by Contributed | Dec 10, 2021 | Technology
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
The Azure PowerShell team is proud to announce a new major version of the Az PowerShell module. Following our release cadence, this is the second breaking change release for 2021. Because this release includes updates related to security and the switch to MS Graph, we recommend that you review the release notes before upgrading.
MS Graph support
Azure PowerShell offers a set of cmdlets allowing basic management of AzureAD resources (Applications, Service Principal, Users, and Groups). Through Az 6.x, those cmdlets were using the AzureAD Graph API. Starting with Az 7, those cmdlets are now using the Microsoft Graph API. Because the AzureAD Graph API has announced its retirement, we highly recommend that you consider upgrading to Az 7 at your earliest convenience.
The parameters required depend on the API definition and so does the object returned on the response of the API. Our north star in this effort has been to minimize the breaking changes exposed by the cmdlets. Because of the behavior differences between MS Graph API and AzureAD Graph API, some breaking changes could not be avoided. For example, the MS Graph API does not allow setting the password when creating a Service Principal. We removed this parameter from the new cmdlets.
In some cases, cmdlets of a service transparently execute Azure AD operations. For example, when creating an AKS cluster, a service principal will be created if it is not provided. Az.KeyVault, Az.AKS, Az.SQL have been updated and now use Microsoft Graph for those transparent operations. Az.HDInsights, Az.StorageSync, Az.Synapse and Authorization cmdlets in Az.Resources will be updated shortly, this will be transparent.
For your convenience, we have compiled the breaking changes in the article: AzureAD to Microsoft Graph migration changes in Azure PowerShell.
Should you face issues with the Graph cmdlets, please consult our troubleshooting guide or open an issue on GitHub.
Invoke-AzRestMethod supports data plane and MS Graph.
The purpose of the `Invoke-AzRestMethod` cmdlet is to offer a backup solution for when a native cmdlet does not exist for a given resource.
Our initial implementation of this cmdlet supported only management plane operations for Azure Resource Manager. With the support for MS Graph, we updated this cmdlet so it could also serve as a backup to manage MS Graph resources. From the module implementation, the MS Graph API is considered like a data plane API so we added support for MS Graph any Azure data plane.
For example, the following command will retrieve information about the current signed in user via the MS Graph API:
Invoke-AzRestMethod –Uri https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me
Security improvement
When connecting with a service principal, we identified that the secret associated with a service principal or the certificate password would be exposed in a nested property of the object returned by `Connect-AzAccount`. We removed the properties named `ServicePrincipalSecret` and `CertificatePassword` from this object.
Since this property could be exposed in logs or debugging traces of scripts running in automation environments like ADO, we highly recommend that you consider upgrading to the most recent version of Az.Accounts or Az.
Improved support for cloud native services (AKS and ACI updates)
We are continuing our efforts to improve the support of container-based services. In this release, we focused on AKS and ACI.
`Invoke-AzAksRunCommand` has been added to run a shell command using kubectl or helm against an AKS cluster. The response is available as a property of the returned object. This cmdlet greatly simplifies the management of the resources in a cluster. Since the cmdlet also supports file attachment, it is possible to manage Kubernetes clusters and associated applications (for example via a helm chart) directly from PowerShell.
We have greatly improved networking support of AKS clusters. We’ve added support for the following parameters: ‘NetworkPolicy’, ‘PodCidr’, ‘ServiceCidr’, ‘DnsServiceIP’, ‘DockerBridgeCidr’, ‘NodePoolLabel’, ‘AksCustomHeader’, ‘EnableNodePublicIp’, and ‘NodePublicIPPrefixID’.
We also improved the manageability of nodes in an AKS cluster using Azure PowerShell. It is now possible to perform the following operations:
- Change the number of nodes in a node pool
- Upgrade cluster when node pool version does not match the cluster version
We made two additions to the ACI (Azure Container Instance) module:
- `Invoke-AzContainerInstanceCommand` now establishes a connection with the container and returns the output of the command that was executed within the container.
- `Restart-AzContainerGroup` has been added. If a container image has been updated, containers will run with the new version.
We will continue to improve the PowerShell experience with services running cloud native applications.
Additional resources
The Azure PowerShell team is listening to your feedback on the following channels:
- GitHub issues to report issues or feature requests. We triage issues several times a week and provide an initial answer as soon as we can.
- GitHub discussions to open discussions or share best practices.
- @AzurePosh on Twitter to engage informally with the team.
Thank you!
