Azure Weekly

Issue #166 - 18th March 2018

It's been quite a busy week with regards to updates, so be sure to check the whole bunch out here, especially if you use Power BI embedded in any of your work - there have been no fewer than 15 updates that are related to the service! Other announcements include:

A few interesting podcasts this week: Andrew and Chris highlight some of the new Azure features on the Microsoft Cloud Show, Carl and Richard talk about some Azure Success Stories with Christos Matskas, and the Azure podcast team are joined by Sonia Gupta to talk about What's new in Azure Backup. There has also been an influx of videos on Channel 9 this past week, particularly in the AI & ML space, so do check those videos out.

A couple of noteworthy articles this week are Azure Resource Manager; Turning the lights on where Kristian Nese introduces his "ARM Analytics" solution, and Codit's Connected Car - Taking a look under the hood where the Codit team talk specifics about their recent completion of The Barrel Challenge.

A couple of useful Azure resources have emerged this week: there is a new, free Azure Strategy and Implementation Guide, and an Azure Virtual Datacenter: Lift and Shift Guide.

Finally, the Azure IT Camps are back, so get registering if you wish to attend!

⚙️ AI + Machine Learning

On the Adatis blog, Tristan Robinson writes about Scalable Deep Learning with Azure Batch AI
On Channel 9, Seth Juarez talks about Setting Up Azure ML Services and Data wrangling using Azure ML services [Part 2/4] with Parahsar Shah on the AI Show
Callon Campbell explains how to Give your solutions a more human side with Microsoft Cognitive Services
On MSDN, Benjamin Xue describes How to Connect Your Bot App with Microsoft Cortana
On Channel 9, Micheleen Harris presents Demystifying AI with Nigel Parker, talks about The Simplest Machine Learning and explains When And When Not To Use Deep Learning

🔎 Analytics

On the Adatis blog, Zach Stagers discusses Deploying Multiple U-SQL Procedures with PowerShell
On MSDN, Geoff Innis writes about Enhanced Knowledge Base Usage Analytics with Azure Application Insights and Power BI
Also on MSDN, Samuel Lester provides a Power BI Troubleshooting Checklist
On the MSSQL Tips site, Siddharth Mehta (@siddhumehta) explains how to Analyze entity data flow in Power BI Desktop using Sankey charts and Scott Murray talks about Power BI Pulse Charts
Devin Knight (@knight_devin) talks about Power BI Custom Visuals Class Module 93 – Mapbox Visual and discusses Module 94 – Count Down Timer

🖥️ Compute

On the Azure blog, Hussein Shel discusses Azure Batch for oil and gas
On MSDN, Reenu Saluja explains how to Deploy your first smart contract on azure ethereum consortium blockchain
Bill Zack (@WilliamHZack) asks Is Azure Adoption Too Easy?
Radu Vunvulea (@RaduVunvulea) writes about the Azure VM Availability SLAs

🚢 Containers

On Channel 9, Damian Brady and Brian Clark talk about Deploying Node to Docker on Azure The DevOps Lab
Also on Channel 9, Alena Hall presents Part 1 of 4: Create a Web Application and push it into Docker Hub on The Open Source Show
Tobias Zimmergren posts Tip of the Day: List of supported VM Sizes in Azure Container Services AKS
On Channel 9, Jeremy Likness (@jeremylikness) talks about .NET Core and Containers with Josh Lane
Also on Channel 9, Brady Gaster presents SmartHotel360 - Modernizing Existing Apps with Azure Service Fabric with Mikkel Hegnhoj

🗄️ Databases

On the Azure site, the Azure updates team announces the General availability of the Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer
On Code Mill Technologies, Matthew Soucoup talks about Geospatial Queries with CosmosDB
On MSDN, Jovan Popovic explains How to configure network for Azure SQL Managed Instance
Also on MSDN, Paras Patidar talks about Using SMO on Azure App Service Web Apps with Azure SQL DB
Tomas Restrepo (@tomasrestrepo) covers Azure SQL Database Service Principal not present in AAD
Also on MSDN, Clive Challinor describes Extended Events Capture Step by Step Walkthrough

