Author: Naveen Raj

Improved Performance and Accessibility: Introducing Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager

Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager: New Feature

Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager: A New Feature Enhancing Availability

Overview

The Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager (ATM) is a new feature that enables users to specify a specific endpoint for traffic serving, even if it is not the most optimal choice. This capability is valuable when consistent traffic from a particular location is necessary, such as government websites or financial institutions. Azure Traffic Manager, a cloud-based service, facilitates the distribution of traffic across multiple endpoints, including web servers, cloud services, and Azure VMs. It leverages various factors, such as latency, availability, and performance, to determine the optimal endpoint for serving a request.

Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager: Benefits

Using Always Serve for ATM offers several advantages:

  • Improved availability: Ensures continuous availability of applications by directing traffic to a healthy endpoint consistently.
  • Reduced latency: Minimizes latency by always serving traffic from the nearest endpoint.
  • Increased control: Empowers users with more control over traffic routing to their endpoints.

How It’s Useful

Always Serve proves useful in various scenarios, including:

1. Government websites: Government websites require accessibility worldwide, even during network outages or disruptions. Always Serve guarantees these websites’ continuous availability to users.
2. Financial institutions: Financial institutions must ensure their websites are accessible to customers at all times, especially during peak load periods. Always Serve helps maintain constant availability, even during traffic spikes.
3. E-commerce websites: E-commerce platforms need to be reliably available to customers for completing purchases. Always Serve ensures these websites’ continuous accessibility, even if issues arise with one of the endpoints.

How to Use Always Serve for Azure Traffic Manager

To leverage Always Serve for ATM, follow these steps:

1. Create a new profile and specify the desired endpoint for traffic serving.
2. Optionally, set a priority for the endpoint to determine its usage when multiple endpoints are available.

Conclusion

Always Serve in Azure Traffic Manager introduces a new feature that enhances application availability and performance. This tool proves invaluable for organizations seeking to maintain constant website availability for their users.The Always Serve feature in Azure Traffic Manager improves application availability and performance, making it an essential tool for organizations that want to ensure their website is always accessible to users.

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Optimizing Resource Allocation: Cross-Account Service Quotas in Amazon CloudWatch

Cross-Account Service Quotas in Amazon CloudWatch

Amazon CloudWatch enhances monitoring with Cross-Account Service Quotas.

Overview

In this blog post, we will discuss what Cross-Account Service Quotas are and how they can help you monitor and manage your AWS resources across multiple accounts. Cross-Account Service Quotas is a feature of Amazon CloudWatch that allows you to view and modify the service quotas of your AWS services for all the accounts in your organization from a single dashboard. This can help you avoid hitting service limits, optimize your resource usage, and simplify your quota management workflow. Discover various use cases:

  • Check usage of specific services like EC2 instances, Lambda functions, or S3 buckets.
  • Adjust quotas for services across accounts, no need to log in separately.
  • Automate quota management with CloudFormation templates or AWS CLI.
  • Set up alarms or dashboards to monitor quota usage and receive notifications.

Cross-Account Service Quotas: Usage

Leverage this feature to:

  • View quotas and usage for all accounts or specific organizational units.
  • Request quota increases for multiple accounts from the master account.
  • Delegate quota management to trusted member accounts.
  • Monitor quota usage through CloudWatch Alarms.

Prerequisites

To use this feature, you need to:

  • Enable AWS Organizations, create an organization with two or more accounts.
  • Enable trusted access between CloudWatch and Organizations.
  • Grant permissions to master and delegated member accounts.
  • Access Service Quotas via console or API.

Cross-Account Service Quotas: Conclusion

Simplify quota management for organizations with multiple AWS accounts. Avoid service disruptions and optimize resource utilization. To enable this feature, you need to have an AWS Organizations account and enable trusted access between CloudWatch and Organizations. Then, you can use the CloudWatch console or API to view and modify the quotas of your services for each account in your organization. You can also set up alarms and notifications to alert you when a quota is approaching or exceeding its limit.

