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How Atlan connects to Microsoft SQL Server

Atlan connects to your Microsoft SQL Server database to extract technical metadata while maintaining network security and compliance. You can choose between direct connectivity for databases available from the internet or Self-deployed runtime for databases that must remain behind your firewall.

Connect via direct network connection​

Atlan's Microsoft SQL Server workflow establishes a direct network connection to your database from the Atlan SaaS tenant. This approach works when your SQL Server database can accept connections from the internet.

  • Atlan's Microsoft SQL Server workflow connects directly to your database from the Atlan SaaS tenant over port 1433 (default).
  • You provide connection details (hostname, port, database, credentials) when creating a crawler workflow.
  • Your SQL Server accepts inbound network connections from Atlan's IP addresses, controlled through your firewall rules or network security groups.

For details on how direct connectivity works, see Direct connectivity.

Connect via self-deployed runtime​

A runtime service deployed within your network acts as a secure bridge between Atlan Cloud and your Microsoft SQL Server database. This approach works when your SQL Server must remain fully isolated behind your firewall.

  • The runtime maintains an outbound HTTPS connection to Atlan Cloud (port 443) and a local network connection to your Microsoft SQL Server database (port 1433).

For details on how Self-Deployed Runtime works, see SDR connectivity.

Security​

Atlan extracts only structural metadata—schemas, tables, and columns. For example, if you have a Sales.Orders table with order records, Atlan discovers the table structure and column definitions, but never queries or stores the order records themselves.

  • Read-only operations: All database queries are read-only SELECT statements. The connector can't modify data, create or drop database objects, or change any configuration. The SQL Server permissions you grant control exactly what the connector can access.

  • Credential encryption: Connection credentials are encrypted at rest and in transit. In direct connectivity, Atlan encrypts credentials before storage. In Self-deployed runtime, credentials never leave your network perimeter. The runtime retrieves them from your enterprise-managed secret vaults (AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, GCP Secret Manager, or HashiCorp Vault) only when needed. Atlan Cloud never receives or stores them.

  • Network isolation with Self-deployed runtime: Your SQL Server gains complete network isolation from the internet. The database only accepts connections from the runtime within your local network. The runtime itself only makes outbound HTTPS connections to Atlan Cloud, which your network team can control through firewall rules.

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