Bulk support in Azure Cosmos DB SDK is a new feature added in version 3.4.0. It simplifies the task of handling large data batches to be inserted or updated in Azure Cosmos DB. Without its bulk support, you would normally have to manage multiple threads to perform operations concurrently and ensure optimal database throughput. However, with this feature, you simply switch it on when initializing the CosmosClient object and the SDK will automatically take care of running parallel operations.
To enable bulk support in Azure Cosmos DB SDK, you set the AllowBulkExecution flag to true during CosmosClient instantiation as follows:
<code>
CosmosClient cosmosClient = new CosmosClient(endpoint, key,
new CosmosClientOptions() { AllowBulkExecution = true });
</code>
Performing a Multi-Document Load
Our use case now involves loading multiple documents onto Azure Cosmos DB using Azure Cosmos DB SDK with bulk support. By taking advantage of bulk support, we not only improve performance but also simplify our code by allowing the SDK to manage concurrency.
Assuming you have a collection of objects or documents to add to a Cosmos DB container, you could loop over your collection and create a list of tasks. Each task will perform a CreateItemAsync operation.
Consider the following code snippet:
<code>
List<Task> tasks = new List<Task>();
foreach (var document in documentsCollection)
{
tasks.Add(container.CreateItemAsync(document, new PartitionKey(document.PartitionKeyProperty)));
}
await Task.WhenAll(tasks);
</code>
In the above code, container refers to the Cosmos DB container instance, while documentsCollection represents the collection of documents to be loaded onto Azure Cosmos DB. The PartitionKey is used to partition data, which is then distributed across multiple virtual partitions on Cosmos DB.
The benefit of this parallel execution approach is that it works concurrently, leading to performance benefits when handling large datasets. The Azure Cosmos DB SDK undertakes management of resources, including managing multiple threads, ensuring the efficient use of Request Unit (RU) charge, and handling potential rate limiting situations.
Comparison with Sequential Document Load
Comparing bulk operations to sequential operations, bulk operations stand out for their concurrent execution feature. Sequential operations, on the other hand, introduce unnecessary latencies due to waiting for individual operations to complete before proceeding to the next. Furthermore, without HTTP pipelining, network latencies can also add up significantly.
| Bulk Operations | Sequential Operations | |
|---|---|---|
| Concurrency | High | Low |
| Performance | Fast | Slow |
| Latency | Low | High |
| Resource Use | Efficient | Inefficient |
After your bulk operations complete, you might want to check results to see whether operations succeeded or failed. For that, the Azure Cosmos DB SDK provides features to retrieve activity response or the response of bulk operation. You can retrieve metrics such as consumed request units, time taken etc, allowing you to effectively monitor and manage your operations.
Conclusion
The bulk support in Azure Cosmos DB SDK simplifies the job of dealing with multiple document operations, giving you a highly concurrent, efficient, and fast method to perform these operations, ultimately leading to high-performance applications. When designing and implementing native applications using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB, as part of exam DP-420, understanding and effectively leveraging bulk operations can make a big impact on your applications’ efficiency and performance.
Practice Test
True or False: Using Bulk Support in the SDK allows you to load multiple documents into Azure Cosmos DB at the same time.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: This feature allows you to optimize and streamline the data ingestion process by sending a batch of operations together.
Which of the following tasks can be performed using Bulk Support in the Azure Cosmos DB SDK?
- A) Inserting documents
- B) Updating documents
- C) Deleting documents
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: The bulk support feature supports all CRUD operations – Create, Read, Update, and Delete.
True or False: Bulk Support in the SDK cannot be used for a partition key range within an Azure Cosmos DB container.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Bulk operations can be executed across a partition key range within an Azure Cosmos DB container.
Which version of the Azure Cosmos DB .NET SDK introduced support for bulk operations?
- A) V1
- B) V2
- C) V3
- D) V4
Answer: C) V
Explanation: Bulk operations were introduced with the release of Azure Cosmos DB .NET SDK version
True or False: The bulk execution utility in the SDK provides automatic handling and retries for throttled requests.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: If Azure Cosmos DB service throttles an operation, the SDK automatically retries the operation.