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Azure Machine Learning Compute Cluster

Azure Machine Learning Compute: Latest Updates

Azure Machine Learning Compute Cluster: Overview

Azure Machine Learning (ML) Compute Cluster is an integral cloud-based service within the Azure Machine Learning platform, delivering on-demand and scalable compute resources for machine learning workloads. Designed to offer a versatile and expandable environment, it accommodates both CPU and GPU-based tasks and supports parallel execution, thus optimizing model training time.

Key Features

The service boasts several key features, empowering users to efficiently manage and scale their machine learning workloads. Notably, it provides a variety of virtual machine sizes tailored to the specific requirements of individual workloads, while also supporting both Linux and Windows operating systems. Moreover, it seamlessly integrates with other Azure services like Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Azure Batch, streamlining workflows and enhancing overall productivity.

Key Benefits

The benefits are abundant. Its scalability and flexibility enable users to accommodate varying workloads with ease. The service significantly reduces model training time by executing machine learning tasks in parallel, leading to faster results and more streamlined development processes. The availability of virtual machine size options further enhances its versatility, ensuring an optimal fit for diverse workload needs.

Azure Machine Learning Compute Cluster: Conclusion

In conclusion, it is a powerful and essential cloud-based resource for executing machine learning workloads. Its ability to provide on-demand scalability, support parallel processing, and offer a range of virtual machine sizes makes it an invaluable asset for data scientists and developers. By leveraging this service, users can expedite model training and achieve enhanced efficiency within their machine-learning projects. However, it is essential to acknowledge its cloud-based nature and ensure a reliable internet connection for seamless utilization. Embrace its capabilities and unlock the full potential of your machine-learning endeavors.

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Azure Event Grid for AKS

Event Grid Upgrade for AKS: Enhancements & Benefits

AKS Empowered: Unraveling the July 19, 2023 Event Grid Upgrade Enhancements

Event Grid Upgrade for AKS: Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing and Kubernetes, Microsoft’s Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) has emerged as a popular choice for container orchestration. As businesses demand greater scalability, performance, and reliability, Azure continues to deliver cutting-edge updates to AKS. On July 19, 2023, Microsoft rolled out a significant upgrade to AKS’ Event Grid, with new enhancements promising to revolutionize event-driven application development. In this blog post, we’ll explore these upgrades, their benefits, and why AKS users should consider upgrading.

Event Grid Upgrade for AKS: New Enhancements

  • Custom Event Schemas: The July 2023 upgrade empowers AKS users to define and enforce custom event schemas in Event Grid, standardizing event structures precisely. Custom schemas enhance clarity, enabling seamless integration, reducing errors, and improving reliability.
  • Dead Lettering: The latest Event Grid upgrade introduces dead lettering support, storing failed events in a dedicated “dead letter” queue. This enables efficient debugging, faster issue resolution, and improved application stability.
  • Event Grid Explorer: Microsoft’s new Event Grid Explorer simplifies event monitoring and troubleshooting. It provides real-time insights into event flows, subscription statuses, and delivery performance, enhancing observability and reducing the learning curve.

Benefits of Upgrading

  • Enhanced Application Reliability: Upgrading allows enforcing custom event schemas and leveraging dead lettering, improving application reliability. Correctly structured events and graceful failure handling lead to more resilient applications.
  • Improved Development Productivity: The Event Grid Explorer enables quick analysis and issue diagnosis without external tools. Improved observability accelerates development and facilitates rapid responses to changing requirements.
  • Seamless Integration: Defining custom event schemas enhances collaboration and integration between teams. Adherence to defined schemas reduces friction and accelerates seamless application development.
  • Cost-Effective Error Handling: Dead lettering support automates error handling, storing failed events in a dedicated queue. This saves time, operational costs, and facilitates thorough error analysis.

