Edit

Share via

Fabric integration (Preview)

The MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code now brings SQL database in Fabric directly into your development workflow. With the new Fabric connectivity option in the Connection dialog, you can sign in using Microsoft Entra ID, browse your Fabric workspaces in a familiar tree view, search across them, and connect to SQL databases or endpoints—all without juggling connection strings. The experience is designed to feel native to Fabric users, with persistent sign-ins, tenant switching, and a seamless 'Open in MSSQL' flow from the Fabric extension.

You can also create new SQL databases in Fabric directly from Visual Studio Code. Instead of leaving your editor to navigate the Fabric UI, you can now authenticate, select or create a workspace, name your database, and connect instantly. The provisioning flow includes a progress indicator and success confirmation before autoconnecting. This new experience eliminates context switching and reduces onboarding friction, allowing you to run queries within minutes. Together, these updates give you a faster, simpler way to get started with Microsoft Fabric and make it easier than ever to build AI-ready, cloud-native solutions directly from Visual Studio Code.

Tip

Fabric integration features are currently in preview and might change based on feedback. Join our community at GitHub Discussions to share ideas or report issues.

Fabric Connectivity (Browse)

The new Fabric browse experience in the MSSQL extension allows developers to connect seamlessly to their SQL databases in Fabric or SQL analytics endpoints without manually copying connection strings from the Fabric portal. With a single Microsoft Entra ID authentication, you can browse available workspaces in a tree view and connect directly from within Visual Studio Code.

Capabilities

  • Dedicated Fabric experience: Provides a new option within the Connection dialog tailored specifically for Fabric users, simplifying the connection process by focusing on Fabric databases.

  • Seamless authentication: Utilizes your Microsoft account for secure and persistent sign-in, so users only need to authenticate once to access all their Fabric workspaces and databases.

  • Workspace browsing: Displays all Fabric workspaces in a hierarchical tree view with resources loaded on demand, making it easy to explore and manage your Fabric environment.

  • Search and discovery: Offers real-time search functionality to quickly locate the appropriate workspace or database without scrolling through long lists.

  • Cross-extension support: Allows opening Fabric databases directly in MSSQL from the Fabric extension or portal, providing a consistent and integrated experience across tools.

Prerequisites

  • Have the latest version of the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code installed installed.
  • Active Fabric subscription and workspace permissions.
  • A valid Microsoft account with access to your Fabric workspaces and resources.
  • Authentication uses Microsoft Entra ID. After signing in, you can choose both the account and the specific tenant to browse the correct set of Fabric workspaces and databases.

Note

For this Fabric Connectivity (Browse) experience, no connection strings or personal access tokens are required.

Get started

  1. Open the Connection dialog and select Browse Fabric.

    Screenshot of Fabric connectivity in the MSSQL extension for Visual Studio Code.

  2. Sign in with Microsoft Entra ID.

    First-time authentication

    • Authentication type defaults to Microsoft Entra ID - Universal with MFA support.
    • If you're not signed in, open the Account dropdown list and select Add an account.
    • Choose your account and complete the sign-in process in the browser window that opens.
    • Return to Visual Studio Code once the process finishes successfully.

    Returning user authentication

    • If you sign in frequently, your account information appears prepopulated.
    • Verify the correct account is selected and proceed.

  3. (Optional) Select a tenant.

    • Use the Tenant ID dropdown list to choose your organization's tenant.
    • This is useful if you have access to multiple tenant environments and need to browse resources in a different tenant.

  4. Browse Fabric workspaces in the workspace tree.

  5. Use the search bar at the top of the tree to quickly locate a workspace or database.

  6. Select the desired database or analytics endpoint from the list.

  7. Confirm authentication for the selected resource if prompted.

    Screenshot of connecting to Fabric from the Fabric browse experience.

  8. Select Connect to add the selected database to your Connections list.

  9. The new connection appears in Connections, and a query window opens ready for use.

    Screenshot of new Fabric connection in the Object Explorer.

Tip

You can use Search at the top of the tree to quickly locate a workspace or database. Results prioritize closest matches and recently used items.

