Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB’s features are designed to handle large quantities of data effectively and efficiently which significantly assist developers while designing and implementing native applications. Developers often need to move a large amount of data; for that, Microsoft provides client SDK bulk operations. In this context, we will mainly understand how SDK bulk operations function and how we can make the most of them.
Azure Cosmos DB’s .NET SDK version 3.x and later provide direct support for bulk operations, providing an option to perform CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete) on a large volume of data in an optimal manner. These bulk operations are not only convenient but add a considerable edge to your applications in terms of performance.
To illustrate better, here is a practical example. Consider a scenario where you have to import a big volume of data into Azure Cosmos DB from some external system. If we use the traditional one-at-a-time operation approach, it will lead to a higher Request Unit (RU) charge and may result in slower data transfer. However, with the bulk executor feature, Azure Cosmos DB’s SDK allows you to do batch processing, which considerably minimizes the RU charge and optimizes the data transfer speed.
While working with these bulk operations, it is essential to remember that they do not support transactions. It means if one operation in a batch fails, it doesn’t affect the other operations in the same batch.
Example Using Bulk Operation
Here’s a simple example of using CreateItems bulk operation of the CosmosClient SDK (C#).
List
foreach (var doc in myDocuments)
{
tasks.Add(container.CreateItemAsync(doc, new PartitionKey(doc.pk)));
}
await Task.WhenAll(tasks);
In the above example, for all items in ‘myDocuments’, the ‘CreateItemAsync’ operation is invoked, and the tasks are awaited using ‘Task.WhenAll’. It allows executing all the tasks (data imports) asynchronously, enhancing the overall operation’s speed.
Key Points to Remember While Using SDK Bulk Operation
When using bulk operations, developers should be aware of the following points:
- Bulk Mode is only beneficial when dealing with larger data sets. For small data sets, point operations should be preferred.
- The operation’s order of execution is not guaranteed, and thus it should be used where operation order is not critical.
- If a document doesn’t exist during replace and delete operations in Bulk mode, Cosmos DB would consider it as a failure.
- As previously mentioned, Bulk operations do not support transactions.
Guidance for using Bulk Mode
Here are few tips for developers using .NET SDK v3 for Bulk Operations:
- For optimum performance, ensure to associate the bulk operation with a new container instance.
- Limit the number of operations in a single batch to avoid chances of a timeout.
- You can leverage parallelism by using multiple threads to perform Bulk operations.
In conclusion, Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB’s client SDK bulk operations provide an efficient and optimum way to handle large data volumes. While the approach provides a significant advantage in terms of performance and cost-effectiveness, developers must be aware of the operational limitations and best practices to leverage its full potential.
Practice Test
True or False: The Azure Cosmos DB SDK client bulk executor supports multi-master replication scenarios.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: The client bulk executor does not support multi-master replication scenarios.
What does the Azure Cosmos DB client bulk executor do?
- A. It enables you to perform bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB.
- B. It lets you execute a single operation in Azure Cosmos DB.
- C. It helps in creating tables in Azure Cosmos DB.
Answer: A. It enables you to perform bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB.
Explanation: The client bulk executor is a component designed to perform large-scale, bulk operations, like creation, upsertion, and deletion, on Azure Cosmos DB items.
True or False: Client SDK bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB only support Python.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: Client SDK bulk operations support various programming languages like Python, .NET, Java, and Node.js.
Azure Cosmos DB does not provide an exception mechanism during bulk operations. Is this true?
- A. Yes
- B. No
Answer: B. No
Explanation: Azure Cosmos DB provides exception mechanisms such as BulkOperationException during bulk data operations for error handling.
Which of the following operations are supported by Azure Cosmos DB bulk executor?
- A. Bulk import
- B. Bulk delete
- C. Bulk update
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: The client bulk executor supports all of these operations: bulk import, delete, and update.
True or False: Azure Cosmos DB’s client SDK bulk operations increase the total request unit (RU) consumption.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: The client bulk executor in Azure Cosmos DB is optimized to efficiently perform bulk operations with minimal RU consumption.
Which of the following programming language is not supported by Azure Cosmos DB bulk operations?
- A. C#
- B. Python
- C. Ruby
- D. Java
Answer: C. Ruby
Explanation: Ruby is not listed as one of the languages supported by Azure Cosmos DB for bulk operations.
