Azure Weekly Issue 447: 3rd December 2023

Let's start this week with AI; ML.NET 3.0 Boosts Deep Learning, Data Processing for .NET-Based AI Apps, there's also a nice Getting started with Azure AI Studio, and a feature I'm quite interested in trying - Write Your Git Commits with GitHub Copilot (hopefully it can deliver something more meaninful than "tweak", "change", "tweak" which too many of my commit messages seem to be).

In the data and analytics space: Semantic Link: OneLake integrated Semantic Models and Microsoft Fabric real-time analytics exploration:KQL Database mirroring and What are Kusto Query Language KQL databases in Microsoft Fabric?.

In Cloud Native Apps, a particularly good article - Getting Hands-On with Azure Functions: A Deep Dive and Secure access to your Azure App Services/Function Apps/Logic Apps using Azure AD OAuth and API.

I mentioned this topic earlier in the year, but code = energy = money = carbon. Creating highly efficient code, can have a huge positive impact on your infrastructure, your budget, and the environment. Several years ago we worked on a data and analytics project that needed to inject large amounts of real time data - marine shipping vessel locations from the entire planet. The initial implementation used a popular Python package (a wrapper over a C++ library) and that could process 50,000 AIS (Automatic Identification System) messages per second, and needed a 45 node cluster in order to ingest the data volume. We hypothesised that we could do a much better job, and re-implemented the AIS specification using C# / .NET Core 2.0 and achieved 2.6 million messages / sec / core, and allowed us to move the entire data ingestion process into a single Azure Function and reduced the ingestion lag from hours to near real time. With ever subsequent release of .NET we have seen significant performance improvements (with no additional code changes); and with .NET 8.0 was no exception; we've seen AIS.NET performance boosted by 27% which means we can now process 4.75 million messages / sec / core. Python may well be the most popular language for data science / engineering workloads, but for computationally intensive workloads, .NET is a great choice (and in my opinion needs better support in Spark & ML training environments like Microsoft Fabric).

AI + Machine Learning

Covering: Anomaly detector, Azure Bot Service, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Open Datasets, Bing APIs, Cognitive Services, Computer Vision, Content moderator, Custom vision, Data Science Virtual Machines, Face, Form Recogniser, Immersive Reader, Ink Recogniser, Language Understanding (LUIS), Machine Learning Studio, Microsoft Genomics, ML.NET, Personaliser, Project Cortex, QnA Maker, Speaker Recognition, Speech-to-Text, Speech translation, Text Analytics, Text to Speech , Translator Speech, Translator Text

• On Visual Studio Magazine, David Ramel (@dramel) describes ML.NET 3.0 Boosts Deep Learning, Data Processing for .NET-Based AI Apps
• On the Azure Medium blog, Valentina Alto covers Getting started with Azure AI Studio
• Geert Baeke (@GeertBaeke) discusses Using Integrated Vectorization in Azure AI Search
• On the Redmond magazine site, Kurt Mackie (@kurmac) covers Microsoft Aims To Deliver 'Confidential AI' in Partnership with Nvidia
• Brian Stoner talks about Copilot in Microsoft 365 – Support Tips
• Adi Shachar blogs about Azure AI Health Insights: New built-in models for patient-friendlyreports and radiology insights
• Glaucia Lemos (@glaucia_lemos86) provides A Practical Guide for Beginners: Azure OpenAI with JavaScript and TypeScript Part 02 and Part 03
• Jen Sheerin explains how to Integrate private access to your Azure Open AI Chatbot

Analytics

Covering: Apache Spark for HDInsight, Azure Analysis Services, Azure Data Explorer, Azure Data Share, Azure Databricks, Azure Stream Analytics, Azure Synapse Analytics, Data Factory, Event Hubs, HDInsight, Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Fabric

