Azure Resource Explorer is a powerful tool that allows you to navigate and understand your Azure resources in a single pane of glass. It provides a unified view of all your resources, making it easier to manage and troubleshoot issues.
With Azure Resource Explorer, you can query your resources using a variety of filters and parameters, including subscription, resource group, and resource type. This makes it easy to find specific resources and get detailed information about them.
One of the key benefits of Azure Resource Explorer is its ability to provide real-time insights into your resources. By using the Azure Resource Graph, you can get detailed information about your resources, including their properties, metrics, and logs. This allows you to make data-driven decisions and optimize your resource utilization.
By unlocking Azure Resource Insights with Azure Resource Explorer, you can gain a deeper understanding of your resources and make more informed decisions about how to manage them.
Resource Explorer
The Resource Explorer is a powerful tool in Azure that allows you to browse and explore all available resource types.
It's located on the left-hand side of the interface, and it lists all the available Azure resource types.
If you expand a resource, you'll see all the properties and subtypes listed out.
Selecting the button next to a resource gives you the option to "Explore distinct values of..." which is a great way to populate the query window with pre-defined queries about that resource.
This feature saves you time and effort by providing you with a head start on your query.
Data Management
Data Management is a crucial aspect of Azure Resource Explorer. You can manage your resources and subscriptions efficiently using the explorer.
One of the key features of Azure Resource Explorer is its ability to help you understand your resource usage and costs. This is achieved through the use of metrics and logs.
Azure Resource Explorer allows you to filter and group resources based on various criteria, including location, type, and tags. This helps you quickly identify and manage resources that are not being used.
You can also use Azure Resource Explorer to monitor your resources in real-time, receiving alerts and notifications when certain conditions are met. This helps you stay on top of your resources and make data-driven decisions.
By using Azure Resource Explorer, you can optimize your resource usage and reduce costs. This is achieved by identifying and eliminating unused resources, as well as optimizing resource configuration.
Alerts and Monitoring
Azure resource explorer offers a robust monitoring system that allows you to track your resources in real-time. This system is built on Azure Monitor, which collects data from various Azure services.
You can use Azure Monitor tools to analyze all Azure resources, regardless of their service type. This means you can use the same tools to monitor resources from different services, making it easier to manage your resources in one place.
Azure Monitor collects data in the form of platform metrics, resource logs, and activity logs. These data types provide valuable insights into your resources' performance and operations.
Platform metrics are numerical values that describe a resource's state at a particular time. They are automatically collected and stored in Azure Monitor Metrics. Resource logs, on the other hand, provide detailed information about operations performed by a resource. You need to create a diagnostic setting to send these logs to Azure Monitor Logs.
Here are the types of data collected by Azure Monitor:
- Activity log: Subscription-level events that track operations for each Azure resource.
- Platform metrics: Numerical values that describe a resource's state at a particular time.
- Resource logs: Detailed information about operations performed by a resource.
- Virtual machine guest metrics and logs: Performance and log data from the guest operating system of Azure virtual machines.
Alerts are a critical feature of Azure resource explorer's monitoring system. They proactively notify you when important conditions are found in your monitoring data. You can create alert rules to send notifications when specific conditions are met.
Visualization
To visualize your Azure resources, you can use Resource Graph Explorer.
You'll find it in the Azure Services list, where you can open it and start creating charts.
Once opened, you're presented with a familiar search interface, similar to Log Analytics, to enter your query.
With Resource Graph Explorer, you can easily create charts to help you understand your Azure resources.
Resource Graph Explorer's search interface is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, making it simple to find the information you need.
You can use this interface to enter your query and start visualizing your resources in no time.
Dashboard
Dashboard is where the magic happens in Azure Resource Explorer. You can pin query results to your dashboard for real-time insights into your Azure environment.
To pin a query result to your dashboard, select "Pin to dashboard" after running a query that can be visualized. This will add the result to your dashboard with the title you specify, such as "Virtual machine by OS type".
Queries that result in a list can also be pinned to the dashboard. The feature isn't limited to data visualizations of queries.
To pin a chart to your dashboard, click the "Pin to Dashboard" icon in the results view. Make sure you have the right dashboard selected in the portal before clicking this icon.
You can share your dashboards with others in your organization, making it easy to collaborate and get everyone on the same page.
Here's a quick rundown of the steps to pin a query result to your dashboard:
- Select Save and use the name of your query.
- Rerun the query you saved.
- On the Charts tab, select a data visualization and then select Pin to dashboard.
- From Pin to Dashboard, select the existing dashboard where you want the chart to appear.
The query and resulting data visualization will run and update each time the dashboard loads, providing real-time insights into your Azure environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change the directory in Azure resource Explorer?
To change the directory in Azure Resource Graph Explorer, select "Directory" and then choose the directory, management group, or subscription you want to query. This will update the scope of your Resource Graph Explorer.
Is Azure resource graph Explorer free?
Yes, Azure Resource Graph Explorer is a free service. However, large-scale and frequent queries may require a paid plan, so check the Resource Graph portal page for more information.
Sources
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/essentials/monitor-azure-resource
- https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items
- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/governance/resource-graph/first-query-portal
- https://community.powerbi.com/t5/Desktop/Azure-resource-graph-explorer/td-p/1705228
- https://samcogan.com/visualise-your-azure-resource-with-resource-graph-explorer/
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