Azure Monitor is a robust application monitoring service provided by Microsoft Azure. It offers significant enhancements in terms of data accessibility and analysis. For DP-203 Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure exam, understanding the implementation of logging by Azure Monitor is crucial.
Azure Monitor deploys a series of insights to collect, analyze, and act on telemetry data. It employs the Log Analytics service for parsing logs, examining them in the context of other data, and even setting up alerts based on log entry patterns.
1. Logging in Azure Monitor
Azure Monitor logging service allows the storing and analyzing of log data from the applications you run on Azure. The data can be manifested as metrics or log data which includes system data, Azure activity logs, Application logs, etc.
Here’s how you can enable logging using Azure Monitor:
var appInsights = require('applicationinsights');
appInsights.setup('
var client = appInsights.defaultClient;
client.trackEvent({name: "my custom event", properties: {customProperty: "custom property value"}});
client.trackException({exception: new Error("handled exceptions can be logged with this method")});
client.trackMetric({name: "custom metric", value: 3});
client.trackTrace({message: 'Trace your custom message'});
client.trackDependency({target:"http://dbname", name:"select customers proc", data:"SELECT * FROM Customers", duration:231, resultCode:0, success: true, dependencyTypeName: "ZSQL"});
client.trackRequest({name:"GET /customers", url:"http://myserver/customers", duration:309, resultCode:200, success:true});
In the example above, we’ve set up Azure Monitor to track events, exceptions, metrics, traces, dependencies, and requests.
2. Understanding Log Analytics
Log analytics management service helps to monitor and diagnose issues and perform operational intelligence on a range of multi-platform and multi-cloud resources.
Here is a sample query you might run within Log Analytics to pull specific data from your logs:
AppRequests
| where TimeGenerated > ago(1d)
| where ResultDescription contains "error" or ResultDescription contains "fail"
| summarize FailedCount=sum(ItemCount), ImpactfulUsers=dcount(UserId) by ResultDescription
| order by FailedCount desc
The above query looks for all application requests from the past day where the result description contains either “error” or “fail”. It then summarizes this information, counting both the number of failed items and the number of unique users impacted, grouped by the result description.
Using Azure Monitor and its associated services like Log Analytics, you can ensure that you are keeping a close eye on the performance of your applications, and able to respond quickly to any issues that might arise. It’s an absolutely essential part of any data engineer’s toolkit, particularly for those specializing in Azure.
Remember, Azure Monitor logging and debugging could be a significant part of your DP-203 exam, so understanding how to implement and use this feature correctly is key.
Combined with other study resources, this knowledge will contribute to your preparation as you gear up for the DP-203 Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure exam. So, practice your skills, familiarize yourself with Azure Monitor and its logging implementations, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a seasoned Azure data engineer.
Practice Test
True or False: Azure Monitor collects and analyzes data generated by resources in 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.
Azure Monitor primarily supports two types of data. Is this data Activity Logs and Diagnostic Logs?
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: The two types of data that the Azure Monitor supports are Activity Logs (describe operations on resources) and Diagnostic Logs (emitted by a resource).
What type of data do Azure Monitor Activity Logs contain?
- a. Information about operations on a resource from an Azure service
- b. Information about operations on a resource from an external service
- c. Information about in-going network traffic
- d. Information about out-going network traffic
Answer: a. Information about operations on a resource from an Azure service
Explanation: Activity Logs contain data about the operations performed on a resource from Azure Resource Manager. This doesn’t include information about network traffic or external services.
In the context of Azure Monitor, what is telemetry data?
- a. Data about Azure subscriptions
- b. Data about the performance of applications, services, and workloads
- c. Data about Azure billing
- d. Data about Azure user roles
Answer: b. Data about the performance of applications, services, and workloads
Explanation: Telemetry data includes metrics and logs about the performance and operation of your applications, infrastructure, and network.
