct = N'OLE DB Provider for Jet',
   @datasrc = N'C:\MSOffice\Access\Samples\Northwind.mdb';
GO

C. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC with the `datasrc` parameter

The following example creates a linked server named SEATTLE Payroll that uses the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC (MSDASQL) and the @datasrc parameter.

Note

The specified ODBC data source name must be defined as System DSN in the server before you use the linked server.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
   @server = N'SEATTLE Payroll',
   @srvproduct = N'',
   @provider = N'MSDASQL',
   @datasrc = N'LocalServer';
GO

D. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Excel spreadsheet

To create a linked server definition using the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet to access an Excel spreadsheet in the 1997 - 2003 format, first create a named range in Excel by specifying the columns and rows of the Excel worksheet to select. The name of the range can then be referenced as a table name in a distributed query.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 'ExcelSource',
   'Jet 4.0',
   'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0',
   'c:\MyData\DistExcl.xls',
   NULL,
   'Excel 5.0';
GO

To access data from an Excel spreadsheet, associate a range of cells with a name. The following query can be used to access the specified named range SalesData as a table by using the linked server set up previously.

SELECT *
   FROM ExcelSource...SalesData;
GO

If SQL Server is running under a domain account that's access to a remote share, a UNC path can be used instead of a mapped drive.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver 'ExcelShare',
   'Jet 4.0',
   'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0',
   '\\MyServer\MyShare\Spreadsheets\DistExcl.xls',
   NULL,
   'Excel 5.0';

E. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet to access a text file

The following example creates a linked server for directly accessing text files, without linking the files as tables in an Access .mdb file. The provider is Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0 and the provider string is Text.

The data source is the full path of the directory that contains the text files. A schema.ini file, which describes the structure of the text files, must exist in the same directory as the text files. For more information about how to create a schema.ini file, see the Jet Database Engine documentation.

First, create a linked server.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver txtsrv, N'Jet 4.0',
   N'Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0',
   N'c:\data\distqry',
   NULL,
   N'Text';

Set up login mappings.

EXEC sp_addlinkedsrvlogin txtsrv, FALSE, Admin, NULL;

List the tables in the linked server.

EXEC sp_tables_ex txtsrv;

Query one of the tables, in this case file1#txt, using a four-part name.

SELECT * FROM txtsrv...[file1#txt];

F. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2

The following example creates a linked server named DB2 that uses the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver @server = N'DB2',
    @srvproduct = N'Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2',
    @catalog = N'DB2',
    @provider = N'DB2OLEDB',
    @provstr = N'Initial Catalog=pubs;
       Data Source=DB2;
       HostCCSID=1252;
       Network Address=XYZ;
       Network Port=50000;
       Package Collection=admin;
       Default Schema=admin;';

G. Add an Azure SQL database as a linked server for use with distributed queries on cloud and on-premises databases

You can add an Azure SQL database as a linked server and then use it with distributed queries that span the on-premises and cloud databases. This is a component for database hybrid solutions spanning on-premises corporate networks and the Azure cloud.

The SQL Server box product contains the distributed query feature, which allows you to write queries to combine data from local data sources and data from remote sources (including data from non-SQL Server data sources) defined as linked servers. Every Azure SQL database (except the logical server's master database) can be added as an individual linked server and then used directly in your database applications as any other database.

The benefits of using Azure SQL Database include manageability, high availability, scalability, working with a familiar development model, and a relational data model. The requirements of your database application determine how it would use Azure SQL Database in the cloud. You can move all of your data at once to Azure SQL Database, or progressively move some of your data while keeping the remaining data on-premises. For such a hybrid database application, Azure SQL Database can now be added as linked servers and the database application can issue distributed queries to combine data from Azure SQL Database and on-premises data sources.

Here's an example explaining how to connect to an Azure SQL database using distributed queries.

First, add one Azure SQL database as linked server, using the using SQL Server Native Client.

EXEC sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = 'LinkedServerName',
    @srvproduct = '',
    @provider = 'sqlncli',
    @datasrc = 'ServerName.database.windows.net',
    @location = '',
    @provstr = '',
    @catalog = 'DatabaseName';

Add credentials and options to this linked server.

EXEC sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
  @rmtsrvname = 'LinkedServerName',
  @useself = 'false',
  @rmtuser = 'LoginName',
  @rmtpassword = 'myPassword';

EXEC sp_serveroption 'LinkedServerName', 'rpc out', true;

Now, use the linked server to execute queries using four-part names, even to create a new table and insert data.

