To mirror SQL Server data into Microsoft Fabric, first identify your SQL Server version: SQL Server 2016–2022 uses Change Data Capture (CDC), while SQL Server 2025 uses Fabric mirroring change feed and requires Azure Arc. After confirming that your source and tables are supported, prepare permissions and network access, create a mirrored database in a Fabric workspace, and monitor the initial snapshot and ongoing replication.
What Fabric mirroring does—and what it does not do
Fabric mirroring creates a read-only, continuously replicated copy of SQL Server data in OneLake. It is a cloud data integration feature, not SQL Server’s older database mirroring technology for high availability. The replicated copy can be used in Fabric, but source-side security settings do not automatically become equivalent protections on the OneLake copy.
Microsoft describes mirroring as a zero-ETL SaaS capability, but that is not a promise of a particular replication interval or freshness service level. Plan to validate the result and monitor its status rather than assume a fixed delay.
Choose the setup path by SQL Server version
| Decision | SQL Server 2016–2022 | SQL Server 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Replication mechanism | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Fabric mirroring change feed |
| Azure Arc | Not required for this path | Required, including the Azure Extension for SQL Server |
| Documented deployment coverage | Windows Standard, Enterprise, and Developer editions; Linux support is documented for SQL Server 2017 CU18 onward and SQL Server 2019/2022. On-premises, Azure VM, and non-Azure cloud deployments are listed. | On-premises is currently documented as supported. SQL Server 2025 on Azure VMs and Linux is currently not supported. |
| Key setup distinction | SQL Server Agent must run. CDC setup and later maintenance can require sysadmin privileges. | Configure an Arc-enabled server and system-assigned managed identity. Workspace member or admin access is needed during item creation for the required reshare step. |
Coverage can change. Confirm the current Microsoft Learn SQL Server mirroring support matrix for your exact version, edition, operating system, and hosting environment before implementation.
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Check capacity, tenant settings, and source limitations
Start with a development or test database that you can recover if setup or workload impact is unexpected. The Fabric workspace needs active capacity; a paused or deleted capacity prevents replication. A Fabric administrator should confirm the tenant settings named Service principals can use Fabric APIs and Users can access data stored in OneLake with apps external to Fabric are enabled as required for the deployment.
Review the current Fabric mirroring limitations before choosing tables. The documented table ceiling is inconsistent across Microsoft Learn renderings: the current English limitations search result states 1,000 tables, while a localized rendering showed 500. Treat the applicable ceiling as unconfirmed until you verify the current English limitations page for your region and deployment.
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- For SQL Server 2016–2022, each table selected for mirroring must have a primary key.
- Some source data types and table features are unsupported. Examples listed in the limitations documentation include CLR, vector, JSON, geometry/geography, hierarchyid, sql_variant, timestamp/rowversion, XML, user-defined types, and image/text/ntext. Check the current supported-column details rather than assuming every column will replicate.
- Some precision can be lost when data is mirrored into Delta, and LOB values above 1 MB can be truncated.
- A database already configured for Azure Synapse Link for SQL or already mirrored in another Fabric workspace cannot be mirrored. SQL Server 2025 also excludes sources already using CDC and sources using replication; delayed transaction durability is listed as unsupported.
- Mirroring supports only the primary database in an availability group. Failover cluster instances and cross-Entra-tenant mirroring are unsupported.
Prepare login, permissions, and network access
SQL Server 2016–2022: prepare CDC
Create a dedicated SQL Server login and mapped user for Fabric. Microsoft’s tutorial recommends Microsoft Entra authentication where available; if using SQL authentication, use a strong password. For this version path, the documented database-user permissions include CONNECT and SELECT.
If CDC is not already enabled, configuring it requires sysadmin membership; future CDC maintenance also requires sysadmin. The tutorial allows removing the Fabric login from sysadmin after initial CDC setup. Keep elevated access limited to the setup or maintenance task, and use the version-specific tutorial for the exact CDC scripts and availability-group preparation.
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SQL Server 2025: configure Arc identity and permissions
Register the SQL Server host with Azure Arc, install the Azure Extension for SQL Server, and configure its system-assigned managed identity before creating the Fabric mirror. The documented source database permissions are SELECT, ALTER ANY EXTERNAL MIRROR, VIEW DATABASE PERFORMANCE STATE, and VIEW DATABASE SECURITY STATE.
During mirrored database creation, a Fabric workspace member or admin role is required so the SQL Server managed identity can receive read/write permission through the reshare step; a contributor does not have the stated Reshare permission for that step. If using Always On replicas, ensure logins and SIDs are consistent across replicas. SQL Server 2025 secondary nodes also have additional workspace identity steps in the Microsoft tutorial.
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Allow the connection to reach SQL Server
Use an encrypted SQL Server connection. If the source is not publicly reachable, deploy an on-premises data gateway or virtual network data gateway on a network that can reach the server through a private endpoint or an allowed firewall path. Select that gateway when creating the Fabric connection. For an Always On availability group, use the listener as the server address.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Create the mirrored database in Fabric
- Open the Fabric portal and select the workspace where the mirrored database should live. Confirm the workspace has active capacity.
- Create a Mirrored SQL Server database. Choose a new or existing SQL Server connection.
- Enter the source details: server name and database name. Select the appropriate gateway, authentication method, and encrypted connection settings.
- Connect and select tables. On SQL Server 2016–2022, SQL Server Agent must be running and the tables need primary keys. Fabric configures or enables CDC for the selected tables as part of the process. On SQL Server 2025, the Arc extension and managed identity must already be configured.
- Start mirroring and wait for the initial snapshot and table replication to appear in the mirrored item and OneLake.
Use the current Microsoft Learn tutorial for the exact screens and version-specific scripts, particularly for an availability group. Portal labels and implementation requirements can change.
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Validate and monitor the mirror
After starting the process, check that the expected tables appear in the mirrored database and in OneLake. Confirm that the selected schema and representative data are present before making the copy available to downstream users.
Monitor the SQL Server source during startup and steady operation. The initial snapshot can raise source CPU and I/O operations per second (IOPS); updates and deletes can increase transaction-log generation. Active transactions can prevent log truncation until they commit and the mirror catches up, or until they abort. Long-running transactions can therefore contribute to additional log growth. Include transaction-log space and source workload in operational monitoring.
Plan carefully for availability-group changes and security
Mirroring can continue through an availability-group failover when logins, database permissions, and workspace setup are consistent on every replica. Prepare each replica in advance and rehearse failover procedures. Removing a secondary node or dropping the group can leave databases in RESTORING or invalidate the listener connection; recovery or re-establishment of mirroring may then be necessary.
Do not assume SQL Server permissions transfer to OneLake. Row-level permissions, object- or column-level permissions, dynamic data masking, and sensitivity labels are not automatically propagated as equivalent security controls. Apply suitable access restrictions in Fabric and protect the mirrored copy as a separate data asset.
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