What you will learn in Microsoft Azure in Action
Chapter by chapter
Concepts explained in this book
- Azure Logic AppsAzure Logic Apps is a managed Azure service for designing and running workflows that integrate applications, data, and services through triggers and operations.
- replicationReplication is the creation and maintenance of multiple copies of data or system state across storage locations or components.
- Azure FunctionsAzure Functions is an Azure serverless compute service that runs event-driven code without requiring management of the underlying servers.
- Azure Functions triggerAn Azure Blob Storage trigger is an Azure Functions event binding that invokes a function when a specified blob-storage event occurs.
- Cosmos DBAzure Cosmos DB is Microsoft's globally distributed, multimodel database service providing low-latency access and elastic scalability.
- endpointAn API endpoint is a network-accessible interface at which an application or service receives requests and returns responses.
- virtual machineA virtual machine is a software-based computer that runs on virtualized physical hardware as an isolated execution environment.
- Azure CLIAzure CLI is Microsoft's cross-platform command-line tool for managing Azure resources and services.
- Azure Function AppAn Azure Function App is an Azure hosting container that groups one or more Azure Functions with a shared runtime environment and configuration.
- dataset splitA partition is a subset of database data stored separately from other subsets for distribution and access management.
- AzureMicrosoft Azure is Microsoft's cloud computing platform for deploying applications, storing data, networking resources, and automating operational tasks.
- containerA storage container is a logical namespace that groups and organizes stored data objects within a storage service.
- storage accountAn Azure Storage account is an Azure resource that provides a namespace and configuration boundary for storage services and their data.
- Microsoft Entra IDEntra ID is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management service.
- Azure MonitorAzure Monitor is Microsoft's Azure observability service for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from cloud resources and applications.
- Microsoft Azure FoundryAn AI Foundry resource is an Azure resource type that provides access to AI Foundry models and related capabilities.
- virtual networkA virtual network is a logically isolated network in a cloud environment that connects virtualized resources and controls their network traffic.
- language modelA large language model is a machine-learning model trained on large text corpora to generate or transform natural-language content.
- binary large objectA blob is an object of arbitrary binary or textual data stored in Azure Blob Storage.
- recommendation engineA recommendation engine is a computational system that generates personalized suggestions from user, item, or contextual data.
- multifactor authenticationMulti-factor authentication (MFA) is an authentication technique that requires two or more independent types of evidence to verify an identity.
- Azure Functions Consumption planAn Azure Functions Consumption plan is a hosting option that automatically scales function execution and charges for the compute resources consumed.
- Azure resource groupA resource group is an Azure management container that organizes related resources and supports their collective lifecycle management.
- cool access tierThe Cool access tier is an Azure Storage access tier for infrequently accessed data, with lower storage costs and higher access costs and latency than the Hot tier.
- static siteA static website is a website whose pages are delivered as precomposed files rather than generated dynamically for each request.
- network security groupA network security group is an Azure traffic-filtering configuration that allows or denies inbound and outbound network connections according to prioritized rules.
- scalabilityScalability is the ability of a system to accommodate changing workloads by increasing or decreasing resources.
- autoscalingThe act of decreasing a virtual machine's size to provide fewer computing resources.
- Azure SQL DatabaseAzure SQL is Microsoft's family of managed relational database services based on Microsoft SQL Server technology.
- partitioning keyA partition key is the entity-key component that identifies the physical partition in which an Azure Table Storage entity is stored.
- Azure API ManagementAzure API Management is a managed Azure service for publishing, securing, transforming, monitoring, analyzing, and distributing APIs.
- request unitA request unit is Azure Cosmos DB's normalized measure of the computational resources required to perform a database operation.
- serverless computingServerless computing is a cloud execution model in which the provider manages server infrastructure while applications run code in response to events or requests.
- Microsoft Defender for CloudMicrosoft Defender for Cloud is an Azure-native cloud security service that assesses security posture, detects threats, and provides security recommendations for cloud resources and workloads.
- Azure OpenAIAzure OpenAI Service is an Azure service that provides access to hosted OpenAI generative AI models through managed APIs and endpoints.
