Sharing Data Gateway in Microsoft Fabric Portal with Demo

Sharing Data Gateway in Microsoft Fabric

Sharing Data Gateway in Microsoft Fabric Portal is a robust functionality designed to facilitate seamless access and data transfer from on-premises sources to the cloud through Data Factory. The feature leverages the On-Premises Data Gateway, a software application strategically engineered to bridge the divide between on-premises environments and the cloud. Its purpose is to ensure not only secure but also swift data transfer, creating a conduit that optimizes the flow of information between local and cloud-based systems.

Sharing data gateway with other users

Sharing data gateway with other users or resource groups in Microsoft Fabric enables multiple users or teams to collaborate on data integration projects which fosters teamwork and enables different departments or individuals to work on specific aspects of the data pipeline simultaneously. In addition, instead of setting up multiple gateways for individual users or teams, sharing a single gateway optimizes resource usage which reduces the need for redundant installations and maintenance efforts, streamlining the overall data management process. In addition, sharing Data Gateway provides a centralized approach to manage and monitor data connections whereby Fabric admins can oversee the usage, performance, and security settings from a single interface, ensuring better control and governance. Centralizing gateway usage can lead to cost savings. For example, fewer instances of gateway installations reduce hardware and software costs, and shared resources contribute to a more cost-effective data integration infrastructure.

By sharing data gateway, improved security measures can be implemented consistently across the entire shared environment which ensures that data transfers and connections are maintained with a standardized and robust security posture, reducing potential vulnerabilities. Sharing Data Gateway enhances visibility into data movement processes whereby Fabric admins can easily monitor and audit data flows, ensuring compliance with data governance policies and regulations. As data integration needs grow, the shared gateway model allows for scalability whereby new users or teams can be easily added to the shared environment, accommodating increased data processing requirements without the need for complex restructuring.

Demo

Time to dive into a practical demonstration of how to share a gateway with different users within the same organization. In this demonstration, I have two accounts: one account for the Fabric administrator that has full access control and another account that will be granted the privilege to use the shared data gateway.

In the screenshot below, I’ve got an on-premises Data Gateway named AbiolDavid.

To share the gateway with another user, click on the ellipsis (three dots) and select Manage Users.

In the search by name or email, type in the email address of the user to share with. In this case, I am sharing with [email protected]

After adding the new user, select the user and to the left of the screen, I’ve got 3 options as follows: Connection Creator, Connection Creator with re-sharing, and Admin. In this example, I want the user to create data sources and connections on the gateway without the possibility of re-sharing the access with others.

By scrolling down, I’ve got the list of Connection types I’d like the user to have access to. By default, all the options are selected. I can deselect, for example, MySQL connection type if I do not want the user to have access.

Once everything is sorted, click on Share. “You shared AbiolaDavid” is displayed signifying the successful sharing of the data gateway.

Finally, we need to verify that the user can see the gateway from the managed connections and gateways. I have logged into [email protected] using Chrome browser and there we go! The gateway is accessible as seen in the screenshot below.

The user can proceed to use the data gateway to access data for analysis.