Querying and analyzing logs is a significant aspect of the skills needed to pass the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam. The ability to understand how to extract, analyze, and understand the wealth of data contained within logs is a pertinent part of any Azure Administrator’s role. In Azure, we deal with various types of logs such as activity logs, diagnostic logs, metrics, and more. Specifically, Azure Monitor Logs is a powerful service that enables you to query and visualize data generated by your resources.
Querying Logs
Azure makes log query easy by using the Kusto Query Language (KQL) to process and analyze data. KQL language is user-friendly and supports commands to filter, sort, group, and join data from your logs. Here is an overview of the steps you’d typically follow:
- Access Azure Monitor Logs: You can access the logs in the Azure portal by navigating to Monitor > Logs.
- Create a new query: Once in the logs section, you use the interface to create a new query. You could select the table you want to pull the data from, and follow this by the filters you want to apply, for example,
AzureDiagnostics
| where ResourceGroup == "
This query allows you to examine logs from the specified resource group.
Analyzing Logs
Analyzing logs is a way of interpreting data to gain insights about your environment. It’s not only about identifying problems but also about understanding behavior patterns, trends, and potential opportunities for optimization.
KQL gives you powerful commands that apply statistical and machine learning functions to your data. For example, count, sum, avg (average), percentile, makeset, etc.
Some useful KQL examples for analyzing data are:
- Find the average of a field
search *
| summarize avg(CounterValue)
- Find the count instances of a field
search *
| summarize count()
- Find a percentile of a field
search *
| summarize percentile(CounterValue, 95)
Remember, your analysis is as good as your understanding of the data and the nature of the queries you create.
How can Logs be Utilized?
Identifying Issues: Real-time log analysis helps in diagnosing the problem as soon as it appears. It helps to identify both system-oriented as well as security related issues.
Optimizing System Performance: System logs provide insights about the way resources are used, which can be helpful in making decisions about scaling up or scaling down your resources.
Auditing & Compliance: Log data can be used as a proof of compliance with various regulations. By querying and analyzing logs, you can quickly prepare the necessary documentation for audit purposes.
Conclusion
Having an understanding of how to query and analyze logs effectively is crucial for any Azure Administrator. Not only does it aid in problem-solving, but it also gives you insights into the operations and health of your Azure environment. Thus, mastering these techniques can prove beneficial when taking the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam and in real-world scenarios as an Azure Administrator.
Practice Test
True/False: With Azure Monitor service, you can diagnose, visualize, and analyze logs and metrics from your Azure environment.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Monitor maximizes the availability and performance of your applications by delivering a comprehensive solution for collecting, analyzing, and acting on telemetry from your cloud and on-premises environments.
To query and analyze logs in Azure, you need to use the _______ tool.
- A. Azure Log Analytics
- B. Azure Log Dashboard
- C. Log Query API
- D. None of the above
Answer: A. Azure Log Analytics
Explanation: Azure Log Analytics is the primary tool in the Azure portal for writing log queries and interactively analyzing their results.
In Azure Monitor, the language used to write queries is called _______ .
- A. Azure Query Language
- B. Azure Monitor Query Language
- C. Kusto Query Language
- D. SQL
Answer: C. Kusto Query Language
Explanation: Azure Monitor uses Kusto Query Language, which provides read-only access to data pulled into Azure Monitor Logs.
True/False: In Azure, Log Analytics stores log data in a structured format which allows for easy querying.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Log Analytics stores and indexes log data in a structured format. This enables easy querying using the Kusto Query Language.
_______ allows you to archive logs and metrics for a longer duration.
- A. Azure Monitor
- B. Azure Storage Account
- C. Azure Log Analytics
- D. Azure Recovery Services Vault
Answer: B. Azure Storage Account
Explanation: You can export logs to a storage account for archiving or stream them to an event hub for consumption by an external tool.
True/False: Log data can be ingested into Azure Monitor Logs from any Azure resource.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Almost any Azure resource can send log data into Azure Monitor Logs. Azure resources can also pull in log data from Azure resources with a diagnostic setting.
Analyzing logs with the Kusto Query Language requires the use of _______ .
- A. Operators
- B. Functions
- C. Either operators or functions
- D. Neither operators nor functions
Answer: C. Either operators or functions
Explanation: A Kusto query is a read-only request to process data and return results, using either operators (like summarize, join, etc.) or functions.
True/False: Azure Monitor supports automatic scaling based on a set schedule.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Azure Monitor Autoscale lets you have the right amount of resources running to handle your workload, based on rules that you define such as a set schedule.
In Azure Monitor, log data is primarily collected through _______.