- Azure Functions bindingAn Azure Functions binding is a declarative configuration that connects a function to an input or output data source or service.
- AzCopyAzCopy is a Microsoft command-line utility for copying files and data between local systems and Azure Storage resources.
- natural language processingNatural language processing is a branch of artificial intelligence that enables computers to understand, interpret, and generate human language.
- storage classA storage tier, or access tier, is a service configuration that determines how stored data is accessed, retained, and priced.
- managed identityA managed identity is an Azure-managed identity for authenticating to supported services without users storing or handling credentials.
- Azure tenantA Microsoft Entra ID tenant is a dedicated identity and access management instance that provides an organizational boundary for users, resources, and applications.
- request unit per secondA request unit per second is a Cosmos DB throughput capacity unit representing the number of request units a collection can serve each second.
- iaasInfrastructure as a service (IaaS) is a cloud service model that provides virtualized computing, networking, and storage while leaving customers responsible for higher-level software and configuration.
- speech recognitionSpeech to text is the automatic conversion of spoken language in an audio signal into written text.
- contractAn API is a defined interface through which software components request functionality or data from other software.
- deploymentDeployment is the process of making a trained model or application available for operational use.
- Azure StorageAzure Storage is Microsoft's cloud storage service for durable storage of data objects, files, queues, and other resources.
- service principalA service principal is a nonhuman identity used by an application or service to authenticate to Azure resources.
- Azure SpeechAzure Speech is Microsoft's cloud service for speech recognition, speech synthesis, speech translation, and related speech-processing capabilities.
- Azure Load BalancerAzure Load Balancer is a managed Azure service that distributes network traffic across backend resources according to configured rules and health status.
- fine-tuningFine-tuning is the process of further training a pretrained model on task-specific data to adapt its behavior or vocabulary.
- Log AnalyticsA Log Analytics workspace is an Azure data repository and management boundary in which log and telemetry data is collected, stored, and queried.
- Azure BastionAzure Bastion is a managed Azure service that provides secure browser-based access to virtual machines through an Azure virtual network without exposing them directly to the public internet.
- cloud computingA cloud computing platform is an internet-accessible environment that provides managed computing resources and services for building and running applications.
- cloud regionAn Azure region is a geographic deployment area containing one or more Azure data centers where cloud resources can be hosted.
- costCost is the monetary amount incurred for consuming cloud resources or services.
- defense in depthDefense in depth is a security pattern that applies multiple independent protective layers so that failure of one control does not expose the entire system.
- hot tierThe hot tier is an Azure Files access tier with relatively lower storage cost and relatively higher transaction cost than the transaction optimized tier.
- role-based access controlRole-based access control is an authorization method that grants permissions according to assigned roles.
- lifecycle policyA lifecycle management policy is a set of rules that automatically performs data-management actions on storage objects based on conditions such as age or version age.
- hotspotA hot partition is a logical database partition that receives a disproportionate amount of data or requests and can become a performance bottleneck.
- Azure PortalThe Azure Portal is Microsoft's web-based management interface for creating, managing, monitoring, and organizing Azure resources.
- text chunkChunking is the division of text into smaller segments for processing by a language model or retrieval system.
- information retrievalRetrieval is the process of selecting relevant stored information to provide as context for a language model.
- sentiment analysisSentiment analysis is the computational determination of opinions, emotions, or attitudes expressed in text.
- promptA prompt is text or other input instructions supplied to a generative model to guide its output.
- summarizationSummarization is the generation of a shorter representation that preserves the main information in a source text.
- shared-responsibility modelThe shared responsibility model is a cloud security framework that assigns responsibility for different aspects of operating and securing a cloud environment between the provider and the customer.
- denormalizationDenormalization is the intentional introduction of redundant or combined data into a relational schema to improve read performance or simplify access.
- autotuningAutomatic tuning is a database optimization capability that analyzes workload behavior and recommends or applies configuration changes to improve performance.
- HTTP triggerAn HTTP trigger is a workflow or function trigger that starts execution when it receives an HTTP request.
- Azure Database for MySQLAzure Database for MySQL is a fully managed relational database service that runs the open-source MySQL database system on Microsoft Azure.
