Azure Weekly Newsletter Issue #457

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@HowardvRooijen | @endjin

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

• Lee Stott (@lee_stott) explains How to Build Trustworthy AI Systems with Responsible AI
• Olga Molocenco talks about Optimizing Azure OpenAI: A Guide to Limits, Quotas, and Best Practices
• Panu Oksala discusses Azure AI Language Service
• Neelam Saxena provides A Reference Architecture for Siemens and Microsoft Customers in the Industrial AI Space.
• ravisha writes 'AI/ML ModelOps is a Journey. Get Ready with SAS Viya Platform on Azure'
• On the Canadian MVP Show, Deepak Kaaushik presents an Ask Me Anything on – Azure OpenAI Studio with Demo and Q&A and Dives into the world of data analytics with Azure Synapse, Fabric, Snowflakes, and Databricks as seen through the Gen AI lens.
• Pamela Fox blogs about RAG techniques: Function calling for more structured retrieval and covers Cleaning user questions with an LLM

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

• Jonathan George (@jon_george1) provides an Introduction to Python Logging in Synapse Notebooks
• Jianlei Shen discusses Copy data to Amazon S3 & Amazon S3 Compatible via Fabric Data Factory Data Pipeline
• Paul DeCarlo announces the winners of "HackTogether: The Microsoft Fabric Global AI Hack"
• David Callaghan talks about Databricks Lakehouse Federation Public Preview
• Koen Verbeeck (@Ko_Ver) walks through Reading Data from Event Hubs into Eventstream and a Lakehouse Table - Part 2
• Dennes Torres discusses the Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approaches in Microsoft Fabric
• Oscar Garcia Ozkary (@ozkary) discusses Coupling Data Flows: Data Pipelines and Orchestration - Data Engineering Process Fundamentals
• Deepak Kaaushik writes about Canadian MVP Show: Dive into the world of data analytics with Azure Synapse, Fabric, Snowflakes, and Databricks as seen through the Gen AI lens.

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

• The Azure Updates Team announce the General availability: Azure Functions Support for Node.js 20 and covers Public preview: New Generation AMD VMs - Dasv6/Easv6/Fasv6
• Jeff Woolsey blogs about The Future of Windows Server Hyper-V is Bright

Containers

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

• The Diagrid Blog covers Dapr Day Recap and Dapr 1.13 Release Highlights
• Anthony Chu (@nthonyChu) highlights the Azure Container Apps Newsletter – March 2024
• Olivia Al-Joundi talks about Whats new in Azure Linux: Community, events, new features, and more.
• On the Azure Medium blog, Ivan Porta discusses Azure Container Storage: A New Dawn in Kubernetes Storage Solutions

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

• Nevena Nikolic blogs about Azure SQL MI premium-series memory optimized hw is now available in all regions with up to 40 vCores
• Greg Low (@greglow) presents episode 85 of the SQL Down Under show with guest Bob Duffydiscussing building data warehouses, and presents episode 10 of the Cosmos Down Under show with guest Tara Bhatia: discussing elasticity features is released
• Jonas Ekerhovd (@jonastalks) talks about Mastering Azure SQL Encryption for Better Data Protection
• Deepak Sengupta walks through Load Test Emulation for Azure Database for MySQL - Flexible Server using mysqlslap
• Gayathri Paderla delves into PostgreSQL Making Index creation faster
• On the Data Exposed show, Anna Hoffman (@AnalyticAnna) and Michael Howard cover Some SQL Server and Azure SQL DB Security Fundamentals
• Matt Changchien writes about Reading Azure SQL audit log from Azure Storage using sys.fngetauditfile returns empty result
• Matt Changchien covers Tips for tuning Postgres LIKE & ILIKE queries via pgtrgm on Azure
• Sudeshna Bhattacharyya talks about Records are not getting updated/deleted in Search Index despite enabling Track Deletions in SQL DB
• Foteini Savvidou explains how to Store and query embeddings in Azure Cosmos DB for PostgreSQL with pgvector

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, Faisal Hafeez covers Code coverage features in Visual Studio Enterprise
• Jacqueline Widdis (@JacqWiddis) writes about Visual Studio Subscriptions – A Product Managers Journey
• Mryam Girmay writes about Visual Studio 2022 Version 17.9: A Comprehensive Update for C++ Developers
• Elio Struyf (@eliostruyf) covers Using CLI for Microsoft 365 in TypeScript Azure Functions
• On episode 287 of the Azure DevOps podcast Jeffrey Palermo (@jeffreypalermo) is joined by Jared Parsons (@jaredpar) to talk about Designing C# and Testing a Compiler
• Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) blogs about Updating to .NET 8, updating to IHostBuilder, and running Playwright Tests within NUnit headless or headed on any OS