• Henry Shi covers Public Preview: Microsoft Fabric Items in Microsoft Purview
• On the Azure blog, Michael Flanakin talks about Democratizing FinOps: Transform your practice with FOCUS and Microsoft Fabric
• Markus Cozowic writes about Semantic Link: OneLake integrated Semantic Models
• On Microsoft Fabric Blog, Pawel Potasinski (@pawelpotasinski) blogs about Microsoft Fabric MVP Corner – Special Edition Ignite
• Sander van de Velde covers Microsoft Fabric real-time analytics exploration:KQL Database mirroring
• Greg Beaumont writes Try Microsoft Fabric with a Git Repo using CMS Healthcare Data
• Kevin Chant writes about Spreading your SQL Server wings with Microsoft Fabric Data Warehouses
• Kevin Chant describes Services that I recommend when working with Microsoft Fabric
• Ulrich Christ explains how to Integrate your SAP data into Microsoft Fabric
• Koen Verbeeck (@Ko_Ver) asks What are Kusto Query Language KQL databases in Microsoft Fabric?
• Anil Kota describes How to handle Large Objects LOB migration from Db2, Oracle to Azure SQL & Datalake - Part 2

Compute

Covering: Azure CycleCloud, Azure Dedicated Host, Azure Functions, Azure VMware Solution by CloudSimple, Batch, Cloud Services, Linux Virtual Machines, SAP HANA on Azure Large Instances, Service Fabric, Virtual Machines, Virtual Machine Scale Sets

• Charbel Nemnom (@charbelnemnom) blogs about Getting Hands-On with Azure Functions: A Deep Dive
• On the endjin blog, Ian Griffiths (@idg10) highlights How .NET 8.0 boosted AIS.NET performance by 27%

Containers

Covering: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Red Hat OpenShift, CNAB, CNCF, Container Instances, Container Registry, Porter, WSL, Web App for Containers

• Feynman Zhou (@FeynmanZhou) blogs about Enriching Container Supply Chains with ORAS
• On Dapr Blog, The Dapr Steering and Technical Committee announce Dapr Steering and Technical Committee 2023 Elections Results
• On Diagrid Blog, Alice Gibbons talks about Diagrid Conductor on the Azure Marketplace
• Thomas Thornton (@tamstar1234) blogs about GitHub Action seeing dockerfile but no additional files or folders in the same location
• On Code Project, Intel explains how to Build Secure Kubeflow Pipelines on Microsoft Azure

Databases

Covering: Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Database for MariaDB, Azure Database for MySQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Database Edge, Azure Cache for Redis, SQL Data Warehouse, SQL Server on virtual machines, SQL Server Stretch Database, Table storage

• Pieter Vanhove (@Pieter_Vanhove) blogs about SQL Server Management Studio improvements for Always Encrypted
• Varun Dhawan explains how to Enhance Monitoring with Azure Postgres Grafana Dashboard
• Lee Stott (@lee_stott) describes How to Write NoSQL Queries with Copilot for Azure Cosmos DB
• Sunitha Muthukrishna (@mksuni) blogs about Using DBeaver to connect to Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server and Manage an Azure Database for MySQL flexible server database with phpMyAdmin
• Jose M Jurado (@jmjuradodiaz) describes Lessons Learned: 454:Optimizing Connection Pooling for Application Workloads: Active Connections and 455:Optimizing Connection Pooling for Application Workloads: Exploring Login Rates

Developer Tools

Covering: App Configuration, Azure Lab Services, CLIs, Developer tool integrations, SDKs, Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio Online

• On the Visual Studio blog, Jessie Houghton announces a new preview feature Git Commits with GitHub Copilot
• On the Microsoft Reactor show, Cynthia Zanoni (@cynthiazanoni), April Edwards (@TheAprilEdwards) and Abril Urena talk about Crafting Spells with GitHub Copilot
• On Visual Studio Magazine - Blogs, David Ramel (@dramel) highlights Copilot AI Takes Over Git Commits in Visual Studio 2022 and writes about Native Rust in Visual Studio Is Top Dev Request, but Progress Slow
• Allana Hudson describes Azure Resource Graph x Power BI is finally here
• On episode 273 of the Azure DevOps podcast, Jeffrey Palermo (@jeffreypalermo) and Maarten Balliauw (@maartenballiauw) talk about Developer Tools
• Steve Jones writes about Using the Import Extension in Azure Data Studio