- archive tierAn archive tier is an Azure storage access tier for rarely accessed data that minimizes storage cost while requiring delayed retrieval and higher access cost.
- subnetworkA subnet is a subdivision of a virtual network with its own address range and network configuration.
- shared access signatureA shared access signature (SAS) is a signed Azure credential that grants delegated, time-limited permissions to specified resources.
- pipelineA pipeline is an ordered sequence of processing stages that moves data or executes computational tasks.
- Computer VisionAzure Vision is Microsoft's cloud computer-vision service for analyzing images and extracting visual information.
- actionAn action is an executable step in a workflow that performs an operation after the workflow starts.
- policyAn access policy is a defined set of rules that determines whether a user or group may access a service or resource.
- databaseA database is an organized logical store within a Cosmos DB account that contains collections or containers of data.
- datasetA dataset is a collection of structured examples or records used to analyze data or develop and evaluate machine-learning models.
- securitySecurity is the protection of systems, data, applications, and infrastructure against unauthorized access, misuse, disruption, or damage.
- role assignmentA role assignment is a configuration that grants a specified authorization role to an identity for a scope such as a resource or resource group.
- logLogging is the practice of recording system or application events and diagnostic information.
- alertingA smart alert is an automated monitoring notification that can use metrics, logs, or dynamic thresholds to identify and report problems.
- zero-trust networkingZero trust is a security model that grants no implicit trust and continuously verifies each identity and access request before authorizing resource access.
- recommendationA security recommendation is actionable guidance for reducing security risk or improving an environment's security controls or posture.
- Azure Key VaultAzure Key Vault is a managed Azure service for securely storing and controlling access to secrets, cryptographic keys, and certificates.
- failoverAutomatic failover is the automatic transfer of service operation to another region or component when the primary one becomes unavailable.
- data modelA data model is a conceptual or structural representation that defines how data and its relationships are organized.
- auto-failover groupA failover group is an Azure SQL configuration that coordinates failover for one or more databases across primary and secondary regions.
- table storageAzure Table Storage is a schemaless key-attribute data storage service for structured nonrelational data.
- platform as a servicePlatform as a service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that provides a managed application platform so customers can deploy software without managing the underlying infrastructure and operating system.
- block blobA block blob is an Azure Blob Storage blob type composed of blocks and intended for large object data such as files.
- versioningSource control is a system for recording, comparing, and managing versions of files and their changes.
- dynamic contentA dynamic field is a workflow field that exposes data produced by an earlier step as an input value for a later step.
- action groupAn action group is an Azure Monitor configuration that defines notification and automation actions for an alert.
- metric alertA metric alert is a monitoring rule that triggers when a measured numeric metric satisfies a configured condition.
- schemaA schema is a prescribed structure and set of rules that defines and validates the organization of data.
- classless inter-domain routingClassless Inter-Domain Routing is an IP addressing and routing method that uses prefix lengths to define variable-sized address ranges.
- consistency modelA consistency level is a Cosmos DB setting that defines the guarantees governing how current and ordered reads are relative to writes.
- Secure ScoreSecure Score is a numerical indicator of the security posture of an Azure environment, calculated from the security posture of its services and recommended improvements.
- PowerShellThe PowerShell scripting language is the programming language for expressing commands, automation scripts, and control logic in PowerShell.
- Azure subscriptionAn Azure subscription is a billing and access-management boundary for Azure resources.
- collectionA MongoDB collection is a container that groups related documents for storage and querying.
- text-to-speech conversionText-to-speech is the synthesis of spoken audio from written text.
- zonal redundancyisZoneRedundant is a Boolean configuration parameter specifying whether data in a region is replicated across multiple availability zones.
- role configurationA role definition is a named collection of permissions that specifies the actions allowed by an authorization role.
- pricing strategyPricing is the method by which a cloud provider assigns monetary charges to resource or service consumption.
- security ruleA security rule is an ordered network-filtering rule that specifies traffic criteria and an allow or deny action.
- service tagA service tag is a provider-managed identifier representing a group of cloud service IP address ranges.
