This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Introduction
Earlier in May 2022, we launched Azure Monitor HCI Insights for public preview. Based on customer feedback during the preview, we improved the performance of the workbooks and supported the new Azure Monitor Agent and are excited to announce General Availability (GA) of Azure Monitor HCI Insights.
What is HCI Insights?
Azure Stack HCI Insights is an interactive, fully integrated service which provides health, performance, and usage insights about Azure Stack HCI clusters that are connected to Azure and are enrolled in Azure Monitor. In Microsoft Azure, you can see all your resources in Azure portal and monitor them with Azure Stack HCI Insights.
There are some key benefits of using Azure Stack HCI Insights:
It’s managed by Azure and accessed from Azure portal, so it’s always up to date, and there’s no database or special software setup required.
Azure Monitor Agent uses managed identity to interact with Log analytics workspace which ensures secure communication.
It’s highly scalable, which means it is capable of loading more than 250 cluster information sets across multiple subscriptions at a time, with no boundary limitations on cluster, domain, or physical location.
It’s highly customizable. The user experience is built on top of Azure Monitor workbook templates, where you can easily add/remove/edit visualizations and queries.
HCI Insights follows Pay-as-you-go model which means you pay only for the logs that are collected and they can be removed/edited as per user need.
What’s new in GA?
The new, enhancedAzure Monitor HCI Insights uses the new improved Azure Monitor Agent and Data Collection Rule. These rules specify the event logs and performance counters that need to be collected and stores it in a Log Analytics workspace. Once the logs are collected, HCI Insights uses Azure Monitor Workbooks to provide deeper insights on the health, performance and usage of the cluster.
There are a few prerequisites for using Azure Stack HCI Insights:
Azure Stack HCI cluster should be registered with Azure and Arc-enabled. If you registered your cluster on or after June 15, 2021, this happens by default. Otherwise, you’ll need to enable Azure Arc integration.
The cluster must have Azure Stack HCI version 22H2 and the May 2023 cumulative update or later installed.
Below is a screenshot of the Azure workbook displayed for multiple clusters.
You can click on the cluster name, and it will redirect you to the single cluster workbook template with a drill down view and more details as shown below:
Pre-defined workbook templates exist with default views to give you a head-start. You can switch between different tabs like Health, Servers, Virtual machines, and Storage. Each tab provides data and metrics about the cluster which is carefully designed keeping your needs in mind. Health data such as faults and resource status, performance data like IOPS and throughput, and usage data like CPU usage and memory usage are collected. Moreover, the rich visualizations make it easier to decipher the data and give a quick glance of useful insights.
Additional data can be easily collected in the form of event logs or performance counters, and you can add it to the Data collection rule that was created while enabling monitoring for the cluster. Once the data starts flowing, the user can use Azure workbooks to visualize the collected data. A workbook provides a set of visualizations like charts, graphs, grids, honeycomb, composite bar, maps etc. and it is very convenient to modify and alter. It allows you to pin the graphs to Azure dashboards which gives a holistic view of resource health, performance, and usage. It is also very easy to share the data by downloading this information in Excel and deriving useful insights.
Customers also use logs and Insights workbook templates to create alerts. Some of the common alerts created by customers are if cluster node is down, and if CPU or memory usage exceeds set threshold. You can set up alerts for multiple clusters and integrate 3rd party solutions like PagerDuty to get notified. This will make sure that you take timely action and resources are healthy and performant.
This is just the beginning of Monitoring Insights for Azure Stack HCI. We plan to build additional workbook templates for new HCI features and essential monitoring capabilities. If you have feedback, please send it to hcimonitoring@microsoft.com!
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
A key component of the Subscription billing feature is the Recurring contract billing module. Recurring contract billing allows customers to manage their recurring billing contracts through billing schedules which contain the financial details of a contract. Recurring billing contracts can be managed across one or many customers based on how a contract is drafted. The new feature Customer split allows Dynamics 365 Finance users to split billing schedules across multiple customers based on a percentage of the invoice. This feature reduces the risk of incorrect billing, as a single billing schedule can manage the billing for all customers that are to be billed.
