Month: August 2024
How to create an overall legend that includes all appeared data groups?
I’m trying to make a plot, using the tiledlayout function to create 4 subplots, while in the first subplot, there are 5 data groups, while the remaining subplots only have four of those 5 groups. If I create an overall legend, it will only show 4 groups that appeared in all the subplots, and automatically omit the extra one that’s only shown in the first subplot, how to include that grounp into the overall legend as well? Thanks!I’m trying to make a plot, using the tiledlayout function to create 4 subplots, while in the first subplot, there are 5 data groups, while the remaining subplots only have four of those 5 groups. If I create an overall legend, it will only show 4 groups that appeared in all the subplots, and automatically omit the extra one that’s only shown in the first subplot, how to include that grounp into the overall legend as well? Thanks! I’m trying to make a plot, using the tiledlayout function to create 4 subplots, while in the first subplot, there are 5 data groups, while the remaining subplots only have four of those 5 groups. If I create an overall legend, it will only show 4 groups that appeared in all the subplots, and automatically omit the extra one that’s only shown in the first subplot, how to include that grounp into the overall legend as well? Thanks! plotting, legend, tiledlayout, subplots MATLAB Answers — New Questions
Composite Authentication via on premise connectors
Prefacing this with, this is all in my testing across multiple Exchange Online environments. I have also raised a Microsoft support ticket for it.
Consider a mail-flow scenario where an email enters EOP, is then redirected to a 3rd party service. The email is then sent back to EOP via an on-premise connector.
This allows for both inbound and outbound email to be redirected. A partner type inbound connector does not allow external relay.
Then we have authentication. On the first hop to EOP, assume SPF/DKIM/DMARC/ARC/CompAuth passes.
On the re-delivery to EOP after the 3rd party has interacted with the email, it is likely SPF/DKIM will fail and therefore DMARC will. ARC should pass.
However, it is known that composite authentication is not calculated against emails received via an on-premise type connector.
Microsoft changed their on-premise type inbound connectors on approx 24th June 2024, to make several properties “partner connector” only. This includes RequireTLS and RestrictDomainsToCertificate.
Assuming our connector is using a unique accepted domain per tenant (which is required per MS documentation), and this value is set in the TlsSenderCertificateName parameter.
After the changes on the 24th, I set the RestrictDomainsToCertificate value to $false, so that I could continue to edit the connector in future. This is because MS made it impossible to edit a connector with that value set – they have since reverted this restriction.
However, I found that the value set for my TlsSenderCertificateName had changed slightly.
Instead of xyz.domain.com, it has a special character prepended to it. This was unicode character “LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK” https://unicode-explorer.com/c/200E.
So it looked like (character)xyz.domain.com, note that it’s not a visible character.
Following this, all my inbound emails, being delivered after the 3rd party service, had composite authentication calculated.
With no other changes, it was compauth=none.
If I added the TLSSenderCertificateName, simply xyz.domain.com, to the Trusted ARC Sealers configuration, then it would show compauth=pass reason=130.
The special character isn’t visible in the GUI, but if you run Get-InboundConnector you can see the character taking up the space.
If I override it in PowerShell and set it to the certificate without the character, composite authentication is disabled again. But now, I can manually set the character and it enables it.
I can validate that this works for outbound relayed mail also, which would fail if the connector was configured incorrectly.
Try it out:
Set-InboundConnector -identity “yourConnector” -TlsSenderCertificateName “yourCertName”
Make sure you prepend the “yourCertName” with the “LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK” charcater from here https://unicode-explorer.com/c/200E(you can copy it to clipboard from there).
Prefacing this with, this is all in my testing across multiple Exchange Online environments. I have also raised a Microsoft support ticket for it. Consider a mail-flow scenario where an email enters EOP, is then redirected to a 3rd party service. The email is then sent back to EOP via an on-premise connector.This allows for both inbound and outbound email to be redirected. A partner type inbound connector does not allow external relay. Then we have authentication. On the first hop to EOP, assume SPF/DKIM/DMARC/ARC/CompAuth passes.On the re-delivery to EOP after the 3rd party has interacted with the email, it is likely SPF/DKIM will fail and therefore DMARC will. ARC should pass.However, it is known that composite authentication is not calculated against emails received via an on-premise type connector. Microsoft changed their on-premise type inbound connectors on approx 24th June 2024, to make several properties “partner connector” only. This includes RequireTLS and RestrictDomainsToCertificate. Assuming our connector is using a unique accepted domain per tenant (which is required per MS documentation), and this value is set in the TlsSenderCertificateName parameter. After the changes on the 24th, I set the RestrictDomainsToCertificate value to $false, so that I could continue to edit the connector in future. This is because MS made it impossible to edit a connector with that value set – they have since reverted this restriction. However, I found that the value set for my TlsSenderCertificateName had changed slightly. Instead of xyz.domain.com, it has a special character prepended to it. This was unicode character “LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK” https://unicode-explorer.com/c/200E.So it looked like (character)xyz.domain.com, note that it’s not a visible character. Following this, all my inbound emails, being delivered after the 3rd party service, had composite authentication calculated.With no other changes, it was compauth=none.If I added the TLSSenderCertificateName, simply xyz.domain.com, to the Trusted ARC Sealers configuration, then it would show compauth=pass reason=130. The special character isn’t visible in the GUI, but if you run Get-InboundConnector you can see the character taking up the space.If I override it in PowerShell and set it to the certificate without the character, composite authentication is disabled again. But now, I can manually set the character and it enables it. I can validate that this works for outbound relayed mail also, which would fail if the connector was configured incorrectly. Try it out:Set-InboundConnector -identity “yourConnector” -TlsSenderCertificateName “yourCertName” Make sure you prepend the “yourCertName” with the “LEFT-TO-RIGHT MARK” charcater from here https://unicode-explorer.com/c/200E(you can copy it to clipboard from there). Read More
Enable notifications from Shared Calendar
I would like create calendar for my team to every team member can add appointments and every team member receive reminders from this calendar.
