which option for adding a conn to our azure vm

[db042190]

Hi, we have a gateway.   but i want to add a conn to an azure vm for the fiirt time.   do i need a new gateway?  these are the optiuons im given.  from wht i understand, an azure vm isnt really on prem but should i pick on prem here?

[v-abhinavmu]

Hi @db042190,

Thanks for reaching out to the Microsoft Fabric Community forum.

You don’t need to create a new on-premises gateway. If your Azure VM is hosted within a private VNet, the simpler and more recommended approach is to use the "Virtual network" option. By creating a Virtual Network (VNet) Data Gateway, you can securely connect Microsoft Fabric and Power BI to resources inside your Azure Virtual Network without managing a separate gateway machine. This approach simplifies the setup and is well-suited for Azure-based environments. If your VM is in a private VNet, you can select Virtual network, create the VNet gateway, and use it to connect to your data source. 

For more information, please refer to the official documentation below:
What is a virtual network (VNet) data gateway | Microsoft Learn

I hope this information helps. Please do let us know if you have any further queries.
Thank you

[luisoliveira89 · Accepted solution]

For an Azure VM you should still select On-premises when adding it to the gateway.

Even though it’s in Azure, the gateway treats it as an on-prem data source. You don’t need a new gateway if you already have one, just make sure it can reach the VM over the network.

Only in some cloud-native scenarios you can avoid the gateway, but for typical VM sources like SQL Server or files, you still use the on-premises gateway.