Azure Database Auditing is a feature that allows you to track database activity and generate audit logs for your Azure SQL Database. The auditing feature can help you meet compliance requirements and improve security by providing a record of database activity. Examples of database activity that can be audited include login attempts, failed login attempts, database schema changes, and data modification statements.
Here are some examples of how you can use Azure Database Auditing:
- Compliance: Many compliance regulations require you to maintain audit logs of database activity. Azure Database Auditing can help you meet these requirements by providing a record of all database activity. For example, you can use Azure Database Auditing to audit user logins, database schema changes, and data modifications to demonstrate compliance with regulations like HIPAA, SOX, or GDPR.
- Security: Azure Database Auditing can help you detect and investigate security threats by providing an audit trail of database activity. For example, if a user accesses data they are not authorized to view, or if an unauthorized user attempts to login to the database, Azure Database Auditing can help you identify the threat and take appropriate action to mitigate the risk.
- Performance: Azure Database Auditing can also help you identify performance issues by tracking database activity. For example, you can use the audit logs to identify slow-running queries or identify patterns of database activity that are causing performance issues.
- Debugging: Azure Database Auditing can be used to troubleshoot issues by providing a detailed record of database activity. For example, if you are experiencing issues with a particular query, you can use the audit logs to identify the root cause of the issue.
To use Azure Database Auditing, you need to enable the auditing feature for your Azure SQL Database and define the auditing settings. You can choose to audit specific database activities, such as login attempts or data modifications, and choose the destination where the audit logs will be stored, such as Azure Storage or Event Hubs. Once the auditing feature is enabled, audit logs will be generated for the selected activities and stored in the specified destination.