What type of operations can be performed in bulk using the SDK?
- A) Read
- B) Write
- C) Update
- D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above.
Explanation: All types of CRUD operations can be performed in bulk using the SDK.
With SDK’s bulk support, you do not need to manage the throttling or timeouts at the client level. True or False?
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Using SDK’s Bulk support, it provides automatic and configurable handling for throttling, timeouts, and transient exceptions.
The document load order is preserved when using Bulk Support in the SDK. True or False?
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: The operations in bulk API are not executed in order so the order of input operations is not preserved.
What is the maximum batch size limit when using Bulk Support in the SDK to load data to Azure Cosmos DB?
- A) 1 MB
- B) 2 MB
- C) 100KB
- D) There is no maximum batch size limit
Answer: D) There is no maximum batch size limit.
Explanation: Bulk API does not introduce a new payload size limit; existing limits – item size and throughput – still apply.
Gremlin API supports the feature of bulk execution in Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB. True or False?
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: As of November 2021, bulk execution is not supported for Gremlin API in Azure Cosmos DB.
Interview Questions
What is the purpose of using Bulk Support in the SDK for Azure Cosmos DB?
The use of Bulk Support in the SDK allows for a large amount of operations to be performed more efficiently in Azure Cosmos DB by batching multiple operations together.
Which operations can be performed using Bulk Support in the SDK?
The bulk executor library can be used for batch operations like Create, Update, Delete, and Upsert in Azure Cosmos DB.
Can you perform a multi-document load using Bulk Support in an Azure Cosmos DB’s SQL API SDK?
Yes, you can perform a multi-document load using Bulk Support in an Azure Cosmos DB’s SQL API SDK.
What is the primary advantage of using Bulk Support in the SDK for Azure Cosmos DB?
The primary advantage of using Bulk Support in Azure Cosmos DB is increased throughput for large-scale operations. This helps in improving the efficiency and performance of data migration or ingestion.
What programming languages can be used with the Bulk support feature available in Azure Cosmos DB SDK?
The Bulk support feature is available in the .NET SDK, Java SDK, and Python SDK for Azure Cosmos DB.
What is the function of the bulk executor library in the SDK?
The bulk executor library provides bulk operation capabilities for Azure Cosmos DB, improving the efficiency of operations such as ingestion, update, and delete.
What is the method in the .NET SDK to use Bulk support?
In .NET SDK, the “CreateItemsBulkAsync” method could be used to perform bulk operations.
Can Bulk Support operations be performed on a partitioned collection in Azure Cosmos DB?
Yes, Bulk Support operations can be performed on a partitioned collection in Azure Cosmos DB.
What happens if there is a failed operation during a Bulk Support process in Azure Cosmos DB?
If a single operation fails during the Bulk Support process, the operation will be retried based on the retry policy defined.
How does Bulk Support improve the performance of write operations in Cosmos DB?
Bulk Support batches multiple operations, thus reducing the number of network calls and improving the overall throughput for write operations.
How can you enable Bulk Support in the Java SDK for Azure Cosmos DB?
You can enable Bulk Support in the Java SDK by setting the “enableBulkExecution” option to true when building the CosmosClient instance.
What should be done to handle transient exceptions during Bulk operations?
Transient exceptions during Bulk operations should be handled by implementing a retry policy. The SDK automatically retries failed operations based on the configured retry policy.
Are there any restrictions on the batch size for Bulk operations in Azure Cosmos DB?
No, there are no hardcoded restrictions on the batch size. However, to avoid exceeding the provisioned throughput, the size and number of operations should be tuned based on the capacity.
Can you use different operation types in a single batch with Bulk Support in Azure Cosmos DB SDK?
No, currently each batch in Bulk Support can only contain the same type of operation.
What’s the impact of Bulk Support operations on Request Unit (RU) consumption in Azure Cosmos DB?
Bulk Support operations in Azure Cosmos DB consume Request Units (RUs) based on the total computational resources used to complete the operations.
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