🛠️ Developer Tools

On the Daily Dot Net Tips blog, Abhijit Jana (@AbhijitJana) talks about Setting up Continuous Delivery for Azure App Services from Azure Portal, explains how to Configure Continuous DeliveryCD to Azure right from the Visual Studio and explains how to Exclude Project from Visual Studio Team ServicesVSTS Build Definition
Michael Crump (@mbcrump) continues the Azure Tips and Tricks blog series with An end to end scenario with Azure App Service, API Apps, SQL, VSTS and CI/CD multi-part series. Part 101 - Day 1, Part 102 - Day 2, and Part 103 - Day 3.
On MSDN, Nico LD provides a HOWTO – Continuous delivery from GitHub to Azure AppService
On Code Project, Gordon Beeming talks about Setting wild card branch policies in VSTS
Jessica Deen (@jldeen) describes How to Deploy to Kubernetes using Helm and VSTS
Wouter de Kort extends the Build your own Hosted VSTS Agent Cloud series with Part 4 – Customize
Also on MSDN, Stephane Eyskens writes DevOps – Azure API Management and VSTS, better together
Tomas Restrepo (@tomasrestrepo) describes Re-creating a subscription in Azure API Management
Also on MSDN, Wesley Backelant (@WesleyBackelant) writes Modernizing "Did my dad influence me" – Part 1
On Channel 9, James Montemagno presents Snack Pack | Xamarin.Forms Animations with Matthew Soucoup on the Xamarin Show

🎭 Identity

On the Azure blog, John Booth talks about Heuristic DNS detections in Azure Security Center
On TechNet, Yuri Diogenes (@yuridiogenes) writes about the Considerations Regarding Azure Security Center Adoption and blogs about Detecting Persistence in Azure Security Center
On the risual blog, Mollie Sutton writes Azure AD Connect Pass-through Authentication – How simple is that
Fabien Dibot (@fdibot) describes How to create an Azure JIT user RBAC role
John Savill explains how to Migrate from ATA to Azure ATP with easy PowerShell
Also on TechNet, Stanislav Belov writes The Adventure Begins: Plan and Establish Hybrid Identity with Azure AD Connect Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security

🔌 Integration

On MSDN, Shubha Vijayasarathy writes that the Azure Command Line Interface can now be used to manage Azure Service Bus resources
On the Adatis blog, Piotr Starczynski walks through Converting JSON with nested arrays into CSV in Azure Logic Apps by using Array Variable
On the Kloud blog, Asish Padhy explains how to Create Modern Pages and update metadata using SPFx Extensions, SP PnP JS and Azure Functions and covers Creating SharePoint Modern Team sites using Site Scripts, Flow and Azure Function

💡 Internet of Things

On MSDN, Shubha Vijayasarathy writes Manage Event Hubs resources using Azure Command Line Interface
On the Codit blog, Tom Kerkhove and Sam Vanhoutte describe Codit's Connected Car - Taking a look under the hood
On Channel 9, Olivier Bloch talks about Local storage on Azure IoT Edge devices with Emmanuel Bertrand, on Channel 9, covers Time Series Insight for IoT apps with Andrew Shannon and talks about Internet of Things Patterns And Azure IoT Updates with Kevin Miller on the Internet of Things Show
On Code Project, Duncan Edwards Jones (@Merrion) adds some lessons learned on the Serverless CQRS using Azure Event Grid post

⚖️ Management and Governance

On the TechKB blog, Michael Coutanche (@mum3LE5) writes about Using Service Health to alert about planned maintenance
Tobias Zimmergren gives an Azure Tip: Running the Azure CLI using Bash on Ubuntu, in Windows 10
Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) writes Setting up Application Insights took 10 minutes. It created two days of work for me.
On Github, Kristian Nese writes Azure Resource Manager; Turning the lights on

⚙️ Microsoft Azure Stack

On MSDN, Andrew Westgarth, announces that Azure App Service on Azure Stack Update One Released
Thomas Maurer (@thomasmaurer) writes that he is Speaking about Azure Stack at Experts Live Switzerland 2018 in Bern

🌐 Networking

On MSDN, Mike Ketchum writes that Accelerated Networking for both Windows and Linux is now generally available in Azure Government

📦 Storage

On the Azure blog, Stephen Wu announces that Azure Data Lake launches in the West Europe region
On the Azure blog, Trinadh Kotturu (@f2003629) announces the Backup and restore performance improvements and support for large disk backup
On the Azure podcast, the Azure podcast team and guest Sonia Gupta present Episode 219 - What's New in Azure Backup
Jason Roberts (@robertsjason) writes about Automatic Input Blob Binding in Azure Functions from Queue Trigger Message Data
Thuan Soldier writes about the Azure Blobs vs. Azure Files Decision Considerations

🔗 Web

Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) writes Upgrading my podcast site to ASP.NET Core 2.1 in Azure plus some Best Practices
On MSDN, Nicholas McCollum describes Client Directed Authentication with Azure Mobile Apps
Also on MSDN, Michael S. Hansen covers Creating Wildcard SSL Certificates with Lets Encrypt and writes about Private Function Apps in Azure Government using App Service Environment ASE
Sam Cogan (@samcogan) asks What is an Azure App Service Plan and what does it do?
Also on MSDN, Yi Wang describes how to Change PHP_INI_SYSTEM configuration settings
Also on MSDN, Naveed Aziz talks about Deprecating Service Management APIs support for Azure App Services
On Channel 9, Donovan Brown presents Get started with the Azure SDK for Go with Josh Gavant on Azure Friday