What is Customer Split
Customer split allows a single billing schedule to be billed across multiple customers. For example, let’s consider a scenario where a contract should be billed to two customers: one is responsible for 60% of the bill and the other is responsible for 40%. Customer split allows users to configure a scenario such as this and reduce additional manual entry as well as reduce risk of inaccurate billing.
The feature is enabled by setting the Customer split parameter in Recurring contract billing parameters page to Yes.
Once the Customer split feature has been enabled in the Recurring contract billing parameters, the customer split can be set up on a billing schedule. The billing schedule header contains the primary customer responsible for the invoice, including the Bill to address on the Address tab.
The Customer split option under Billing schedule in the action pane can be used to add additional customers and their responsibility for the bill at the header level. Customer split can also be added on a line-by-line basis.
When creating the record for the customer split, the billing schedule parent customer will get billed the remainder of what is not defined. In our example, that will be 60%. When defining the customer split a start date, end date, customer reference, customer requisition, end user account, end user name, delivery address, and bill to address can be entered.
When generating invoices for a billing schedule that has customer split defined, a sales order will be created for each customer defined in the customer split as well as the billing schedule header customer.
Customer split is available on a billing schedule or billing schedule lines when:
Billing schedules have an Invoice transaction type of Sales order
Billing schedule line is a service item
Billing schedule is not linked to a project
Billing schedule line is not configured for unbilled revenue
How to get started
This functionality is available in 10.0.29 and later of Dynamics 365 Finance. Read the documentation for a more detailed look at the feature: Customer split on billing schedules.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Microsoft partners like Signly, Tessell, and Varonis deliver transact-capable offers, which allow you to purchase directly from Azure Marketplace. Learn about these offers below:
Signly SLaaS: Signly sign language as a service (SLaaS), a fully managed solution powered by Microsoft Azure, makes it easy to provide access to sign language by capturing the text of a web page and sending it to highly qualified deaf sign language translators. Translated content is then available for all users, enabling website owners to provide improved service for deaf customers.
Tessell – Migrate and Manage Oracle on Azure: Tessell is a fully managed database as a service (DBaaS) designed to enable Oracle databases to thrive on Microsoft Azure by delivering enterprise-grade functionality coupled with consumer-grade experience. Tessell makes deploying Oracle databases on Azure simple and elegant, taking care of your data infrastructure and data management needs for both Oracle Enterprise Edition and Standard Edition 2.
Varonis – Find, Monitor, and Protect Sensitive Data: Is your midsize or large organization trying to understand where your sensitive data is, who has access to it, and what users are doing with it? The Varonis platform protects your data with low-touch, accurate security outcomes by classifying more data, revoking permissions, enforcing policies, and triggering alerts for the Varonis incident response team to review on your behalf.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
Enterprises are increasingly turning to collaborative apps to enhance workplace engagement and productivity. That presents an opportunity for independent software vendors (ISVs) to earn customer loyalty by building easily accessible enterprise apps with rich features that deliver business value.
This article is contributed. See the original author and article here.
We are excited to announce the launch of Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP. This software development kit (SDK) is designed to provide SAP ABAP developers with the tools they need to create intelligent enterprise applications using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
Engineered with a deep understanding of developers’ needs, the Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP presents an intuitive interface that effortlessly brings AI capabilities to your ABAP applications. This toolkit offers an exciting avenue to tap into the power of Azure OpenAI. And this is just the beginning — our commitment to progress promises the inclusion of even more AI engines in future versions.
