dns-alias-powershell-create.md

title	DNS Alias (PowerShell & Azure CLI)
titleSuffix	Azure SQL Database & Azure Synapse Analytics
description	PowerShell and Azure CLI cmdlets enable you to redirect new client connections to a different SQL server in Azure, without having to touch any client configuration.
author	rajeshsetlem
ms.author	rsetlem
ms.reviewer	wiassaf, mathoma, amagarwa, maboja, vanto
ms.date	01/21/2025
ms.service	azure-sql-database
ms.subservice	high-availability
ms.topic	how-to
ms.custom	sqldbrb=1 devx-track-azurecli devx-track-azurepowershell
keywords	dns sql database
ms.devlang	powershell

PowerShell for DNS Alias to Azure SQL Database

[!INCLUDEappliesto-sqldb-asa]

This article provides Azure PowerShell Az module or Azure CLI scripts to demonstrate how you can manage a DNS alias for the Azure SQL logical server hosting your Azure SQL Database.

DNS alias in connection string

To connect a logical SQL server, a client such as SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) can provide the DNS alias name instead of the true server name. In the following example server string, the alias any-unique-alias-name replaces the first dot-delimited node in the four node server string:

<yourServer>.database.windows.net

Prerequisites

If you want to run the demo PowerShell script given in this article, the following prerequisites apply:

• An Azure subscription and account, for free trial, see Azure trials
• Two Azure SQL logical servers
• Install the Azure PowerShell module or the Azure CLI.

Example

The following code example starts by assigning literal values to several variables.

To run the code, edit the placeholder values to match real values in your system.

PowerShell

The cmdlets used are the following:

• New-AzSqlServerDNSAlias: Creates a DNS alias in the Azure SQL Database service system. The alias refers to server 1.
• Get-AzSqlServerDNSAlias: Get and list all the aliases assigned to server 1.
• Set-AzSqlServerDNSAlias: Modifies the server name that the alias is configured to refer to, from server 1 to server 2.
• Remove-AzSqlServerDNSAlias: Remove the alias from server 2, by using the name of the alias.

To install or upgrade, see Install Azure PowerShell module.

Use Get-Module -ListAvailable Az in powershell_ise.exe, to find the version.

$subscriptionName = '<subscriptionName>';
$sqlServerDnsAliasName = '<aliasName>';
$resourceGroupName = '<resourceGroupName>';  
$sqlServerName = '<sqlServerName>';
$resourceGroupName2 = '<resourceGroupNameTwo>'; # can be same or different than $resourceGroupName
$sqlServerName2 = '<sqlServerNameTwo>'; # must be different from $sqlServerName.

# login to Azure
Connect-AzAccount -SubscriptionName $subscriptionName;
$subscriptionId = Get-AzSubscription -SubscriptionName $subscriptionName;

Write-Host 'Assign an alias to server 1...';
New-AzSqlServerDnsAlias –ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -ServerName $sqlServerName `
    -Name $sqlServerDnsAliasName;

Write-Host 'Get the aliases assigned to server 1...';
Get-AzSqlServerDnsAlias –ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName -ServerName $sqlServerName;

Write-Host 'Move the alias from server 1 to server 2...';
Set-AzSqlServerDnsAlias –ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName2 -TargetServerName $sqlServerName2 `
    -Name $sqlServerDnsAliasName `
    -SourceServerResourceGroup $resourceGroupName -SourceServerName $sqlServerName `
    -SourceServerSubscriptionId $subscriptionId.Id;

Write-Host 'Get the aliases assigned to server 2...';
Get-AzSqlServerDnsAlias –ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName2 -ServerName $sqlServerName2;

Write-Host 'Remove the alias from server 2...';
Remove-AzSqlServerDnsAlias –ResourceGroupName $resourceGroupName2 -ServerName $sqlServerName2 `
    -Name $sqlServerDnsAliasName;

Azure CLI

The commands used are the following:

• az sql server dns-alias create: Creates a DNS alias for a server. The alias refers to server 1.
• az sql server dns-alias show: Get and list all the aliases assigned to server 1.
• az sql server dns-alias set: Modifies the server name that the alias is configured to refer to, from server 1 to server 2.
• az sql server dns-alias delete: Remove the alias from server 2, by using the name of the alias.

To install or upgrade, see Install Azure CLI.

$subscriptionName = '<subscriptionName>';
$sqlServerDnsAliasName = '<aliasName>';
$resourceGroupName = '<resourceGroupName>';  
$sqlServerName = '<sqlServerName>';
$resourceGroupName2 = '<resourceGroupNameTwo>'; # can be same or different than $resourceGroupName
$sqlServerName2 = '<sqlServerNameTwo>'; # must be different from $sqlServerName.

# login to Azure
az login -SubscriptionName $subscriptionName;
$subscriptionId = az account list[0].i -SubscriptionName $subscriptionName;

Write-Host 'Assign an alias to server 1...';
az sql server dns-alias create –-resource-group $resourceGroupName --server $sqlServerName `
    --name $sqlServerDnsAliasName;

Write-Host 'Get the aliases assigned to server 1...';
az sql server dns-alias show –-resource-group $resourceGroupName --server $sqlServerName;

Write-Host 'Move the alias from server 1 to server 2...';
az sql server dns-alias set –-resource-group $resourceGroupName2 --server $sqlServerName2 `
    --name $sqlServerDnsAliasName `
    --original-resource-group $resourceGroupName --original-server $sqlServerName `
    --original-subscription-id $subscriptionId.Id;

Write-Host 'Get the aliases assigned to server 2...';
az sql server dns-alias show –-resource-group $resourceGroupName2 --server $sqlServerName2;

Write-Host 'Remove the alias from server 2...';
az sql server dns-alias delete –-resource-group $resourceGroupName2 --server $sqlServerName2 `
    --name $sqlServerDnsAliasName;

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Related content

• DNS alias for Azure SQL Database