DevOps

Covering: Azure Artifacts, Azure Boards, Azure DevOps, Azure Pipelines, Azure Repos, Azure Test Plans, Azure DevTest Labs, DevOps tool integrations

• On the Microsoft DevOps blog, Gloridel Morales describes Azure DevOps Server 2022.1 RTW now available
• Saloni Agrawal describes Unleashing Code-Level Improvements with Azure Load Testing and AI
• Asaf Nakash explains how to Simplifying Onboarding to Microsoft Defender for Cloud with Terraform
• Panu Oksala covers DevSecOps – Improve App Service Deployment Security with Microsoft Entra ID authentication

Hybrid + Multicloud

Covering: Azure Arc, Azure Stack

• Aurnov Chattopadhyay discusses The first Windows Server 2012/R2 ESU Patches are out Are you protected
• Jill Armour explains how to Update on Extended Security Updates: Availability in CSP via Azure Arc
• Sarah Lean (@TechieLass) walks through Troubleshooting Azure Arc for Servers

Identity

Covering: Azure Active Directory (AD), Azure Active Directory B2C, Azure Active Directory Domain Services

• Shobhit Sahay discusses Whats new in Microsoft Entra
• Dishan Francis writes Step-by-Step : Assign access packages automatically based on user properties in Microsoft Entra ID
• Michael Hildebrand covers The Twelve Days of Blog-mas: No.2 - Windows Web Sign in and Passwordless and The Twelve Days of Blog-mas: No.3 - Windows Local Admin Password Solution LAPS

Integration

Covering: Azure API for FHIR, Event Grid, Logic Apps, Service Bus

• Parikshit Gupta covers Logic Apps Data Mapper - Compiling and Testing Your Map
• Pascal Burume covers Revolutionizing Road Safety: Power Platform AI-Powered Vehicle Identification & Verification System

Internet of Things

Covering: Azure Digital Twins, Azure IoT Central, Azure IoT Edge, Azure IoT Hub, Azure IoT solution accelerators, Azure Maps, Azure Sphere, Azure Time Series Insights, IoT DevKit, WildernessLabs, Windows 10 IoT Core Services

Learning

Covering: Microsoft Certifications, Azure Certifications, Microsoft Learning Paths, Certification Pathway Information

• On episode 214 of the Ctrl+Alt+Azure podTobias Zimmergren & Jussi Roine (@CtrlAltAzure) talk about Becoming certified as an Azure AI Engineer Associate with exam AI-102
• Carmen Forsmann provides a Skilling snack: Reduce bandwidth for Microsoft content delivery
• On episode 362 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast, Scott Hoag (@ciphertxt) and Ben Stegink (@benstegink) discuss The Flustration of Microsoft Ignite

Management and Governance

Covering: Automation, Azure Advisor, Azure Backup, Azure Blueprints, Azure Lighthouse, Azure Managed Applications, Azure mobile app, Azure Monitor, Azure Policy, Azure Resource Manager, Azure Service Health, Azure Site Recovery, Cloud Shell, Cost Management, Microsoft Azure portal, Scheduler, Azure Purview

• The Azure Updates Team writes about General Availability: Azure Automation supports PowerShell 7.2 runbooks, and Generally available: Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry-based Distro for ASP.NET Core Applications and Public Preview: Create and manage Azure Monitor managed Prometheus rules in Azure portal
• Jill Armour blogs about Updates to Azure partner-led offers: Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate, covers Help partners elevate their business by driving demand for their solutions with new SMB campaigns., writes about New Cloud Solution Provider growth opportunities withmarketing campaigns and discusses Unlock sales opportunities with new easy-to-use SMB marketing campaigns
• Matthew McCleary covers Making Azure the Best Place to Observe Your Apps with OpenTelemetry
• Bert Jansen blogs about Azure ACS retirement in Microsoft 365
• Bert Jansen describes SharePoint Add-In retirement in Microsoft 365 and covers SharePoint Add-In retirement in Microsoft 365
• Pratima Sharma describes Start Your Cloud Adoption Journey with the New Azure Expert Assessment Offering
• Zach Rosenfield announces SharePoint Embedded Public Preview at ESPC23
• On the Microsoft Mechanics show, Derek Liddell talks about Real-Time Collaboration Microsoft Loop Updates for Admins
• Brad Wyatt blogs about Getting Started with the IntuneCLI, an Automated Intune Management Solution

