Source: examples/data-api-builder/README.md — this page is rendered live from that file.

Data API Builder — Quick Start¶

Azure Data API Builder (DAB) turns your Azure SQL database into instant REST and GraphQL APIs with zero application code.

graph LR
    SQL[(Azure SQL)] --> DAB[Data API Builder]
    DAB --> REST["/api/products"]
    DAB --> GQL["/graphql"]
    REST --> APIM[API Management]
    GQL --> APIM
    APIM --> FE[Frontend SWA]
    APIM --> PBI[Power BI]
    APIM --> EXT[External Apps]

Prerequisites¶

Quick Start¶

1. Deploy Infrastructure¶

az deployment group create \
  --resource-group rg-csa-dab-dev \
  --template-file ../../deploy/bicep/DLZ/modules/data-api-builder.bicep \
  --parameters ../../deploy/bicep/DLZ/modules/data-api-builder.dev.bicepparam \
  --parameters sqlAdminPassword='<YOUR_PASSWORD>'

2. Create the Database Schema¶

sqlcmd -S <server>.database.windows.net -d csa-dab-db-dev \
  -U sqladmin -P '<PASSWORD>' \
  -i sql/setup.sql

3. Run DAB Locally¶

# Install DAB CLI
dotnet tool install -g Microsoft.DataApiBuilder

# Set connection string
export SQL_CONNECTION_STRING="Server=localhost;Database=dab;User Id=sa;Password=<PWD>;TrustServerCertificate=true"

# Start DAB
dab start --config dab-config.json

4. Test the API¶

# REST
curl http://localhost:5000/api/products | jq

# GraphQL
curl -X POST http://localhost:5000/graphql \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"query":"{ dataProducts { items { id name domain quality_score } } }"}'

5. Serve the Frontend¶

# Using SWA CLI for local dev
npx @azure/static-web-apps-cli start frontend/ --data-api-location http://localhost:5000

Directory Structure¶

examples/data-api-builder/
├── dab-config.json              # DAB configuration (entities, permissions, relationships)
├── sql/
│   └── setup.sql                # Database schema + seed data
├── frontend/
│   ├── index.html               # Dashboard
│   ├── products.html            # Product catalog
│   ├── explorer.html            # GraphQL explorer
│   ├── styles.css               # Dark theme styles
│   ├── app.js                   # API client + rendering
│   └── staticwebapp.config.json # SWA routing & auth
├── api-examples/
│   ├── rest-examples.http       # VS Code REST Client examples
│   └── graphql-examples.graphql # GraphQL query/mutation examples
└── README.md                    # This file

Key Configuration¶

The dab-config.json defines:

• 5 entities: DataProducts, QualityMetrics, AccessGrants, Domains, DataLineage
• 2 stored procedures: sp_domain_stats, sp_quality_trend
• Role-based permissions: anonymous (read), authenticated (CRUD), admin (full)
• Relationships: products → quality metrics (1:many), products → domains (many:1)
• Policy filters: anonymous users cannot see draft products; authenticated users see only their own access grants

Full Tutorial¶

See docs/tutorials/11-data-api-builder/README.md for the complete 90-minute walkthrough.

Related¶

• Tutorial 10: Data Marketplace
• Azure Data API Builder Docs
• Bicep Module