Damien,
on behalf of the Azure PowerShell team
by Contributed | Dec 9, 2021 | Technology
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
This is the next segment of our blog series highlighting Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors who achieved the Gold milestone and have recently graduated from university. Each blog in the series features a different student and highlights their accomplishments, their experience with the Student Ambassadors community, and what they’re up to now.
Today we meet Bethany Jepchumba, who is from Kenya and recently graduated from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology with a degree in Business Innovation Technology Management.
Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
When you joined the Student Ambassador community in September of 2019, did you have specific goals you wanted to reach, such as a particular skill or quality? What were they? Did you achieve them? How has the community impacted you in general?
Coming from a non-technical background, tech communities had a profound impact on my journey in tech. I wanted to spread the technology gospel to all and have more learners join in, so I joined the Student Ambassador community,
As a Student Ambassador, what was the biggest accomplishment that you’re the proudest of and why?
I managed a Data Science and Artificial Intelligence community in Kenya with a co-lead in 2020 where we conducted 10+ events created to skill up beginners. We had over 500 learners in three months during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, I was an organizer of the first Microsoft Student Summit Africa in 2020. The event was a collaboration between Student Ambassadors from Kenya and Nigeria and received a total of 3,000+ RSVPs. There were 3 different tracks: Artificial Intelligence, Power Platform, Web Development. My main role was leading the team in designing the conference, moderating sessions, and preparing the speakers. I also stepped in to do an Introduction to DevOps session without any prior preparation when our speaker could not join the call.
I also led a team of five to win a five-week Game of Learners hackathon that had 60 participants. Winners were awarded one-on-one mentorship sessions with different industry professionals, including one with Microsoft’s Donovan Brown. I also delivered a workshop to 100+ on Manipulating and Cleaning Data to the Microsoft Reactor Community.
What are you doing now that you’ve graduated?
My journey in the Student Ambassador community pushed me to empower the next generation of techies. Currently, I am a Program Coordinator Associate at Andela, a unicorn that matches global companies to remote talent in Africa. I enable the skilling of over 50,000 learners through partnerships with global companies such as Microsoft, Google, Salesforce, and Facebook.
If you could redo your time as a Student Ambassador, is there anything you would have done differently?
In the program, I did my best, and I gave my best. If I could go back, I would do more of what I was able to accomplish, and I’d collaborate and speak up more.
If you were to describe the community to a student who is interested in joining, what would you say about it to convince them to join?
There is a lot of swag, free azure credits, and certification vouchers for Student Ambassadors. You will get to make long-time friends and have access to Microsoft Cloud Advocates. The opportunities in the program are limitless, and you get to craft your own experience.
What advice would you give to new Student Ambassadors?
Collaborate. There is power in working together. If you have an idea for an event or engagement you want to organize, include others–the more the merrier. Make Microsoft Teams your friend, learn how to navigate it, and you will not miss any important collaborations. Lastly, ensure you have at least one Student Ambassador engagement per month. Whether it is publishing a blog, speaking at an event, hosting your own sessions, or doing a certification. Ensure that you constantly take advantage of the program and all it offers. Remember, all the efforts you put in the program will be rewarded in equal measure.
Do you have a motto in life, a guiding principle that drives you?
“Do what you love, love what you do, and with all your heart give yourself to it.”
– Roy T. Bennett
What is one random fact few people know about you?
One thing in my bucket list is to visit an upside-down house, either in South Africa or the UK. I still cannot believe they exist.
Good luck to you in the future, Bethany!
Readers, you can keep in touch with Bethany on LinkedIn, GitHub, Instagram, Twitter, or on her blog.
by Contributed | Dec 8, 2021 | Technology
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Data Exposed streams live regularly to LearnTV. Every 4 weeks, we’ll do a News Update. We’ll include product updates, videos, blogs, etc. as well as upcoming events and things to look out for. We’ve included an iCal file, so you can add a reminder to tune in live to your calendar. If you missed the episode, you can find them all at https://aka.ms/AzureSQLYT.
You can read this blog to get all the updates and references mentioned in the show (including the awesome speakers we had on!). Since we did things a little differently this month, here’s the special December update which contains the year in review (i.e., all the big updates this year across Azure SQL, SQL Server, and Azure Arc):
SQL Server on Azure VMs
Featuring Ajay Jagannathan
Azure SQL Managed Instance
Featuring Niko Neugebauer
Azure SQL Database
Featuring Andreas Wolter
Updates across Azure SQL
Migrations
Azure Arc-enabled Services
Featuring Buck Woody
SQL Server
Featuring Bob Ward
Last but certainly not least, the biggest announcement in the SQL Server space was, of course, the private preview of SQL Server 2022, the most Azure-enabled SQL Server release yet. New functionality includes Synapse Link support, Link feature to Azure SQL Managed Instance for DR, and new performance enhancements (with no code changes!). Get all the details at https://aka.ms/sqlserver2022.
