Deploy ARM Templates Without DependsOn under Specific Subscription of Specified resource group

Question

I would like to deploy ARM templates individually rather than linked templates/nested templates/multiple resources.

Ex: Deploy a Sql Server and database

I created individual templates for Sql Server and Sql database . I deployed successfully and its working fine.

1. Deploy Sql Server ARM template(Specifically designed only for sql server)
2. Deploy Sql Server Database(Specifically designed only for sql database with above sql server name mentioning in parameters file)

While deploying Sql database arm template , I had specified accurate sql server name(deployed in Step1) in parameters file of step2 but I did not mentioned "dependson" parameter in resource section and directly deployed .Database creation successfully under the resource group I selected while deployment process.

My Query:

How can I make sure Sql database arm template is deploying under specific server name(Step1) only without dependson parameter?

or

How to use existing reference resource id in resources section without dependson?

Will output of step1(resourceid) of sql server will be any helpful?

Sql ARM Template Deploy JSON:

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "location": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "Location for all resources."
            }
        },
        "collation": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The collation of the database."
            }
        },
        "edition": {
            "type": "string",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The edition of the database. The DatabaseEditions enumeration contains all the valid editions. e.g. Basic, Premium."
            },
            "defaultValue": "Basic"
        },
        "sqlservername": {
            "type": "string",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The name of the sql server."
            }
        },
        "databasename": {
            "type": "string",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The name of the database to be operated on (updated or created)."
            },
            "minLength": 7,
            "maxLength": 128
        },
        "maxSizeBytes": {
            "type": "string",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The max size of the database expressed in bytes."
            }
        },
        "serviceobjectivename": {
            "type": "string",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "The configured service level objective ID of the database. This is the service level objective that is in the process of being applied to the database."
            },
            "defaultValue": "Basic"
        },
        "tagsArray": {
            "type": "object",
            "metadata": {
                "description": "Resource Tags helps to indentify the use of service"
            }
        }
    },
    "functions": [],
    "variables": {
        "sqldatabasename": "[concat(parameters('sqlservername'),'/',parameters('databasename'))]"
    },
    "resources": [
        {
            "name": "[variables('sqldatabasename')]",
            "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
            "apiVersion": "2014-04-01",
            "location": "[parameters('location')]",
            "tags": "[parameters('tagsArray')]",
            "properties": {
                "collation": "[parameters('collation')]",
                "edition": "[parameters('edition')]",
                "maxSizeBytes": "[parameters('maxSizeBytes')]",
                "requestedServiceObjectiveName": "[parameters('serviceobjectivename')]"
            }
        }
    ],
    "outputs": {
        "sqldatabaseresourceId": {
            "type": "object",
            "value": "[reference(resourceId('Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases',parameters('sqlservername'), parameters('databasename')),'2014-04-01')]"
        }
    }
}

Template Parameters:

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentParameters.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "tagsArray": {
            "value": {
                "Environment": "POC"
            }
        },
        "servername": {
            "value": "sql-test"
        },
        "sqlAdministratorLogin": {
            "value": "sqladmin"
        },
        "sqlAdministratorLoginPassword": {
            "value": "myPassword586@"
        },
        "firewallIpAddresses": {
            "value": [
                {
                    "start": "1.1.1.0",
                    "end": "1.1.1.1",
                    "clientName": "Clienttest1"
                },
                {
                    "start": "1.2.3.4",
                    "end": "1.2.3.16",
                    "clientName": "Clienttest2"
                }
            ]
        },
        "location": {
            "value": ""
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

It is important to understand that dependsOn enables you to define one resource as dependent on one or more resources within your template only, and should not be used to map relationships between your resources. As explained in the ARM Template documentation, dependsOn isn't the right approach to document how resources are interconnected.

How can I make sure Sql database arm template is deploying under specific server name(Step1) only without dependson parameter?

Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases is a child resource of Microsoft.Sql/servers, and it is the name of the child resource that defines the connection with the parent resource.

You would have had to set the dependsOn property if you were deploying the child resource after the parent resource in the same ARM template, since an implicit deployment dependency isn't automatically created between them. Specifying dependsOn in this case would ensure that the parent resource is deployed (and exists) before the child resource.

That said, when defined outside of the parent resource, you format the type and name with slashes to include the parent type and name.

"type": "{resource-provider-namespace}/{parent-resource-type}/{child-resource-type}",
"name": "{parent-resource-name}/{child-resource-name}",

So, a SQL Database might be defined as:

{
  "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
  "name": "[concat(variables('sqlServerName'), '/', parameters('databaseName'))]",
  ...

Coming to your next question:

How to use existing reference resource id in resources section without dependson?

Will output of step1(resourceid) of sql server will be any helpful?

As you have already deployed the parent resource (DB Server) in a different template, don't set a dependency. Instead, deploy the child resource (Database) to the same resource group and provide the name of the parent resource. That should suffice.

Example:

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "sqlServerName": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "sqlserver"
        },
        "databaseName": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "mydb"
        }
    },
    "resources": [
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.Sql/servers/databases",
            "apiVersion": "2014-04-01",
            "name": "[concat(parameters('sqlServerName'), '/', parameters('databaseName'))]",
            "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "properties": {
                "collation": "SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS",
                "edition": "Basic"
            }
        }
    ],
    "outputs": {}
}