True or False: Logs in Azure Monitor can be analyzed with Kusto Query Language.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Azure Monitor Logs and Azure Data Explorer use Kusto Query Language (KQL) that allows you to use various data functions to analyze and visualize telemetry data.
With Azure Monitor, can you set up real-time alerts on your data?
- a. Yes
- b. No
Answer: a. Yes
Explanation: Azure Monitor allows you to create new alerts based on metrics and log analytics data to proactively identify problems with your systems and applications.
True or False: Azure Monitor only supports manual scaling.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Azure Monitor supports both manual and autoscale. The level of performance remains constant in manual scaling, while in autoscale, the level of performance changes according to the set rules.
Which Azure service can be used along with Azure Monitor for detailed analysis and complex debugging?
- a. Azure Data Explorer
- b. Azure Data Lake Store
- c. Azure Data Factory
- d. Azure Storage Account
Answer: a. Azure Data Explorer
Explanation: Azure Data Explorer is a fast, fully managed data analytics service for real-time analysis on large volumes of data streaming for complex debugging with Azure Monitor logs.
In what format does Azure Monitor store log data?
- a. JSON
- b. XML
- c. CSV
- d. YAML
Answer: a. JSON
Explanation: Azure Monitor logs are stored in a JSON format, which includes a set of standard properties, plus a set of custom properties defined by the monitor.
True or False: Azure Monitor cannot send the log data to event hubs.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Azure Monitor can route logs to Event Hubs for telemetry and diagnostics data making it available for real-time analytics, archiving, or for other needs.
Interview Questions
What is the purpose of Azure Monitor Logging?
Azure Monitor logs are used for collecting and analyzing data generated by resources in your Azure environment.
What types of data can you gather with Azure Monitor?
With Azure Monitor, you can collect telemetry data such as metrics and logs from different sources such as application logs, event logs, performance data and diagnostic logs.
Which Azure service is specifically designed for log and telemetry data storage and analysis?
Azure Monitor Log Analytics service is specifically designed for log and telemetry data storage and analysis.
How can you send logs to Azure Monitor?
You can send logs to Azure Monitor through Azure Monitor REST API or directly from Azure resources using diagnostic settings.
What is a Workspace in Azure Monitor Log Analytics?
A Workspace in Azure Monitor Log Analytics is a unique environment for Azure Monitor log data that provides isolation and scope.
How do you create an Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace?
You can create an Azure Log Analytics workspace in the Azure portal by going to Azure Monitor, then Logs, and then selecting + Create New Workspace.
What tool is used to query data in Azure Monitor Logs?
Kusto Query Language (KQL) is used to query data in Azure Monitor Logs.
What does Azure Monitor alerting feature do?
The Azure Monitor alerting feature enables you to identify and address issues with your Azure resources or applications by notifying you when certain conditions are detected.
How can log data retention be managed in Azure Monitor?
Log data retention in Azure Monitor can be managed by configuring data retention rules per data type collected.
Which feature of Azure Monitor can help visualize log data?
Azure Monitor’s Log Analytics can help visualize log data.
Can you integrate Azure Monitor with third-party services?
Yes, Azure Monitor can be integrated with a range of third-party services like ITSM, DevOps, and incident management tools.
Can Azure Monitor be used for on-premises machines?
Yes, Azure Monitor can collect data directly from your on-premises environment and other cloud platforms.
Which Azure service is designed to collect and analyze logs from your Azure Active Directory?
Azure Monitor can collect and analyze logs from your Azure Active Directory.
What does Azure Monitor Application Insights do?
Application Insights, a feature of Azure Monitor, is an extensible Application Performance Management (APM) service used to monitor live applications, detect anomalies, and diagnose issues.
How does Azure Monitor handle sensitive data in logs?
Azure Monitor employs several security and privacy features to handle sensitive data. For instance, you can use Azure Policy to enforce log data encryption. Also, the Azure Monitor service doesn’t process sensitive information unless it is specifically configured to do so by users.