Conclusion

The July 2023 upgrade elevates event-driven application development on Azure. Custom event schemas, dead lettering, and the Event Grid Explorer empower developers with powerful tools.

Upgrading to the latest AKS version offers benefits like enhanced application reliability, improved development productivity, seamless integration, and cost-effective error handling. Proper planning and testing can mitigate potential challenges.

Whether you’re a seasoned AKS user or starting your cloud journey, embracing the Event Grid upgrade fosters a resilient and agile application ecosystem on Microsoft Azure. Embrace the power of Event Grid to unlock the full potential of your AKS deployments today!

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Microsoft Dev Box

Microsoft Dev Box: A Cloud-Based Workstation

Microsoft Dev Box in Azure: A New Way to Develop and Test Your Applications

If you are a developer who wants to create, test, and deploy your applications faster and easier, you might be interested in the new Microsoft Dev Box in Azure. This fully managed development environment provides you with everything you need to build and run your applications in the cloud.

What is Microsoft Dev Box in Azure?

Microsoft Dev Box in Azure is a service that lets you create and use a virtual machine (VM) that is preconfigured with the tools and frameworks you need for your development projects. Additionally, you can choose from various templates that include different operating systems, languages, and frameworks, such as Windows, Linux, .NET, Java, Python, Node.js, and more. Furthermore, you have the flexibility to customize your VM with your own settings and preferences.

You can conveniently access your VM from any device and location using a web browser or a remote desktop client. Moreover, you have the capability to connect your VM to other Azure services, such as storage, databases, networking, and security. You can seamlessly develop and test your applications in a realistic and scalable environment without the need to worry about infrastructure or maintenance.

What are the benefits?

Microsoft Dev Box in Azure offers several benefits for developers who want to improve their productivity and efficiency. Some of these benefits are:

  • Save time and money by avoiding the hassle of setting up and managing your own development environment. Create a VM with a few clicks and start coding immediately.
  • Work from anywhere and on any device, as long as you have an internet connection. Collaborate with other developers by sharing your VM or using tools like Visual Studio Code Spaces and GitHub Codespaces.
  • Leverage the power and flexibility of Azure to build and test your applications in a secure and reliable cloud platform. Easily scale up or down your resources, integrate with other services, and deploy your applications to any Azure region or endpoint.
  • Learn new skills and technologies by exploring the different templates and options available for your VM. You can also access online tutorials, documentation, and support from Microsoft and the developer community.

Conclusion

Microsoft Dev Box in Azure is a great solution for developers who want to simplify their development workflow and take advantage of the cloud. It is now generally available for all Azure customers, so you can try it out today and see how it can help you create amazing applications faster and easier.

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Level Up Your Containerization: AWS Karpenter Adds Windows Container Compatibility

AWS Karpenter Supports Windows Containers: What’s New

Windows Container Support Arrives in AWS Karpenter: What You Need to Know

If you run Windows containers on Amazon EKS, you might find the latest update from AWS intriguing: Karpenter now supports Windows containers. AWS has introduced this update, enabling Windows container compatibility in Karpenter, an open-source project that delivers a high-performance Kubernetes cluster autoscaler. In this blog post, we will explore Karpenter, its functioning, and the benefits it brings to Windows container users.

What is AWS Karpenter?

Karpenter is a dynamic Kubernetes cluster autoscaler that adjusts your cluster’s compute capacity based on your application requirements. Unlike the traditional Kubernetes Cluster Autoscaler, which relies on predefined instance types and Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling groups, Karpenter can launch any EC2 instance type that matches the resource requirements of your pods. By choosing the right-sized instances, Karpenter optimizes your cluster for cost, performance, and availability.

Karpenter also extends support for node expiration, node upgrades, and spot instances. You can configure Karpenter to automatically terminate nodes after a specific period of inactivity or when they become idle. Additionally, you can enable Karpenter to upgrade your nodes to the latest Amazon EKS Optimized Windows AMI, enhancing security and performance. Karpenter offers a feature to initiate spot instances, enabling you to save up to 90% on your computing expenses.

