Microsoft Corp.’s Azure cloud is getting boosted with an array of data-focused updates, with expanded capabilities for its Intelligent Data Platform and new functions in its main database offerings leading the way.

One of the most important new announcements at Microsoft Ignite 2022 is the creation of a new Partner Ecosystem for the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform, which is a service that unifies all of the company’s database, analytics and governance tools under one roof. The Partner Ecosystem is a selection of complementary and integrated partner solutions that promise to make the Intelligent Data Platform even more useful by accelerating data integration and value creation, the company said.

Generally available now, the Partner Ecosystem spans each layer of the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform, beginning with databases. Here, Microsoft is integrating with the popular third-party databases MongoDB and Yugabyte DB, adding their NoSQL and NewSQL capabilities and enhancing them with its own analytics and data governance tools.

In terms of analytics, Informatica Inc., Confluent Inc., dbt Labs Inc., Fivetran Inc. and Striim Inc. have all offered up their third-party data integration and transformation tools. It means Microsoft’s Intelligent Data Platform users should have a much easier time in terms of building and operating complex data pipelines that will allow them to integrate information from multiple sources. They’ll be able to see the fruits of those efforts via a single-pane experience in Microsoft Purview, the company said.

In addition, the platform’s users can now tap into an ecosystem of data governance tools besides Microsoft’s own. Companies that include Profisee Inc, CluedIn Ltd. and OneTrust LLC are all chipping in with their own tools spanning data management, compliance and security for hybrid and multicloud data environments.

Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said the new ecosystem shows that Microsoft has realized it cannot provide all of the capabilities an enterprise needs around data by itself. “It’s bringing its partners into the fold to enhance the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform,” he said. “It’s a move that makes sense because, when done right, it will enable easier, faster and more affordable adoption and consumption of Microsoft’s own data offerings, and that’s what everyone wants.”

Database updates

With regard to Microsoft’s individual database offerings, most of them have been enhanced in one way or another. For instance, Azure Cosmos DB, a fast and scalable database for cloud-native app development, is adding distributed PostgreSQL support, meaning developers can now create apps that rely on both traditional, relational data and non-relational data, powered by the same service.

Meanwhile, Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server, which is a fully managed PostgreSQL database service, is now available in preview. It gives customers an additional layer of control with centralized management of encryption keys to address very specific security and compliance requirements.

Azure Database for MySQL is adding a new Autoscale IP feature as well. Available in preview now, this enables users to scale up input/output on-demand without needing to pre-provision any compute resources first. In other words, users can now enjoy worry-free I/O management, the company said, paying only for what they consume.

Life is also being made easier for companies considering moving database workloads to Azure. The Azure Data Studio is adding support for Oracle Database assessments for migration to Azure-managed databases.

More specifically, Microsoft this means that Azure Studio now supports assessments for those that want to migrate from Oracle to Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Azure SQL and Azure SQL Database Hyperscale. Using this tooling, customers will receive target sizing recommendations and an evaluation of their database code complexity. The net result is that it simplifies migration planning for Oracle database users, thereby speeding up the entire process.

Analytics updates

Elsewhere, Microsoft said Azure Synapse Analytics is getting a range of new features in preview that aim to deliver a more simplified, no-code experience when integrating Microsoft 365 data. The first new feature is a pipeline template for Microsoft 365 data, which will provide a one-click experience for setting up Mapping Data Flows, eliminating the additional steps that were normally required to do this.

As for Mapping Data Flows, this builds on Azure Synapse Analytics’ existing Copy Activity functionality, improving the way Microsoft 365 data is readied for analysis.

Mapping Data Flows will clean, normalize and flatten the data, in Parquet format, in multiple data sinks such as Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Cosmos DB and Synapse SQL DW, the company explained, adding that flattened data is much cheaper and faster to process with big data processing.

Azure Synapse also gains new machine learning capabilities, with the addition of R language support with key library management tools now in preview. The R language is an industry standard for processing data that’s used in machine learning models, Microsoft explained.

Also new is an updated version of the SynapseML library, a massively scalable machine learning library built atop Apache Spark. The latest version adds support for .NET, integrates with Generative Pre-trained Transformer GPT language models, gains MLflow integration and more.

Finally, Azure Data Explorer is adding new sources for near real-time analytics, Microsoft said. Azure Data Explorer is a fully managed, high-performance, big data analytics platform that makes it easy to analyze high volumes of data in near real-time, with tools covering data ingestion, queries, visualizations and management. With today’s update, Azure Data Explorer now supports data sources including Amazon Simple Storage Service, Azure Event Grid, Azure Synapse Link from Azure CosmosDB and Azure Data Explorer, and OpenTelemetry metrics, logs and traces.

Data management updates

Not to be left behind, those that are concerned with data governance and other aspects of its management are getting some new toys too. For instance, Microsoft Purview Data Governance, a unified platform that covers hybrid and multicloud data estates, adds a range of new features. These include improved root cause analysis and traceability with SQL Dynamic lineage and fine-grained lineage on Power BI datasets. With this, customers can now perform more thorough root cause analysis from a single location in Purview, Microsoft said.

Added to that, Purview also gets new capabilities around Metamodels, which make it possible for users to define organization, departments, data domains and business processes on their technical data. Then, the new machine learning-powered classifications make it easier to detect human names and addresses in large data sets.

The updates continue with Azure Arc-enabled SQL Server, which adds features that aim to provide a more cloud-like experience, the company said. For instance, there’s a new single-sign on experience that integrates with Azure Active Directory, allowing users to sign in and manage all of their Azure resources and SQL environments via one portal. The service also gains improved security and monitoring capabilities via Microsoft Defender, making it easier to assess and secure SQL Server estates across multicloud environments.

Finally, there’s Azure Stack HCI, which provides subscription-based management for customers who need hybrid infrastructure in their own data centers. The new release of Azure Stack HCI gains enhanced Azure remote support, allowing users to grant consent on an as-required basis, enabling Microsoft staff to remotely gather logs and commands when providing support. In addition, the Azure Marketplace for VM self-service provides access to a selection of virtual machine images, such as Windows 10 Enterprise multi-session and Windows 11 Enterprise multi-session.

Photo: Microsoft