What is the role of RequestOptions in Azure Cosmos DB bulk operations?
- A. To set request-specific options
- B. To set thresholds for operations
- C. To specify query criteria
Answer: A. To set request-specific options
Explanation: RequestOptions is used to specify options like echo content, pre-trigger and post-trigger, and access conditions for a single-item operation.
True or False: Partition key is not required for bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: Partition key is essential while performing bulk operations as it is used to distribute data and manage throughput efficiently.
What is the primary purpose of BulkImportAsync operation in Azure Cosmos DB?
- A. To delete items from a container
- B. To create new containers
- C. To import data into a container
Answer: C. To import data into a container
Explanation: BulkImportAsync operation is used to import large volumes of data into a container in Azure Cosmos DB.
True or False: Multi-region write capability is a prerequisite to use Azure Cosmos DB’s bulk executor library.
- Answer: True.
Explanation: The multi-region writes feature should be enabled only when you access the data from the same region where the data is getting ingested.
With the BulkOperation.Builder method, you can customize the bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB. True or False?
- Answer: True.
Explanation: The BulkOperation.Builder method is used to configure and prepare bulk operations, including setting the operations, the context, and the concurrency level.
True or False: Azure Cosmos DB’s bulk executor library cannot process batch operations.
- Answer: False.
Explanation: The bulk executor library is designed to support batch operations, including batch import and batch delete operations.
Throttling is a possible scenario when you are performing bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB. True or False?
- Answer: True.
Explanation: Throttling can occur when the volume of operations exceeds the provisioned throughput in Azure Cosmos DB.
Which one of the following errors you can get if you are trying to perform bulk operations without sufficient request units (RUs) in Azure Cosmos DB?
- A. 403 Forbidden error
- B. 404 Not Found Error
- C. 400 Bad Request Error
Answer: A. 403 Forbidden error
Explanation: You’ll receive a 403 error if you try to perform operations that consume more RUs than you have provisioned.
Interview Questions
What does SDK in “client SDK bulk operations” stand for?
SDK stands for Software Development Kit.
What are client SDK bulk operations in the context of Azure Cosmos DB?
Client SDK bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB are a set of operations that allow you to perform bulk import, update, and delete operations on a collection in Azure Cosmos DB.
Which language SDKs support bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB?
.NET, Java, Python, and Node.js SDKs support bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB.
Can you perform bulk operations on a partition key in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, you can perform bulk operations on a partition key in Azure Cosmos DB.
How does Azure Cosmos DB handle incompatible operations when performing bulk operations?
Azure Cosmos DB does not execute incompatible operations within the same batch or unit of work. Instead, it returns a BulkOperationException.
Can bulk operations be performed asynchronously in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, bulk operations can be performed asynchronously in Azure Cosmos DB.
What is the significance of the BulkProcessingOptions class in Azure Cosmos DB?
The BulkProcessingOptions class allows you to customize the behavior of bulk operations. For instance, it allows you to specify the maximum concurrency level for operations.
Can we output the result of every operation when performing bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, we can output the result of every operation when performing bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB with the use of a delegate function.
What is the advantage of using bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB?
Bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB enable you to perform large volume of operations in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Does Azure Cosmos DB ensure atomicity for bulk operations?
No, Azure Cosmos DB does not ensure atomicity for bulk operations, which means that if a portion of the operations fail, the successful ones are not rolled back.
How does Azure Cosmos DB handle throttling during bulk operations?
Azure Cosmos DB’s bulk executor library handles throttling by automatically backing off and retrying requests when a 429 response code indicating rate limiting is received.
What is the use of the EnableBulkExecution flag in Azure Cosmos DB?
The EnableBulkExecution flag is used to turn on bulk execution when instantiating a CosmosClient instance in Azure Cosmos DB.
Can I use bulk operations to update existing documents in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, bulk operations can be used to update existing documents in Azure Cosmos DB.
How are conflicts handled in Azure Cosmos DB during bulk operations?
During bulk operations, conflicts in Azure Cosmos DB are managed by automatic conflict resolution policy, which can be either “last writer wins” or a custom policy defined by a stored procedure.
Can bulk operations be used with any API in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, bulk operations are currently supported only with SQL(Core) API in Azure Cosmos DB.
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