As an open-source project, Karpenter operates under the Apache License 2.0. It is designed to function seamlessly with any Kubernetes cluster, whether in on-premises environments or major cloud providers. You can actively contribute to the project by joining the community on Slack or participating in its development on GitHub.

How does AWS Karpenter work?

Karpenter operates by observing the aggregate resource requests of unscheduled pods in your cluster and launching new nodes that best match their scale, scheduling, and resource requirements. It continuously monitors events within the Kubernetes cluster and interacts with the underlying cloud provider’s compute service, such as Amazon EC2, to execute commands.

To utilize Karpenter, you need to install it in your cluster using Helm and grant it permission to provision compute resources on your cloud provider. Additionally, you should create a provisioner object that defines the parameters for node provisioning, including instance types, labels, taints, expiration time, and more. You have the flexibility to create multiple provisioners for different types of workloads or node groups.

Once a provisioner is in place, Karpenter actively monitors the pods in your cluster and launches new nodes whenever the need arises. For example, if a pod requires 4 vCPUs and 16 GB of memory, but no node in your cluster can accommodate it, Karpenter will launch a new node with those specifications or higher. Similarly, if a pod has a node affinity or node selector based on a specific label or instance type, Karpenter will launch a new node that satisfies the criteria.

Karpenter automatically terminates nodes when they are no longer required or when they reach their expiration time. For instance, if a node remains inactive without any running pods for more than 10 minutes, Karpenter will terminate it to optimize costs. Similarly, if a node was launched with an expiration time of 1 hour, Karpenter will terminate it after 1 hour, irrespective of its utilization.

What are the benefits of using AWS Karpenter for Windows containers?

By leveraging Karpenter for Windows containers, you can reap several advantages:

  • Cost Optimization: Karpenter ensures optimal infrastructure utilization by launching instances specific to your workload requirements and terminating them when not in use. You can also take advantage of spot instances to significantly reduce compute costs.
  • Performance Optimization: Karpenter enhances application performance by launching instances optimized for your workload’s resource demands. You can assign different instance types to various workloads or node groups, thereby achieving better performance outcomes.
  • Availability Optimization: Karpenter improves application availability by scaling instances in response to changing application loads. Utilizing multiple availability zones or regions ensures fault tolerance and resilience.
  • Operational Simplicity: Karpenter simplifies cluster management by automating node provisioning and termination processes. You no longer need to manually adjust the compute capacity of your cluster or create multiple EC2 Auto Scaling groups for distinct workloads or node groups.

Conclusion

Karpenter stands as a robust tool for Kubernetes cluster autoscaling, now equipped to support Windows containers. By leveraging Karpenter, you can optimize your cluster’s cost, performance, and availability, while simultaneously simplifying cluster management. To explore further details about Karpenter, visit the official website or the GitHub repository. For insights on running Windows containers on Amazon EKS, refer to the EKS best practices guide and Amazon EKS Optimized Windows AMI documentation.

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Amazon DynamoDB Local

Amazon DynamoDB Local v2.0: What’s New

Learn About Amazon DynamoDB local version 2.0

Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database service that is fully managed and guarantees speedy and consistent performance while also being seamlessly scalable. It allows you to store and query any data without worrying about servers, provisioning, or maintenance. But what if you want to develop and test your applications locally without accessing the DynamoDB web service? That’s where Amazon DynamoDB local comes in handy.

What is Amazon DynamoDB local?

Amazon DynamoDB local is a downloadable version of Amazon DynamoDB that you can run on your computer. It simulates the DynamoDB web service so that you can use it with your existing DynamoDB API calls.