EXEC ('CREATE TABLE SchemaName.TableName(col1 int not null CONSTRAINT PK_col1 PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED (col1) )') at LinkedServerName;
EXEC ('INSERT INTO SchemaName.TableName VALUES(1),(2),(3)') at LinkedServerName;

Query the data using four-part names:

SELECT * FROM LinkedServerName.DatabaseName.SchemaName.TableName;

H. Create Azure SQL Managed Instance linked server with managed identity authentication

Note

Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

To create a linked server with managed identity authentication, execute the following T-SQL, replacing <managed_instance> with your own SQL managed instance. The authentication method uses ActiveDirectoryMSI in the @provstr parameter. Consider optionally using @locallogin = NULL to allow all local logins.

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = N'MyLinkedServer',
    @srvproduct = N'',
    @provider = N'MSOLEDBSQL',
    @provstr = N'Server=<mi_name>.<dns_zone>.database.windows.net,1433;Authentication=ActiveDirectoryMSI;';

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedsrvlogin
    @rmtsrvname = N'MyLinkedServer',
    @useself = N'False',
    @locallogin = N'user1@contoso.com';

To enable authentication with managed identities, a managed identity assigned to the Azure SQL Managed Instance needs to be added as a login to the remote managed instance. Both system-assigned and user-assigned managed identities are supported.

If a primary identity is set, it is used, otherwise the system-assigned managed identity is used. If the managed identity is recreated with the same name, the login on the remote instance also needs to be recreated, because the new managed identity Application ID and SQL Managed Instance service principal SID no longer match. To verify these two values match, convert SID to application ID with following query.

SELECT convert(uniqueidentifier, sid) as MSEntraApplicationID
FROM sys.server_principals
WHERE name = '<managed_instance_name>';

I. Create SQL Managed Instance linked server with pass-through Microsoft Entra authentication

To create a linked server with pass-through authentication, execute following T-SQL, replacing <managed_instance> with your own SQL managed instance server:

EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver
    @server = N'MyLinkedServer',
    @srvproduct = N'',
    @provider = N'MSOLEDBSQL',
    @datasrc = N'<mi_name>.<dns_zone>.database.windows.net,1433';

With pass-through authentication, the security context of the local login is carried over to the remote instance. Pass-through authentication requires the Microsoft Entra principal to be added as a login on both the local and remote Azure SQL Managed Instance. Both managed instances need to be in a server trust group. When the requirements are met, user can sign in to a local instance and query the remote instance via the linked server object.

Dela via

sp_addlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)

Syntax

Arguments

[ @server = ] N'server'

[ @srvproduct = ] N'srvproduct'

[ @provider = ] N'provider'

[ @datasrc = ] N'datasrc'

[ @location = ] N'location'

[ @provstr = ] N'provstr'

[ @catalog = ] N'catalog'

[ @linkedstyle = ] linkedstyle

Return code values

Result set

Remarks

Permissions

Examples

A. Use the Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB Provider

B. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Microsoft Access

C. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC with the `datasrc` parameter

D. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Excel spreadsheet

E. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet to access a text file

F. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2

G. Add an Azure SQL database as a linked server for use with distributed queries on cloud and on-premises databases

H. Create Azure SQL Managed Instance linked server with managed identity authentication

I. Create SQL Managed Instance linked server with pass-through Microsoft Entra authentication

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Dela via

sp_addlinkedserver (Transact-SQL)

Syntax

Arguments

[ @server = ] N'server'

[ @srvproduct = ] N'srvproduct'

[ @provider = ] N'provider'

[ @datasrc = ] N'datasrc'

[ @location = ] N'location'

[ @provstr = ] N'provstr'

[ @catalog = ] N'catalog'

[ @linkedstyle = ] linkedstyle

Return code values

Result set

Remarks

Permissions

Examples

A. Use the Microsoft SQL Server OLE DB Provider

B. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Microsoft Access

C. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC with the datasrc parameter

D. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Excel spreadsheet

E. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for Jet to access a text file

F. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for DB2

G. Add an Azure SQL database as a linked server for use with distributed queries on cloud and on-premises databases

H. Create Azure SQL Managed Instance linked server with managed identity authentication

I. Create SQL Managed Instance linked server with pass-through Microsoft Entra authentication

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C. Use the Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC with the `datasrc` parameter