Anna’s Pick of the Month
My pick of the month is Data Exposed! Marisa Brasile and I are working constantly to get you the information you need when you need it from the SQL Engineering team. So, as we round out the year, Marisa came on to tell us about all the series you might’ve missed (there’s been a lot!).
Live Series:
Mini-series:
Special:
Until next time…
That’s it for now! Be sure to check back next month for the latest updates, and tune into Data Exposed Live the first (or second) Wednesday of every month at 9AM PST on LearnTV. We also release new episodes on Thursdays at 9AM PST and new #MVPTuesday episodes on the last Tuesday of every month at 9AM PST at aka.ms/DataExposedyt.
Having trouble keeping up? Be sure to follow us on twitter to get the latest updates on everything, @AzureSQL.
On a personal note — in 2021 we kicked off the News Updates series as well as Data Exposed Live. Thank you for joining us on this journey of learning, sharing, and growing. We hope you have a wonderful end of the year, and we can’t wait to see you in 2022!
We hope to see you next [YEAR], on Data Exposed :)
–Anna and Marisa
by Contributed | Dec 7, 2021 | Technology
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
In the article Learning from Expertise #2: Who Dropped my Azure SQL DB? – Microsoft Tech Community we have explored various solution to know, secure, protect, recover, audit and monitor Azure SQL DB against unintended deletion.
Today, we will highlight on another unappealing situation when we see customer who accidentally deleted the SQL DB Server which ultimately deleting the underlying databases as well. This is a scenario commonly hit because of automation tools such as Terraform.
It’s very important to note that: – Restore of a dropped server is not an officially supported scenario, and any attempt to recover will be laid under a best effort trial to recover the server and databases.
First Recommendation
*Do not* recreate the server again with the same name in case you want to restore the dropped the server and try to contact Microsoft support the soonest the possible.
Additional precautionary measures:
The following recommendations can help you to recover from these unintentional scenarios by either preventing it or restoring the important data whenever needed:
1. Implement resource lock to avoid accidental changes in Azure resources. you can lock at different levels like subscription, resource group, or resource to prevent other users in your organization from accidentally deleting or modifying critical resources. You can find more information, see: Lock resources to prevent changes – Azure Resource Manager | Microsoft Docs
2. Enable Long Term Backup Retention (LTR)
This feature allows users to configure a single or a pooled database with a long-term backup retention policy (LTR) to automatically retain the database backups in separate Azure Blob storage containers for up to 10 years and recover database using these backups via Azure portal or PowerShell. LTR backups are completely independent and cannot be impacted by server drop. For more information, see:
Long-term backup retention – Azure SQL Database & Azure SQL Managed Instance | Microsoft Docs
Azure SQL Database: Manage long-term backup retention – Azure SQL Database | Microsoft Docs
3. You can export the latest copy of the database into a storage account before deleting the database. Export the database to BACPAC File can be done through various tools like Azure Portal, SQLPackage, SSMS and powershell. More information can be found in:
Export an Azure SQL Database to a BACPAC file (the Azure portal) – Azure SQL Database & Azure SQL Managed Instance | Microsoft Docs
Also, you can leverage Azure automation to automate the database export, you can find the detailed steps handy at my colleague @Mohamed_Baioumy_MSFT‘s blog: How to automate Export Azure SQL DB to blob storage use Automation account – Microsoft Tech Community
I hope you find this article helpful. If you have any feedback, please do not hesitate to provide it in the comment section below.
Ahmed S. Mazrouh
by Contributed | Dec 7, 2021 | Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, Technology
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
In recent years, retailers, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, and manufacturers have incorporated direct-to-consumer (D2C) business models into their go-to-market strategies to give end customers the options to order from anywhere and ship to everywhere. As the use of these online sales channels continues to expand, so too does the number of third-party fulfillment partners and options to evaluate and incorporate into their supply chain and commerce systems. Organizations with business-to-business (B2B), business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C), and D2C business models, require technology solutions that give them the ability to manage an increasingly complex order lifecycle from order source through orchestration to intelligent fulfillment and delivery.
According to Gartner, “83 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) stated they were expanding digital channels in 2021, while 79 percent plan to increase the use of self-service by customers and citizens.”1 With Microsoft Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management, companies can stay on top of their game through digital channels, as Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management enhances their digital order and delivery channels. It provides real-time visibility into each order from order intake to delivery, and customizable dashboards to help track and improve operational decision-making across every touchpoint of the order life cycle.