It is ideal for development and testing, as it helps you save on throughput, data storage, and data transfer fees. In addition, you don’t need an internet connection while you work on your application. You can use it with any supported SDKs, such as Java, Python, Node.js, Ruby, .NET, PHP, and Go. You can also use it with the AWS CLI or the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio.

What’s New in Amazon DynamoDB Local version 2.0?

Amazon DynamoDB local version 2.0 was released on July 5, 2023. It has some important changes and improvements that you should know about.

Migration to jakarta.* namespace

The most significant change is the migration to use the jakarta.* namespace instead of the javax.* namespace. This means that Java developers can now use Amazon DynamoDB local with Spring Boot 3 and frameworks such as Spring Framework 6 and Micronaut Framework 4 to build modernized, simplified, and lightweight cloud-native applications.

The jakarta.* namespace is part of the Jakarta EE project, which is the successor of Java EE. Jakarta EE aims to provide a platform for developing enterprise applications using Java technologies.

Suppose you are using Java SDKs or tools that rely on the javax.* namespace, you will need to update them to use the jakarta.* namespace before using Amazon DynamoDB local version 2.0. For more information, see Migrating from javax.* to jakarta.*.

Updated Access Key ID convention

Another change is the updated convention for the Access Key ID when using Amazon DynamoDB local. The new convention specifies that the AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID can only contain letters (A–Z, a–z) and numbers (0–9).

This change was made to align with the Access Key ID convention for the DynamoDB web service, which also only allows letters and numbers. This helps avoid confusion and errors when switching between Amazon DynamoDB local and the DynamoDB web service.

If you use an Access Key ID containing other characters, such as dashes (-) or underscores (_), you must change it before using version 2.0. For more information, see Troubleshooting “The Access Key ID or Security Token is Invalid” Error After Upgrading DynamoDB Local to Version 2.0 or Greater.

Bug fixes and performance improvements

It also includes several bug fixes and performance improvements that enhance the stability and usability.

For example, one of the bug fixes addresses an issue where version 1.19.0 had an empty jar file in its repository, causing errors when downloading or running it. This issue has been resolved in version 2.0.

Getting Started with Amazon DynamoDB local version 2.0

  • Getting started is easy and free. You can download it from Deploying DynamoDB locally on your computer and follow the instructions to install and run it on your preferred operating system (macOS, Linux, or Windows).
  • You can also use as an Apache Maven dependency or as a Docker image if you prefer those options.
  • Once you have Amazon DynamoDB local running on your computer, you can use any of the supported SDKs, tools, or frameworks to develop and test your applications locally.

Conclusion

Amazon DynamoDB local version 2.0 is a great way to develop and test your applications locally without accessing the DynamoDB web service. It has some important changes and improvements that make it compatible with the latest Java technologies and conventions. Suppose you are a Java developer who wants to use it with Spring Boot 3 or other frameworks that use the jakarta.* namespace, you should upgrade to version 2.0 as soon as possible.

If you are using other SDKs or tools that rely on the javax.* namespace or an Access Key ID containing other characters, you will need to update them before using. It is free to download and use, and it works with your existing DynamoDB API calls. You can start with it today by downloading it from Deploying DynamoDB locally on your computer.

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Creating Azure Active Directory: Simplifying Identity Management in the Cloud

Microsoft Entra ID: The New Name for Azure AD

Microsoft Entra ID: What’s in a name?

Microsoft has recently announced that it will rebrand its popular cloud-based identity and access management service, Azure Active Directory, as Microsoft Entra ID. This change will take effect in early 2024, and will affect all existing and new customers of the service. But why did Microsoft decide to change the name of such a well-known and widely used product? And what does Entra ID mean?

In this article, we will explore the reasons behind this rebranding and how it reflects Microsoft’s vision and strategy for the future of identity and security in the cloud.

Why change the name?