- A. Log analytics workspace
- B. Diagnostic settings
- C. Azure resource logs
- D. Both A and B
Answer: D. Both A and B
Explanation: Log data is primarily collected into Azure Monitor through Log Analytics workspace and Diagnostic settings. It is then analyzed with queries to quickly retrieve, consolidate, and analyze collected data.
The _______ operator in Kusto Query Language can be used to count the number of records in each distinct value of a particular column.
- A. count
- B. distinct
- C. summarize
- D. sort
Answer: C. summarize
Explanation: In Kusto Query Language, the “summarize” operator helps you transform the data and to count the number of records in each distinct value of a particular column.
True/False: Azure Log Analytics only allows you to analyze logs from the past 30 days.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While the default retention period is 30 days, you can adjust log retention up to two years in Azure Monitor, allowing for long-term log analysis.
Single item pagination in Log Analytics can be achieved by using the _______ operator.
- A. next
- B. take
- C. paginate
- D. limit
Answer: B. take
Explanation: In Log Analytics queries, the “take” operator is used to limit the number of rows returned from the query, which achieves the effect of single item pagination.
True/False: Azure Monitor Logs are enabled by default for all Azure resources.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Azure Monitor Logs is not enabled by default. You must configure data ingestion for each Azure resource from which you want to collect data.
It is possible to _______ when you analyze logs in Azure Monitor.
- A. create charts
- B. create tables
- C. carry out advanced analytics
- D. All of the above
Answer: D. All of the above
Explanation: While analyzing logs in Azure Monitor, you can not only perform advanced analytics but also represent data visually in the form of charts and tables.
True/False: The data processed by Azure Monitor Logs is not case sensitive.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The Kusto Query Language used by Azure Monitor Logs is case-sensitive. So one must consider the case when processing data.
Interview Questions
What is Azure Log Analytics?
Azure Log Analytics is a service offered by Microsoft Azure that allows you to collect, store and analyze log data from various sources. It helps to understand the patterns, find out issues, and provide essential insights related to systems and applications operating in the Azure environment.
What is the purpose of Kusto Query Language (KQL) in Azure?
Kusto Query Language, or KQL, is a read-only language used to query Azure’s big data services. It is specifically designed for Azure Monitor Log Analytics to query and analyze data and return specific results.
How can you view Azure activity logs?
Activity logs can be viewed through several methods, such as the Azure portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, or the REST API. In the Azure portal, you can view activity logs by navigating to the Monitor blade and clicking on Activity Log.
What is the retention period for data in Azure Log Analytics?
The Azure Log Analytics service keeps data for 31 days. However, the retention period can be extended to up to two years, with additional costs applied.
How can you export log data from Azure Log Analytics?
Log data can be exported using Azure Monitor Logs API, or by integrating with Power BI for creating detailed reporting dashboards. Another way is setting up Azure Logic Apps or Azure Automation to automate the data exporting process.
What types of data logs can be analyzed on Azure?
On Azure, you can analyze Activity Logs, Diagnostic Logs, Azure Monitor Logs, and any custom logs ingested into Azure Log Analytics.
What is the purpose of using Log Queries in Azure Monitor?
Log Queries give users the ability to fully leverage the Azure Monitor Logs. Users can retrieve, consolidate, and investigate data for better understanding the operation and condition of apps and resources.
What is Azure Monitor?
Azure Monitor is a service in Azure that provides performance and availability monitoring for applications and services in Azure, other cloud environments, or on-premises.
Can I create a custom dashboard using Azure Monitor?
Yes, Azure Monitor can create custom dashboards providing a consolidated view of the resources and services. This helps in gaining real-time insights and quickly identifying problems.
What is Log Analytics workspace in Azure?
A Log Analytics workspace is a logical storage unit in Azure where data is collected and stored from various sources. It provides a consolidated view to analyze and get insights across multiple different sources.
What kind of queries can you write with Kusto Query Language?
With KQL, you can write a variety of queries to retrieve, consolidate and analyze data. The queries could range from simple row and column projections to complex queries involving search, aggregations, and computations.
Which Azure resources can generate diagnostic logs?
Most Azure services, including Azure VMs, App services, Storage accounts, etc., can generate and provide diagnostic logs.
Is it possible to send Diagnostic Logs to Log Analytics?
Yes, Diagnostic Logs can be sent to Azure Monitor Logs, where you can analyze them alongside log data from other sources using log queries.
How to set up Alerts using Azure Monitor?
In Azure Monitor, alerts can be set up using the Alerts service. Alerts proactively notify users when critical conditions are found in the monitoring data. They are based on log search queries or metric thresholds.
What is Application Insights in Azure?
Application Insights is an extensible Application Performance Management (APM) service provided in Azure Monitor. It helps you monitor your live applications, automatically detect performance anomalies, and track what users do with your app.
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