Pass parameters from Synapse Pipeline to Notebook

Question

Pass parameters from Synapse Pipeline to Notebook

Jona 885

Hi,

I have this situation:

A Synapse pipeline with parameters
A Notebook activity inside it

I don't see in the Notebook activity to pass paramerts to PySpark, and I don't know how to get them from code in the case the parameters could be be passed from the pipeline to the notebook

Can you give me a hand?

Regards

1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Venkat Reddy Navari 5,255 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Jona You can definitely pass parameters from a Synapse pipeline to a notebook activity, and then access those parameters inside your PySpark code. Here's how you can do it:

Step 1: Define Parameters in the Notebook

At the top of your notebook, define the parameters using the mssparkutils library:


# Import the required utility
from notebookutils import mssparkutils

# Get the parameters
param1 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param1")
param2 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param2")

Note: If you're using a newer runtime, you can also use dbutils.widgets.get("param1"), but mssparkutils is preferred in Synapse.

Step 2: Pass Parameters in the Pipeline

In your Synapse pipeline, select the Notebook activity.

In the Settings tab, under Base parameters, you can add parameters by name and assign them pipeline expressions like:


@pipeline().parameters.param1

Example: Pipeline Parameters:

param1: string

param2: string

Notebook Activity Base Parameters:

Name	Value

param1	`@pipeline().parameters.param1`
param2	`@pipeline().parameters.param2`

Notebook Code:


param1 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param1")
param2 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param2")

print(f"Received param1: {param1}")
print(f"Received param2: {param2}")

Hope this helps. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Jona 885 Reputation points

2025-07-30T13:19:59.6533333+00:00

Thanks, let verify the answer
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-07-31T17:11:08.77+00:00

Jona Following up to see if the above answer was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Jona 885 Reputation points

2025-07-31T20:28:10.0666667+00:00

Using the first code snippe, I got this error:

:(

Regards
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-04T13:00:30.3233333+00:00
Jona It seems the issue is with the import. Instead of from notebookutils import mssparkutils, try:

import mssparkutils.notebookutils

Then access parameters like this:

param1 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param1") param2 = mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument("param2")

Additionally, ensure you’re using the correct Synapse Spark runtime version. If the issue persists, try restarting the Spark session or use a new environment.

Hope this helps. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Jona 885 Reputation points

2025-08-05T02:23:55.5666667+00:00

I finally ended doing what this medium says

https://medium.com/@diangermishuizen/parameterize-synapse-analytics-spark-notebooks-efficiently-518234bcc094

I used parameters cells.

Regards
Venkat Reddy Navari 5,255 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-05T14:58:52.9566667+00:00

Jona Thanks for the update, and glad to hear the parameter cell method worked for you!

Just to clarify, the reason I initially suggested using mssparkutils.notebookutils.getArgument() is that it works reliably across various Synapse runtimes, including older versions. It’s the more broadly compatible option, especially when the runtime version isn't known up front.

That said, your approach using the %%pyspark parameter cell is a great option if you're on a supported runtime (Spark 3.2+). It’s clean, simple, and removes the need for manual parameter retrieval.

If this answered your question, please click Accept Answer and Yes for Was this answer helpful. That also helps others in the community who might be facing the same issue. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

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Pass parameters from Synapse Pipeline to Notebook

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