Azure Active Directory, or AAD for short, was launched in 2010 as a cloud-based version of Microsoft’s on-premises Active Directory service. It provides identity and access management for Windows-based networks. AAD enables users to sign in and access applications and resources across Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure, as well as third-party services that integrate with AAD. AAD also offers features such as multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, conditional access, identity protection, and more.

Over the years, AAD has become one of the world’s most popular and trusted cloud identity services, with over 400 million active users and over 30 billion authentication requests per day. AAD supports over 3,000 pre-integrated applications and is used by over 90% Fortune 500 companies.

However, Microsoft realized that the name Azure Active Directory no longer accurately reflects the scope and capabilities of the service. As Microsoft’s cloud platform evolved, so did AAD. It is not just a directory service for Azure anymore. AAD is a comprehensive identity platform that works across multiple clouds, hybrid environments, and devices. It is also not just an extension of Active Directory anymore. It is a modern and innovative service which leverages machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to provide secure and seamless identity experiences for users and organizations.

Therefore, Microsoft decided to rename AAD as Microsoft Entra ID, to better communicate its value proposition and differentiation in the market.

What does Entra ID mean?

Microsoft Entra ID is a combination of two words: Entra and ID. Entra is derived from the Latin “intrare”, meaning “to enter”. ID is an abbreviation for “identity”. Entra ID signifies Microsoft’s mission to enable users to enter any application or resource with their identity, regardless of where they are or what device they use.

Microsoft Entra ID also conveys Microsoft’s vision to empower users and organizations with intelligent and adaptive identity solutions that enhance security, productivity, and collaboration in the cloud era.

What are the benefits of Entra ID?

Microsoft Entra ID will offer the same features and functionality as AAD, but with a new name and logo that align with Microsoft’s brand identity and design language. Customers using AAD today will not need to change their configurations or integrations. They will simply see the new name and logo in their portals, documentation, and communications from Microsoft.

However, Microsoft Entra ID will also bring some new benefits to customers, such as:

  • A simplified and consistent naming scheme across Microsoft’s cloud services. For example, instead of Azure AD B2C (Business to Consumer), customers will see Microsoft Entra ID B2C. Instead of Azure AD B2B (Business to Business), customers will see Microsoft Entra ID B2B.
  • A unified and integrated identity experience across Microsoft’s cloud offerings. For example, customers using Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, or other Microsoft cloud services can manage their identities using Entra ID as a single-entry point.
  • A more flexible and extensible identity platform that can support new scenarios and use cases in the future. For example, customers can leverage Entra ID’s capabilities for decentralized identity using blockchain technology or for verifiable credentials using digital certificates.

Conclusion

Microsoft Entra ID is more than just a name change. It reflects Microsoft’s commitment to delivering innovative and secure identity solutions for the cloud era. By rebranding AAD as Entra ID, Microsoft aims to simplify its messaging, unify its identity offerings, and extend its platform for new opportunities and challenges.

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Amazon SageMaker Canvas

Amazon SageMaker Canvas: What’s New

Amazon SageMaker Canvas Operationalize ML Models in Production

Amazon SageMaker Canvas is a new no-code machine learning platform that allows business analysts to generate accurate ML predictions without writing any code or requiring any ML expertise. It was launched at the AWS re:Invent 2021 conference and is built on the capabilities of Amazon SageMaker, the comprehensive ML service from AWS.

What is Amazon SageMaker Canvas?

Amazon SageMaker Canvas is a visual, point-and-click interface that enables users to access ready-to-use models or create custom models for a variety of use cases, such as:

  • Detect sentiment in free-form text
  • Extract information from documents
  • Identify objects and text in images
  • Predict customer churn
  • Plan inventory efficiently
  • Optimize price and revenue
  • Improve on-time deliveries
  • Classify text or images based on custom categories

Users can import data from disparate sources, select values they want to predict, automatically prepare and explore data, and create an ML model with a few clicks. They can also run what-if analysis and generate single or bulk predictions with the model. Additionally, they can collaborate with data scientists by sharing, reviewing, and updating ML models across tools. Users can also import ML models from anywhere and generate predictions directly in Amazon SageMaker Canvas.