Media

Covering: Azure Media Player, Content Protection, Encoding, Live and On-Demand Streaming, Media Analytics, Media Services, Video Indexer

Migration

Covering: Azure Database Migration Service, Azure Migrate, Data Box

• On the Redmond magazine site, Kurt Mackie (@kurmac) talks about Microsoft Previews Free Azure Expert Assessment for Cloud Migrations

Mobile

Covering: App Service (Mobile), Mobile apps, Notification Hubs, Visual Studio App Centre, Xamarin

Networking

Covering: Application Gateway, Azure Bastion, Azure DNS, Azure ExpressRoute, Azure Firewall, Azure Firewall Manager, Azure Front Door, Azure Internet Analyzer, Azure Private Link, Content Delivery Network, Load Balancer, Network Watcher, Traffic Manager, Virtual Network, Virtual WAN, VPN Gateway, Web Application Firewall

• Gregor Suttie (@gregor_suttie) covers Azure Front Door and access restrictions
• Preston Romney delves into Connecting to Azure Services on the Microsoft Global Network
• Youna Hyun describes How to execute Code+Test when a private endpoint is enabled

Security

Covering: Azure DDoS Protection, Azure Information Protection, Azure Sentinel, Key Vault, Security Center

• Andy Jaw describes Microsoft Ignite Security, Compliance, and Identity Highlights
• Shirley Kochavi discusses Microsoft Sentinel: Public preview of Microsoft Defender for Cloud to Defender XDR integration
• Tal Berdah discusses Defender for cloud's Agentless secret scanning for virtual machines is now generally available
• Abdul Kadir Sheikh covers  Azure Key Vault: Understanding and Recovering Deleted Secrets
• Arjun Trivedi blogs about Identifying Adversary-in-the-Middle AiTM Phishing Attacks through 3rd-Party Network Detection
• Michael Lindsey writes about Defender EASM - Performing a Successful Proof of Concept PoC
• Utsav Raghuvanshi discusses Using Azure Site Recovery & Microsoft Defender for Servers to securely failover to malware-free VMs
• On the Microsoft Mechanics show, Shilpa Ranganathan explains how to Protect your data estate with Microsoft Purview
• Lizet Pena covers Windows Events, how to collect them in Sentinel and which way is preferred to detect Incidents.
• Andrey Karpovsky writes about Effective novelty detection in cloud security domain

Storage

Covering: Archive Storage, Avere vFXT for Azure, Azure Data Lake Store, Azure FXT Edge Filer, Azure HPC Cache, Azure NetApp Files, Blob Storage, Disk Storage, File Storage, Managed Disks, Queue Storage, Storage Accounts, Storage Explorer, StorSimple

• The Azure Updates Team covers Public preview: Azure NetApp Files support for 1 TiB capacity pools and writes about General Availability: Azure NetApp Files support for 2 TiB capacity pools
• Matthew Mitrik talks about Store and manage medical imaging data with Azure Data Lake Storage preview
• Lavani Katepaga discusses Troubleshooting ClientOtherErrors on Azure Storage Account
• Paul Edwards covers Azure Managed Lustre with Automatic Synchronisation to Azure BLOB Storage

Web

Covering: API apps, API Management, App Service (Web), Azure Cognitive Search, Azure SignalR Service, Azure Spring Cloud, Web apps

• Ken Tao explains how to Extended Support for Spring Boot 2 Projects in Azure Spring Apps Enterprise
• On the Azure Medium blog, Ala Raddaoui describes how to Secure access to your Azure App Services/Function Apps/Logic Apps using Azure AD OAuth and API

Azure Virtual Desktop

Covering: Azure Virtual Desktop

• Jessie Duan writes about Personal Desktop Autoscale on Azure Virtual Desktop generally available
• On the Azure Developer Community Blog, Anthony Cangialosi writes about New capabilities help simplify and streamline the experience with Microsoft Dev Box