DevOps

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

• Tao Yang (@MrTaoYang) discusses PowerShell Module AzPolicyTest V2.0 Released and writes about Enhanced Azure Bicep Modules for Azure Policy Resources
• Brian Smith describes Using Power Automate for Project Lifecycle Workflows in Project Online – Part 1
• John Kilmister (@johnkilmister) talks about Managing your Azure Resources with Deployment Stacks
• Chris Sidebotham blogs about Azure Verified Modules - Monthly Update February

Hybrid + Multicloud

Covering: Azure Arc, Azure Stack

• Wim Matthyssen (@wmatthyssen) blogs about Azure Spring Clean: Unleashing the Power of Azure Policy for Seamless Azure Arc Governance

Identity

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

• Marina Kidron discusses Permissions Management: Defender XDR's RBAC Walkthrough for Microsoft Defender for Office 365
• Jerry Devore presents Active Directory Hardening Series - Part 3 – Enforcing LDAP Signing
• Henry Been (@henry_been) discusses A quest for banishing local authentication: Application Insights

Integration

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

• James Broome says No-code/Low-code is software DIY - how do you avoid DIY disaster?
• On the Redmond magazine site, Kurt Mackie (@kurmac) discusses Veeam's Microsoft Partnership Extending to Backup-as-a-Service and Copilot AI Collaborations
• Alex Zúñiga highlights the Logic Apps Aviators Newsletter - March 2024
• Reynaldo Montes de Oca blogs about Clustering the BizTalk EntSSO Master Secret Server, SQL and MSDTC services on Azure IaaS
• Jose Barreto writes a series of posts covering MGDC for SharePoint FAQ: How can I use Delta State Datasets, How can I estimate my Azure bill, What counts as an object, Which regions are supported, What is the size of my sites, and How do I process Deltas

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

• The Azure Updates Team announces Azure Sphere OS version 24.03 is now available for evaluation

Learning

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

• Liberty Munson writes about Reimagining the Microsoft Certification exam UI experience
• Mike Tholfsen blogs about Whats New in Microsoft EDU 22 updates for March 2024
• Shirleyse Haley writes Learn about AI and Microsoft Copilot for Security with Learn Live
• Gustavo Rubio provides a Skilling snack: Windows Server security
• Gregor Suttie (@gregor_suttie) covers Azure Spring Clean March 2024

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 announce Public Preview: Well-Architected Framework assessment on Azure Advisor
• Ben Brauer writes about New feature: easily assign regulatory compliance policies to your Azure Landing Zone
• Charbel Nemnom (@charbelnemnom) writes What Is Azure Cost Management?
• Gerasimos Alexiou explains how to Optimise Azure Costs with Advisor Recommendations
• Jose Barreto writes about Four Options for SharePoint Site Analytics
• On the Canadian MVP Show, Deepak Kaaushik describes How to optimize Cloud cost Lets do together Azure Cost Optimization with AWAF
• On episode 228 of the Ctrl+Alt+Azure podcast, Tobias Zimmergren and Jussi Roine are joined by Bastian Ulke to talj about The updated Operational Excellence pillar in the Azure Well-Architected Framework
• Henry Yan blogs about Navigating the CentOS End-of-life EOL in Azure
• Ian Carter announces the Public Preview of Change Actor

Media

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

• Ethan Li blogs about Articles now available in Viva Engage

Migration

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

• No content this week

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

• Leo Visser (@autosysops) blogs about Use Azure cloud native DNS resolver for split horizon
• Aidan Finn (@joe_elway) writes about Designing Network Security To Combat Modern Threats