What is Operationalize ML Models in Production?

Operationalize ML Models in Production is a new feature of Amazon SageMaker Canvas that allows users to easily deploy their ML models to production environments and monitor their performance. Users can choose from different deployment options, such as:

  • Real-time endpoints: Users can create scalable and secure endpoints that can serve real-time predictions from their models. Users can also configure auto-scaling policies, encryption settings, access control policies, and logging options for their endpoints.
  • Batch transformations: Users can run batch predictions on large datasets using their models. Users can specify the input and output locations, the number of parallel requests, and the timeout settings for their batch jobs.
  • Pipelines: Users can create workflows that automate the steps involved in building, deploying, and monitoring their models. Users can use pre-built steps or create custom steps using AWS Lambda functions or containers.

Users can also monitor the performance of their deployed models using Amazon SageMaker Model Monitor, which automatically tracks key metrics such as accuracy, latency, throughput, and error rates. Users can also set up alerts and notifications for any anomalies or deviations from their expected performance.

Benefits of Amazon SageMaker Canvas

It offers several benefits for business analysts who want to leverage ML for their use cases, such as:

  • No-code: Users do not need to write any code or have any ML experience to use Amazon SageMaker Canvas. They can use a simple and intuitive interface to build and deploy ML models with ease.
  • Accuracy: Users can access ready-to-use models powered by Amazon AI services, such as Amazon Rekognition, Amazon Textract, and Amazon Comprehend, that offer high-quality predictions for common use cases. Users can also build custom models trained on their own data that are optimized for their specific needs.
  • Speed: Users can build and deploy ML models in minutes using Amazon SageMaker Canvas. They can also leverage the scalability and reliability of AWS to run large-scale predictions with low latency and high availability.
  • Collaboration: Users can boost collaboration between business analysts and data scientists by sharing, reviewing, and updating ML models across tools. Users can also import ML models from anywhere and generate predictions on them in Amazon SageMaker Canvas.

How to get started?

To get started, users need to have an AWS account and access to the AWS Management Console. Users can then navigate to the Amazon SageMaker service page and select Amazon SageMaker Canvas from the left navigation pane. Users can then choose from different options to start using Amazon SageMaker Canvas:

  • Use Ready-to-use models: Users can select a ready-to-use model for their use case, such as sentiment analysis, object detection in images, or document analysis. They can then upload their data and generate predictions with a single click.
  • Build a custom model: Users can import their data from one or more data sources, such as Amazon S3 buckets, Amazon Athena tables, or CSV files. They can then select the value they want to predict and create an ML model with a few clicks. They can also explore their data and analyze their model’s performance before generating predictions.
  • Import a model: Users can import an ML model from anywhere, such as Amazon SageMaker Studio or another tool. They can then generate predictions on the imported model without writing any code.

Users can also deploy their models to production environments and monitor their performance using Operationalize ML Models in Production feature.

Conclusion

Amazon SageMaker Canvas is a new no-code machine learning platform that allows business analysts to generate accurate ML predictions without writing any code or requiring any ML expertise. It offers several benefits, such as accuracy, speed, and collaboration, for users who want to leverage ML for their use cases. It also enables users to easily deploy their models to production environments and monitor their performance using Operationalize ML Models in Production feature. Users can get started with Amazon SageMaker Canvas by accessing it from the AWS Management Console and choosing from different options to use ready-to-use models, build custom models, or import models from anywhere.

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AWS Database Migration Service

AWS Database Migration Service: Seamless Migration

AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) is a cloud service that makes it possible to migrate relational databases, data warehouses, NoSQL databases, and other types of data stores. You can use AWS DMS to migrate your data into the AWS Cloud or between combinations of cloud and on-premises setups. In this blog post, we will explain what you can do and how AWS Database Migration Service helps in seamless migration.

