We are happy to announce that SQL Server now provides you with MIP (Microsoft Information Protection) integrated data classification solution. MIP sensitivity labels provide a simple way for your users to classify sensitive data across the org with uniform standards and provide end to end classification solution. If you have created standard sensitivity labels in Microsoft 365 and would like the same labels to flow down to SQL Server and other downstream applications like PowerBI, then you have the good news! This new capability in SQL native classification enables you to authenticate to M365 and fetch the sensitivity labels automatically which can then be applied to the critical columns. In addition to this, downstream inheritance of protection labels in PowerBI helps ensure that sensitive data remains protected throughout its journey, from data source to point of consumption.
This MIP capability has been added to SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio) 18.11.1 and is currently available for SQL Server on premises only. You will be able to see the same functionality in Azure portal in upcoming months.
We are also working on a long-term solution to fully integrate SQL native classification with Azure Purview, the unified data governance service of Microsoft. It will enable you to leverage the data scanning rules of Purview to scan & classify the sensitive data in the database, then the classification metadata will propagate to SQL Server which can be used for reporting, auditing, policy-based access controls and for other consumptions.
Check out our documentation for detailed steps:
SQL data discovery & classification: SQL Data Discovery & Classification - SQL Server | Microsoft Docs
Demo:
SQLDC_SSMS_MIP_Sensitivity_Labels_Demo
Other Resources:
Microsoft compliance center: Microsoft 365 compliance center
Create & publish MIP labels in Microsoft 365: Create and publish sensitivity labels - Microsoft 365 Compliance | Microsoft Docs
SSMS 18.11.1: Download SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) - SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) | Microsoft Docs
Inheritance of sensitivity labels in PowerBI: Sensitivity label inheritance from data sources in Power BI - Power BI | Microsoft Docs