Microsoft Fabric Blog explores how to create a workload identity with proper Fabric permissions using Terraform, building upon earlier configuration and admin resource setup advice.

Introduction

The third installment of the Microsoft Fabric Blog’s Terraform provider series addresses the creation of a workload identity configured with appropriate permissions for Microsoft Fabric environments. After establishing initial configuration in a user context and setting up Fabric Administrator resources (discussed in previous posts), this article guides readers on securely automating deployments and permissions management with Terraform.

Context: Prior Steps

Earlier entries in this series helped readers:

  • Rapidly get started with the Terraform provider in a user context
  • Expand Terraform configurations
  • Define and manage Fabric Administrator resources efficiently for broader management scope and reliability

This staged approach mirrors a typical development workflow: experimenting with limited permissions, then formalizing configuration for production.

Creating a Workload Identity

Transitioning from a personal user account to a workload identity allows continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) pipelines and automated processes to interact with Microsoft Fabric securely.

The steps broadly include:

  1. Defining the Workload Identity: Use Terraform to declare a service principal or managed identity in your infrastructure code, tailored for Microsoft Fabric use cases.

  2. Assigning Fabric Permissions: Configure and grant only the necessary permissions to the workload identity, following the principle of least privilege. This is done by defining roles and associating them in Terraform configuration files.

  3. Testing the Configuration: Validate that the workload identity can perform required tasks within Fabric by running integration tests or dummy deployments, ensuring functionality and security compliance.

  4. Real-World Advice: The article emphasizes practical advice: develop your Terraform setup with user credentials for experimentation, then transition to robust, production-oriented identity management with specific permissions sets.

Benefits

  • Security: Using workload identities lowers the risk associated with personal access tokens or user credentials in automation.
  • Scalability: Easily replicate and extend these configurations for broader team adoption or complex environments.
  • Compliance: Codified, auditable permissions management aligns with industry best practices.

Next Steps

The post mentions that the fourth blog entry in the series will further expand on these concepts, likely covering advanced automation or additional permission management scenarios.

For detailed code samples and exact Terraform configuration, readers are directed to the full article linked in the source.

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