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ODBC connection errors from Data Factory

Jeff Geitz 0 Reputation points
2026-04-01T14:28:35.53+00:00

I have some Data Factory pipelines that have been running fine for years. Today, (4/1) I started to get this error message:

ERROR [IM002] [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified

I traced it back to the linked service definition. I get this error when I try to test the connection on the linked service property page. This particular linked service is accessing Azure Database for MySQL. I have other linked services that use Azure SQL Svr connections, and those are fine. Nothing has changed on in these pipelines or in the database definition for years, but the fact that it happened on the 1st of the month makes me suspect something expired somewhere. As far as I know, I have no control over the ODBC drivers that Data Factory uses behind the scenes.

Anyone have any idea what might be going on?

Azure Data Factory
Azure Data Factory

An Azure service for ingesting, preparing, and transforming data at scale.

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  1. Manoj Kumar Boyini 11,355 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-04-01T15:38:15.1333333+00:00

    Hi Jeff Geitz

    This error is not caused by anything expiring in Azure Data Factory. It occurs because ADF does not manage ODBC drivers. All ODBC connections in ADF must run through a Self‑Hosted Integration Runtime (SHIR), and the required ODBC driver and DSN must be present and accessible on that machine.

    For ODBC linked services, Azure Data Factory requires:

    • A 64‑bit ODBC driver
    • A System DSN (User DSNs are not supported)

    If the DSN was created as a User DSN, it may stop working unexpectedly—often after OS updates or service restarts which results in the following error:

    On the Self‑Hosted Integration Runtime machine:

    • Open C:\Windows\System32\odbcad32.exe
    • Confirm the MySQL ODBC driver is installed (64‑bit)
    • Recreate the DSN as a System DSN (not a User DSN)
    • Ensure the driver name exactly matches what the linked service expects

    If Skip Test Connection was enabled at any point, make sure the credentials are re‑entered before clicking Apply.

    If possible, consider migrating to the native Azure Database for MySQL connector in Azure Data Factory. It uses a built‑in driver, works with Azure Integration Runtime, and avoids ODBC/DSN‑related issues entirely.

    Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

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  2. Jeff Geitz 0 Reputation points
    2026-04-01T14:52:33.31+00:00

    I've tried creating a new linked service, but it still can't connect to my Azure MySQL database. (same error) This is an old application and I no longer have a clear understanding of the data factory integration runtime stuff, but this is set to AutoResolveIntegrationRuntime. So, I think I might need MS to fix something.

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