Security

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

• Dan Narloch blogs about Advancing Trust, Transparency, and Control with Copilot for Microsoft 365
• Derek Su talks about Windows 365 Customer Lockbox generally available
• Heike Ritter writes about Defender Monthly news - March 2024
• Shawn Hays talks about Microsoft Copilot for Security and NIST 800-171: Access Control
• Erika Acon Atan explains how to Troubleshoot and Manage Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention for your Endpoint Devices
• Gustavo Modena talks about Guarding the Gates: Exploring Supported Scenarios for Azure DDoS Protection and Public IP Prefixes
• Lior Liberman describes how to Use the new investigation and response capabilities for macOS and Linux
• Rod Trent (@rodtrent) writes about Improving Threat Hunting Efficiency using Copilot for Security
• Simone Curzi blogs about Securing the Clouds: Achieving a Unified Security Stance and threat-based approach to Use Cases
• Cary Sun (@SifuSun) writes three articles on Microsoft Defender for Office 365: Configure SPF email authentication for Microsoft 365 domains, Configure DKIM email authentication for Microsoft 365 Custom domains, Configure DMARC email authentication for Microsoft 365 Custom Domains and Configure trusted ARC sealers email authentication for Microsoft 365 Custom domains

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 discusses Public preview: Azure NetApp Files volume enhancement – allow the same file path for volumes in different availability zones
• Epsisode 489 of the Azure podcast with the Podcast team (@AzurePodcast) and Ben Hummerstone:Storage Revisited
• Artem Mikulich discusses Azure Storage Actions vs. Lifecycle Management

Web

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

• The Azure Updates Team announces General Availability: App Service Backup and Restore over Azure Virtual Network
• Thomas Gauvin explains how to Improved Next.js support Preview for Azure Static Web Apps
• Candace Jackson covers Frequently Asked Question about TLS and Cipher Suite configuration
• Damien Bowden (@damien_bod) walks through Multi client blob storage access using ASP.NET Core with Entra ID authentication and RBAC

Azure Virtual Desktop

Covering: Azure Virtual Desktop

• Travis Roberts (@Ciraltos) says Dont Let Antivirus Impact FSLogix Performance

Useful Links

• Azure Resource Inventory - Azure Resource Inventory - It's a Powerful tool to create EXCEL inventory from Azure Resources with low effort
• Azure Quick Review (azqr) - A command-line interface (CLI) tool specifically designed to analyze Azure resources and identify whether they comply with Azure's best practices and recommendations.
• AzSaveMoney - Clean-up and save money by identifying and marking unused Azure resources/groups as subject for deletion by tagging.
• Azure Cost CLI - CLI tool to perform cost analysis on your Azure subscription
• Azure Code Samples - Explore Microsoft's samples and discover the things you can build.
• Azure Resource Inventory - Azure Resource Inventory is a powerful script written in PowerShell to generate an Excel report of any Azure Environment you have read access
• Azure Quickstart Templates - Learn how to deploy to Azure using ARM Templates. Over 850 examples in this repo.
• Azure CNAB Quickstarts Library - You can deploy to the Cloud, on Prem and on the Edge using CNAB & Porter. This library provides a number of quickstart templates to help you get started, fast!
• Power BI Weekly - Interested in Power BI? Sign up to our sister newsletter Power BI Weekly to receive all the week's Power BI news.
• Azure Resources - A fantastic collection of resources contained in this repo. Issue a PR if you have resources to share. Managed by Azure MVP Gregor Suttie.
• Azure Charts - Azure Charts is a set of auto-rebuilt charts to keep you updated on Azure changes, news, stats. Public updates, RSS channels and web pages are used as data sources
• The Developer’s Guide to Microsoft Azure (2nd Edition) - ebook from Microsoft showcasing architectural approaches and common design patterns you face when building modern applications.
• Cyber Security Demystified - ebook from Microsoft describing how to keep your organisation safe.
• Azure Resource Center - Whitepapers, code samples, solution architectures
• Azure Architecture Center - guidance from the Patterns & Practices team covering API Design, API implementation, Autoscaling, Background jobs, CDN, Caching, Data partitioning, Monitoring and diagnostics, Retry, Scalability and availability.
• Design scalable and performant tables - a guide from the storage team.
• Azure Speed Test 2.0 - a simple web tool that measures the latency between you and Azure Datacenters to suggest which might be fastest for you location.
• Microsoft Azure Symbol/Icon Set - a set of Visio and PowerPoint shapes for use in architecture diagrams / presentations.
• Service Bus Explorer - a free and open source tool for managing and exploring Azure Service Bus(including Event Hubs).
• Microsoft cloud for IT architects illustrations - These cloud architecture posters give you information about Microsoft cloud services, including Microsoft 365, Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), Microsoft Intune, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and hybrid on-premises and cloud solutions.
• Whitepapers for Power BI - numerous whitepapers ranging various Power BI topics
• Farmer - This is a DSL for ARM template creation - "Making repeatable Azure deployments easy"!