Overcome fulfillment complexity
Managing the entire order lifecycle is about placing your organization in a position to deliver on your order promise with every customer order. But there are other undeniable benefits, such as reducing logistics costs by overcoming fulfillment complexities that await companies, who demonstrate the ability to do this well. Indeed, according to McKinsey & Company, “since e-commerce fulfillments are significantly more complex, contract logistics can charge around 50 percent more than for traditional store fulfillment. Therefore, those companies that overcome the complexities stand to gain the most.”2
Companies can overcome the complexities of e-commerce fulfillment by utilizing Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management rules-based fulfillment orchestration system that uses real-time inventory and AI to optimize order flows. This solution offers advanced analytical capabilities to measure fulfillment effectiveness and business users can use the insights to re-model the order fulfillment journey using drag and drop tools to ensure that their customer needs are met on time and at the lowest possible cost. In addition, Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management provides out-of-the-box pre-built connectors to e-commerce order sources such as BigCommerce, Magento, and Orderful; delivery partners such as Flexe, Krber, and ShipStation, and to tax and rebate management partners such as Avalara, Flintfox, and Vertex. All these capabilities provide organizations the agility needed to overcome supply chain constraints and deliver on their order promise.
Apply artificial intelligence
To profitably manage the entire order lifecycle, companies increasingly need to use AI and machine learning (ML) technologies in the supply chain. In fact, according to McKinsey & Company, “successfully implementing AI-enabled supply-chain management has enabled early adopters to improve logistics costs by 15 percent, inventory levels by 35 percent, and service levels by 65 percent, compared with slower-moving competitors.”3
With Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management, AI and ML are used to analyze data to find and predict patterns in order flows and fulfillment processes. The results help bring new levels of insights that would not otherwise be possible for human team members to spot alone. These results can then be paired with AI-based classification and anomaly detection models to proactively identify and address fulfillment constraints and to improve delivery times, while simultaneously reducing costs. The use of AI and ML enhances decision-making across all order orchestration flows by delivering the capability to sense and predict constraints, disruptions, and opportunities to improve order and fulfillment processes.
Enhance inventory visibility
Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management solution architecture was designed to support the requirements of complex order processing environments, where there are many systems and apps in the overall order-to-fulfillment process. By bringing visibility into many disparate data sources and applications; order flows, inventory, and supporting functions can be significantly improved. Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management ships out-of-the-box with an integrated real-time inventory visibility service that is highly scalable and extensible, and provides a single, global view of all inventory positions across all legal entities.
Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management not only provides organizations with a single, global view of all inventory positions, but its fulfillment orchestration engine also uses real-time inventory data to optimize fulfillment processes to ensure optimal stock levels are maintained across all stock locations. The result is that companies can increase online product availability, improve cash flow by right-sizing stock levels, and guarantee a delightful customer experience by delivering every order on time and in full.
What’s next?
We have seen that Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management is an ideal tool for managing the entire order lifecycle. By utilizing rules-based order orchestration to overcome fulfillment complexities, leveraging AI and ML to derive actionable insights, and optimizing stock levels by applying a real-time inventory visibility service, companies can deliver on their order promise and turn order management into a competitive advantage. Moreover, Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management seamlessly integrates with any enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce, Dynamics 365, and non-Dynamics 365 applications, allowing organizations to skip costly rip and replace implementations.
If you are ready to see how Microsoft Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management can help your organization to manage the entire order lifecycle, we invite you to get started today by contacting us or signing up for a free trial. Or, to learn more about how to meet your growing digital commerce needs and scale easily, while supporting the latest fulfillment methods, check the Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management resources on our website: Dynamics 365 Intelligent Order Management.
Sources:
- “Gartner, Add Digital Payments as Part of Communications Platform as a Service Offering, Lisa Unden-Farboud, Daniel O’Connell et al, 27 August, 2021.” GARTNER is the registered trademark and service mark of Gartner Inc., and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and has been used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
- McKinsey & Company, Unlocking the omnichannel opportunity in contract logistics, March 12, 2021, Tom Bartman, Scott McConnell, Florian Neuhaus, and Isabell Scheringer.
- McKinsey & Company, Succeeding in the AI supply-chain revolution, April 30, 2021, Knut Alicke, Valerio Dilda, Stephan Grner, Lapo Mori, Pierrick Rebuffel, Sebastian Reiter, and Robert Samek.
The post Why AI and real-time visibility are a game-changer for order lifecycle management appeared first on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Blog.
Brought to you by Dr. Ware, Microsoft Office 365 Silver Partner, Charleston SC.
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