- Kusto Query LanguageKusto Query Language is a query language for retrieving and analyzing telemetry, log, and time-series data in Azure and other Microsoft services.
- entityAn entity is a record-like item in Azure Table Storage containing properties and identifying keys.
- API gatewayAn API gateway is an intermediary service that receives client API requests and routes or manages them for backend services while presenting a stable external interface.
- uptimeHigh availability is the property of a system remaining accessible and operational for a high proportion of required service time.
- Azure FilesAzure File Storage is a managed cloud file storage service that provides shared file systems accessible by cloud and external clients.
- Azure Content ModeratorAzure Content Moderator is Microsoft's cloud service for automatically detecting potentially inappropriate content in text, images, and video.
- horizontal scalingA scaling technique that adds or removes database or virtual-machine instances to change aggregate computing capacity.
- vertical scalingA scaling technique that changes the size of an individual virtual machine or database server to increase or decrease its computing resources.
- principalA security principal is an identity-bearing object, such as a user, group, or application, that can request access to an Azure resource.
- security continuumA security continuum is a scale representing progressively stronger levels of protection rather than a binary secure-or-insecure state.
- physical partitionA physical partition is a bounded storage and serving unit that contains database data on physical infrastructure.
- resource utilizationCPU utilization, or CPU usage, is the proportion of a virtual machine's processor capacity consumed during a measurement interval.
- functionAn Azure function is a deployable unit of event-driven code that executes in response to a trigger.
- Azure Storage QueuesQueue storage is a storage service that holds messages for asynchronous processing between producers and consumers.
- reserved instanceA reserved instance is a commitment to use a specified amount of cloud compute capacity for a period in exchange for discounted pricing.
- throughputThroughput is the amount of data or request processing successfully handled by a system per unit of time.
- Azure Database for PostgreSQLAzure Database for PostgreSQL is a managed Azure relational database service based on the PostgreSQL database engine.
- scopeAn authorization scope is the boundary of resources or areas to which an access or authorization assignment applies.
- availability setAn Azure availability set is a configuration that distributes virtual machines across update and fault domains to improve availability during maintenance and hardware failures.
- failure domainA fault domain is a group of virtual machines in an availability set that shares physical infrastructure such as power, cooling, and networking.
- update domainAn update domain is a logical group of virtual machines that can be updated or rebooted together during platform maintenance.
- deployment pipelineCI/CD is the practice of automatically integrating, testing, and delivering software changes through a repeatable pipeline.
- machine translationMachine translation is the automated conversion of text or speech from one natural language into another.
- encryptionEncryption is the transformation of data into an encoded form that requires a key or equivalent secret to recover the original content.
- concurrency controlConcurrency control is the management of simultaneous operations so that shared data remains consistent according to the system's rules.
- service tierA service tier is a selectable database performance level that determines available capacity and related service characteristics.
- Azure Application GatewayAzure Application Gateway is an Azure application delivery service that provides Layer 7 load balancing and routes web traffic to backend resources based on HTTP request properties such as host or path.
- cross-partition queryA cross-partition query is a database query that retrieves data from multiple logical partitions.
- failover priorityFailover priority is a numeric ordering that determines which configured location receives traffic first when failover occurs.
- authentication factorAn authentication factor is an independent category of evidence used to verify an identity, such as knowledge, possession, or a biometric characteristic.
- conditional accessConditional Access is a Microsoft Entra access-control capability that applies policies based on identities, applications, devices, locations, and other conditions.
- public access levelA public access level is a storage-container setting that determines whether and how anonymously accessible the container and its blobs can be.
- Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code is a cross-platform source-code editor with extensibility for development, debugging, and related programming tasks.
- asynchronous programmingAsynchronous processing is the execution of work without requiring the initiating operation to wait for completion.
- provisioned throughputProvisioned throughput is the configured request-processing capacity allocated to an Azure Cosmos DB container or database.
- Azure Monitor agentThe Azure Monitor Agent is an Azure monitoring agent installed on supported machines to collect telemetry according to data collection rules and send it to monitoring destinations.
- layered security controlA layered approach is a security strategy that combines multiple protective controls at successive points in an environment.
