This purpose for this set of posts is to share some tips & scripts for setting permissions for Azure Data Lake. This content is split up into a short series:
Part 1 - Granting Permissions in Azure Data Lake {you are here}
Part 2 - Assigning Resource Management Permissions for Azure Data Lake Store
Part 3 - Assigning Data Permissions for Azure Data Lake Store
Overview of Permissions in ADLS
There are two parts to how permissions work in Azure Data Lake Store:
(1) RBAC permissions to the ADLS account itself, for the purpose of managing the resource.
RBAC = Role-based access control. RBAC are the familiar Azure roles such as reader, contributor, or owner. Granting a role on the service allows someone to view or manage the configuration and settings for that particular Azure service (ADLS in this case). See Part 2 for info about setting up RBAC.
(2) ACL permissions to the data stored in ADLS, for the purpose of managing the data.
ACL = access control list. The ACLs grant read/write/execute permissions on the data itself. Granting permissions here allows someone to create, read, and/or modify files and folders (i.e., the actual data) stored in ADLS. If you come from the Unix or Linux world, the POSIX-style ACLs will be a familiar concept. See Part 3 about setting up ACLs.
Finding More Information
There is quite a bit more to know about ADLS security than what is covered in this series, so be sure to also dive into the official documentation links:
Security in Azure Data Lake Store
Access Control in Azure Data Lake Store