Azure OpenAI, the crown jewel of Microsoft Azure’s offerings, is a powerhouse of AI services and tools. It is your passport to harnessing machine learning algorithms, leveraging advanced natural language processing tools, and exploring versatile cognitive services. Its vast suite of tools paves the way for the creation of intelligent applications that excel in pattern detection, natural language processing, and data-driven predictions. Azure OpenAI grants you access to an array of pre-built AI models and algorithms, along with custom model training and deployment tools, all under the umbrella of stringent security, compliance, and data privacy standards.
With the AI SDK for SAP ABAP and Azure OpenAI integration with SAP, developers are on the brink of a new frontier. Now you have the power to craft innovative applications that can revolutionize the enterprise landscape by automating mundane tasks, bolstering smarter business decisions, and providing a more personalized customer experience. It’s more than a development kit — it’s your passport to an exciting future of technological evolution for enterprises running on the SAP platform.
Features:
The Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP v1.0 is not just a toolset, it’s an innovation accelerator, an efficiency propellant. Designed for ABAP developers, it supercharges their workflows, slashing the time taken to integrate cutting-edge AI capabilities. With its streamlined integration process and ABAP-ready data types, developers can fast-track their tasks and concentrate on their real mission – crafting intelligent, transformative applications. This is no ordinary toolkit; it’s your express lane to the future of enterprise software development.
Extensive Capabilities: It provides a comprehensive suite of functionalities, including Models, Deployment, Files, Fine-Tuning, and Completion (GPT3), along with Chat Completion (GPT4) capabilities.
ABAP-Ready Data Types: We’ve simplified the integration process for ABAP developers by offering ABAP-ready data types. This feature substantially lowers the entry barriers, enabling developers to leverage the SDK with ease.
Azure OpenAI Support: The SDK is fully compatible with Azure OpenAI, ensuring seamless integration and performance.
Enterprise Control: To safeguard sensitive data, we’ve incorporated a robust enterprise control mechanism, offering three levels of control granularity. Enterprises can effectively manage SDK usage by implementing policies to permit or block specific functionalities. For instance, an organization could use authorizations to designate a user group capable of performing setup operations (Deployment, Files, and Fine-Tuning), while enabling all users to utilize the Completions functionality.
Flexible Authentication: The SDK supports authentication using either Azure OpenAI Keys or Azure Active Directory (AAD), providing users with a secure and flexible approach to authentication.
In this age of relentless technological progress, AI is undeniably the cornerstone of enterprise software development’s future. The Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP is a dynamic and transformative tool, purpose-built for SAP professionals. It’s not just a toolkit; it’s a supercharger for your innovative instincts, enabling you to build intelligent, data-centric applications. Our aim is to help businesses stay nimble and competitive in a marketplace where the pace of innovation is breakneck.
The launch of the Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP is a leap into the future. It encapsulates our commitment to fostering the symbiotic relationship between technology and business, nurturing an environment where the opportunities for innovation are limitless. As we unfurl this state-of-the-art tool, we can’t wait to see the inventive applications that you, the talented developers working within the SAP ecosystem, will craft. The potential is staggering, poised to redefine how businesses operate and flourish.
And our commitment doesn’t stop at providing you with the tools. We pledge unwavering support on your journey of discovery and innovation with the Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP. We’re with you every step of the way — to guide, support, and celebrate as you traverse this transformative technological landscape. Let’s stride boldly together into this new era of intelligent, data-driven enterprise solutions. The future is here, and it’s brighter than ever.
Best Regards,
Gopal Nair – Principal Software Engineer, Microsoft, – Author
Amit Lal – Principal Technical Specialist, Microsoft – Contributor
Disclaimer: The announcement of the Microsoft AI SDK for SAP ABAP is intended for informational purposes only. Microsoft reserves the right to make adjustments or changes to the product, its features, availability, and pricing at any time without prior notice. This blog does not constitute a legally binding offer or guarantee of specific functionalities or performance characteristics. Please refer to the official product documentation and agreements for detailed information about the product and its use. Microsoft is deeply committed to the responsible use of AI technologies. It is recommended to review and comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and organizational policies to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI.
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