- Custom VisionCustom Vision is an Azure AI service for training and deploying image classification and object-detection models with user-provided data.
- NoSQL databaseA NoSQL database is a nonrelational database designed to store and retrieve data using flexible structures rather than a fixed relational schema.
- PostgreSQLPostgreSQL is an open-source object-relational database management system known for advanced SQL features and standards compliance.
- query optimizationQuery optimization is the technique of improving database queries to reduce unnecessary processing and resource consumption while preserving required results.
- self-hostingAn on-premises system is computing infrastructure operated within an organization's own facilities rather than hosted by a cloud provider.
- premium storage tierThe Premium storage tier is an Azure storage performance tier backed by solid-state storage for demanding, low-latency workloads.
- standard planA Standard plan is a Logic Apps or Azure Functions hosting and billing plan that provides a defined capacity model and features distinct from consumption-based execution.
- non-fungible assetA non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique blockchain-based token representing ownership or provenance of a specific digital asset.
- Azure Storage lifecycle managementAzure Storage lifecycle management is a feature that automatically applies rules to transition, retain, or delete blob data according to age and access conditions.
- lifecycle management ruleA lifecycle management rule is a configuration that specifies conditions and actions for managing stored blob data over time.
- tier transitionA tier transition is the movement of stored data from one storage access tier to another based on configured conditions.
- multiregion configurationMulti-region deployment is the distribution of an application or data service across multiple geographic regions.
- Vision StudioVision Studio is Microsoft's browser-based interface for experimenting with and invoking Azure vision capabilities.
- $web folderThe $web folder is the special Azure Blob Storage container whose contents are served when static website hosting is enabled for a storage account.
- data driftData drift is a change over time in the distribution or characteristics of input data relative to the data used to train a model.
- hybrid deploymentAn architecture that combines on-premises infrastructure with Azure resources so workloads and data can operate across both environments.
- input bindingAn input binding is an Azure Functions binding that supplies data from an external resource to a function.
- output bindingAn output binding is an Azure Functions binding that sends function-produced data to an external resource.
- availability zoneAn availability zone is an isolated physical location within an Azure region containing independent datacenter infrastructure and power.
- developer portalA developer portal is a web interface that provides API documentation, interactive endpoint testing, access credentials, and usage information for API consumers.
- software as a serviceSoftware as a service (SaaS) is a cloud service model that delivers a complete provider-managed software application to users.
- MongoDB APIThe MongoDB API is an interface that enables applications to access Azure Cosmos DB through MongoDB-compatible operations and data representations.
- Azure DiskAn Azure-managed block storage resource that provides persistent disks for virtual machines while abstracting much of the underlying storage infrastructure.
- disaster recoveryDisaster recovery is the set of processes and infrastructure used to restore services and data after a catastrophic failure or disruptive event.
- operating systemAn operating system is system software that manages computer hardware and provides services and execution facilities for applications.
- decouplingDecoupling is an architectural pattern that reduces direct dependencies between software components so they can operate and scale independently.
- queueA queue is a first-in-first-out data structure in which items are added at the back and removed from the front.
- normalizationNormalization is the organization of relational data into related structures to minimize redundancy and maintain each fact in one place.
- AI Foundry projectAn AI Foundry project is an isolated organizational environment for managing the data, models, jobs, and deployment assets of an AI scenario.
- performancePerformance is the measured effectiveness of a system, commonly including response time, throughput, and resource efficiency.
- advanced threat protectionAdvanced threat protection is a security capability that analyzes database activity to detect anomalous or potentially malicious behavior.
- blob containerA blob storage container is a logical grouping of binary large objects within an Azure storage account.
- identity and access managementAn identity management system is a system that maintains digital identities and manages their authentication and access-related information.
- logical SQL ServerAn Azure SQL server is a logical server resource that hosts and manages Azure SQL databases.
- Azure Blob StorageAzure Blob Storage is Microsoft's object storage service for storing and accessing unstructured data such as files, images, and other binary objects.
- Azure PolicyAzure Policy is an Azure governance service that evaluates resources against organizational rules and enforces or reports compliance.
These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.