## Connect data sources for Azure-hosted Atlan instances

URL: https://docs.atlan.com/product/connections/how-tos/connect-data-sources-for-azure-hosted-atlan-instances

> This document provides recommended solutions for integrating Atlan instances hosted on Microsoft Azure with the following:.

This document provides recommended solutions for integrating Atlan instances hosted on Microsoft Azure with the following:

- Data sources hosted on Microsoft Azure
- Data sources hosted in data centers

## Azure-managed data sources

![Azure Hosted Datasource.png](https://docs.atlan.com/img/apps/connectors/data-warehouse/connectivity-guides/how-tos/azure-hosted-datasource.png)

To connect your Atlan instance hosted on Microsoft Azure with a Microsoft Azure-managed data source, Atlan recommends the following method. For this purpose, we'll consider a Microsoft Azure-managed Snowflake instance:

1. For data sources like Snowflake, you can use [Azure Private Link](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/private-link/private-link-overview).
2. Atlan will create a private endpoint in your Atlan instance to connect to your Snowflake instance using the the resource ID.
3. This will create a request in your Atlan instance. Accept the request to proceed.
4. Once the request has been accepted, Atlan will be able to access the data source using a private endpoint over the Azure backbone network, bypassing the internet.
5. Atlan will also create a private DNS and add an `A` record for the private endpoint previously created in the Azure-managed Atlan instance and share the details with you.
6. You can use this DNS record to connect to the Azure-hosted Snowflake data source.
7. Each data source will require a separate Azure private endpoint.

## On-premises data sources

![OnPrem Datasources (1).png](https://docs.atlan.com/img/apps/connectors/data-warehouse/connectivity-guides/how-tos/onprem-datasources-1.png)

To connect your Atlan instance hosted on Microsoft Azure with an on-premises data source, Atlan recommends the following method. For this purpose, we'll consider an on-premises MySQL server hosted in a data center:

1. For an on-premises MySQL database, you can consider a combination of [Azure Private Link](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/private-link/private-link-overview), [Azure Load Balancer](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/load-balancer/load-balancer-overview), and [Azure Virtual Machines](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/overview).
2. For this method, the data source must be accessible from your Microsoft Azure subscription.
3. You will need to create a virtual machine in your Azure-managed Atlan instance to port forward the request to the corresponding data source.
4. Add a network load balancer to the virtual machine and create a Private Link service to the load balancer.
5. Atlan will create a private endpoint in your Atlan instance to connect to the Private Link service of the load balancer.
6. Atlan will also create a private DNS and add an `A` record for the private endpoint previously created in the Azure-managed Atlan instance and share the details with you.
7. You can use this DNS record to connect to the on-premises data source using the load balancer.
8. Only one private endpoint will be required to connect to all the on-premises data sources through port forwarding.

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