Overview of AWS Database Migration Service

AWS DMS is a managed and automated migration service that provides a quick and secure way to migrate databases from on-premise databases, DB instances, or databases running on EC2 instances to the cloud. It helps you modernize, migrate, and manage your environments in the AWS cloud. AWS DMS supports migration between 20-plus database and analytics engines, such as Oracle to Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition , MySQL to Amazon Relational Database (RDS) for MySQL , Microsoft SQL Server to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition, MongoDB to Amazon DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility) , Oracle to Amazon Redshift, and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3).

AWS DMS also supports homogeneous and heterogeneous database migrations, meaning you can migrate to the same or a different database engine. For example, you can migrate from Oracle to Oracle, or from Oracle to PostgreSQL. AWS DMS takes care of many of the difficult or tedious tasks involved in a migration project, such as capacity analysis, hardware and software provisioning, installation and administration, testing and debugging, and ongoing data replication and monitoring.

At a basic level, AWS DMS is a server in the AWS Cloud that runs replication software. You create a source and target connection to tell AWS DMS where to extract from and load to. Then you schedule a task that runs on this server to move your data. AWS DMS creates the tables and associated primary keys if they don’t exist on the target. You can create the target tables yourself if you prefer. Or you can use AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to create some or all of the target tables, indexes, views, triggers, and so on.

What You Can Do with AWS DMS

With AWS DMS, you can perform various migration scenarios, such as:

  • Move to managed databases: Migrate from legacy or on-premises databases to managed cloud services through a simplified migration process, removing undifferentiated database management tasks.
  • Remove licensing costs and accelerate business growth: Modernize to purpose-built databases to innovate and build faster for any use case at scale for one-tenth the cost.
  • Replicate ongoing changes: Create redundancies of business-critical databases and data stores to minimize downtime and protect against any data loss.
  • Improve integration with data lakes: Build data lakes and perform real-time processing on change data from your data stores.

Benefits of using AWS DMS

  • Trusted by customers globally: AWS DMS has been used by thousands of customers across various industries to securely migrate over 1 million databases with minimal downtime.
  • Supports multiple sources and targets: AWS DMS supports migration from 20-plus database and analytics engines, including both commercial and open-source options.
  • Maintains high availability and minimal downtime: AWS DMS supports Multi-AZ deployments and ongoing data replication and monitoring to ensure high availability and minimal downtime during the migration process.
  • Low cost and pay-as-you-go pricing: AWS DMS charges only for the compute resources and additional log storage used during the migration process.
  • Easy to use and scalable: AWS DMS provides a simple web-based console and API to create and manage your migration tasks. You can also scale up or down your replication instances as needed.

How AWS DMS Helps in Seamless Migration

AWS DMS helps you migrate your data seamlessly by providing the following features:

  • Discovery: You can use DMS Fleet Advisor to discover your source data infrastructure, such as servers, databases, and schemas that you can migrate to the AWS Cloud.
  • Schema conversion: You can use AWS SCT or download it to your local PC to automatically assess and convert your source schemas to a new target engine. You can also use AWS SCT to generate reports on compatibility issues and recommendations for optimization.
  • Data migration: You can use AWS DMS to migrate your data from your source to your target with minimal disruption. You can perform one-time migrations or replicate ongoing changes to keep sources and targets in sync.
  • Validation: You can use AWS SCT or download it to your local PC to validate the data integrity and performance of your migrated data. You can also use AWS SCT to compare the source and target schemas and data.
  • Conclusion

AWS DMS is a powerful and flexible service that enables you to migrate your databases and data stores to the AWS Cloud or between different cloud and on-premises setups. It supports a wide range of database and analytics engines, both homogeneous and heterogeneous. It also provides features such as discovery, schema conversion, data migration, validation, and replication to help you migrate your data seamlessly and securely.

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