Error handling and edge cases

If something goes wrong, the UI surfaces a clear message and recommended actions:

  • No access to workspace: 'You don't have permission to view this workspace.' — Request access or switch account.
  • Service unavailable or throttled: 'Fabric service is temporarily unavailable.' — Retry or check service health.
  • Expired session: 'Your session has expired.' — Reauthenticate with Microsoft Entra ID.
  • Network restrictions: 'Connection blocked by network policy.' — Verify corporate/VPN/firewall settings.

Important

During Preview, browsing large tenants might load children on demand to keep the tree responsive. You might notice brief loading indicators when expanding nodes with many items.

Known limitations (Preview)

  • Only SQL databases and SQL analytics endpoints are supported. Opening other Fabric item types from MSSQL isn't available.
  • Cross-tenant browsing is supported by switching tenants, but each database connection must be created separately. There's no unified cross-tenant or multi-database connection.
  • Offline sign-in and device-code authentication flows aren't supported.

SQL database in Fabric provisioning

The SQL database provisioning experience is integrated into the Deployments page of the MSSQL extension, enabling users to create and connect to new Fabric SQL databases without leaving Visual Studio Code. This streamlined workflow reduces the need to switch between portals and simplifies database creation and connection.

Capabilities

  • Simple workflow: Guides users through authentication, workspace selection or creation, database naming, and provisioning all within the Deployments page, making database setup straightforward and efficient.

  • Immediate connection: Automatically adds the newly provisioned database to your connections list, allowing you to start querying and developing without extra configuration steps.

  • Consistent experience: Aligns the provisioning flow with other supported backends, such as local SQL Server containers, ensuring a familiar and unified user experience across different environments.

  • Capacity awareness: Clearly indicates when workspaces are disabled due to capacity constraints, providing guidance to help users understand and resolve provisioning limitations.

Prerequisites

  • A valid Microsoft Fabric subscription.
  • Sufficient capacity in the target workspace to provision new SQL databases.
  • Microsoft Entra ID account with the required workspace permissions (Admin or Member).
  • Visual Studio Code with the MSSQL extension installed.

Get started

  1. Open the Deployments page and choose SQL database in Fabric.
  2. Authenticate with Microsoft Entra ID.
  3. Select or create a Fabric workspace.
  4. Enter a database name, then select Create.
  5. When provisioning completes, the database is auto‑connected and appears under Connections, with a success confirmation.

Tip

The end‑to‑end flow typically finishes in less than a minute. This new database provisioning experience allows you to start prototyping quickly without switching to the Fabric portal.

Take a look at the SQL database in Fabric provisioning workflow in action:

Screenshot of animation showing the end-to-end SQL database in Fabric provisioning flow.

Capacity awareness details

  • The Fabric account and workspace capacity are validated during the provisioning flow to ensure the database can be created successfully.
  • Workspaces without available capacity are shown as disabled in the workspace dropdown list, with a tooltip explaining the reason.

Screenshot of workspace dropdown showing disabled workspaces due to capacity constraints.

Post‑provisioning behavior

  • The new connection adopts the Connection Group you selected (optional) for quick visual identification.
  • This experience can be paired with the Fabric browse feature in another Visual Studio Code environment, allowing you to quickly discover and connect to the newly created database without manual setup.

Troubleshooting

  • Name already exists: Choose a unique database name within the selected workspace.
  • Insufficient permissions: Ensure you have Workspace Admin / Member rights to create databases.
  • Network/tenant errors: Reauthenticate or switch the signed‑in account from the account menu.
  • Provisioning timeout or failure: If the wizard doesn't complete, retry the operation or check Fabric service health.

Known limitations (Preview)

  • Provisioning is limited to SQL databases in Fabric, other Fabric item types are out of scope.
  • Cross-tenant provisioning is supported when you explicitly select a different tenant during authentication. However, scenarios involving multiple simultaneous tenants or automated cross-tenant workflows aren't yet supported.
  • Provisioning can't be queued when capacity is fully consumed.

Feedback and support

If you have ideas, feedback, or want to engage with the community, join the discussion at https://aka.ms/vscode-mssql-discussions. To report a bug, visit aka.ms/vscode-mssql-bug. To request a new feature, go to https://aka.ms/vscode-mssql-feature-request.

Related content

  • Last updated on