I’m experimenting with sharing additional personal calendar or calendar for shared mailbox. Team members can see and add appointments but they doesn’t receive reminders
I found it is possible for Outlook on the web or New Outlook for Windows but we are using Exchange 2016 (on-prem) and Outlook 2019 and not plan to migrate to Exchange Online
(https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/receive-notifications-from-a-shared-calendar-in-outlook-f6a318d6-9d76-4c9f-b8c0-9c6f94066eb0)
Have you any idea how to do this?
I would like create calendar for my team to every team member can add appointments and every team member receive reminders from this calendar. I’m experimenting with sharing additional personal calendar or calendar for shared mailbox. Team members can see and add appointments but they doesn’t receive remindersI found it is possible for Outlook on the web or New Outlook for Windows but we are using Exchange 2016 (on-prem) and Outlook 2019 and not plan to migrate to Exchange Online(https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/receive-notifications-from-a-shared-calendar-in-outlook-f6a318d6-9d76-4c9f-b8c0-9c6f94066eb0) Have you any idea how to do this? Read More
Only show one perons in video stream
Hi,
I´m working in an open office, where people are working in the back and walking behind me.
So sometime in a meeting, you can see the other persons in the back, I dont want that and they dont want that.
Is there a function, that only shows one person?
Thanks
Hi,I´m working in an open office, where people are working in the back and walking behind me.So sometime in a meeting, you can see the other persons in the back, I dont want that and they dont want that.Is there a function, that only shows one person? Thanks Read More
How to create a rule in Defender for o365 to quarantine with the “Sender display name” condition ?
Does it possible to create a rule in Defender for o365 to quarantine if the “Sender display name” is Vipps ?
Does it possible to create a rule in Defender for o365 to quarantine if the “Sender display name” is Vipps ? Read More
How to get cluster data after clustering in EEGLAB ?
Hello everyone
Hello everyone,I’m encountering some difficulties while analyzing EEG data using EEGLab. After clustering ICs using the K-means algorithm, I’m unsure about how to select meaningful clusters for further analysis.Specifically, I’d like to plot ERSPs for a chosen cluster (e.g., cluster 2) and then apply bootstrapping to the entire epoch. Subsequently, I want to set all non-significant ERSP values (p > 0.05) compared to this distribution to zero dB.Hello everyone
Hello everyone,I’m encountering some difficulties while analyzing EEG data using EEGLab. After clustering ICs using the K-means algorithm, I’m unsure about how to select meaningful clusters for further analysis.Specifically, I’d like to plot ERSPs for a chosen cluster (e.g., cluster 2) and then apply bootstrapping to the entire epoch. Subsequently, I want to set all non-significant ERSP values (p > 0.05) compared to this distribution to zero dB. Hello everyone
Hello everyone,I’m encountering some difficulties while analyzing EEG data using EEGLab. After clustering ICs using the K-means algorithm, I’m unsure about how to select meaningful clusters for further analysis.Specifically, I’d like to plot ERSPs for a chosen cluster (e.g., cluster 2) and then apply bootstrapping to the entire epoch. Subsequently, I want to set all non-significant ERSP values (p > 0.05) compared to this distribution to zero dB. matlab, eeglab, eeg, ersp, clustering MATLAB Answers — New Questions
Only algebraic system equations in Model Predictive Control Toolbox?
My goal ist to use Model Predictive Control (MPC) for high-level planning. Instead of having differential equations I want to use only algebraic equations in the state function.
The equations would be in the form . Is there a way to define the MPC state functions as such?
Preferably I would use the nonlinear version of MPC.
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
MartinMy goal ist to use Model Predictive Control (MPC) for high-level planning. Instead of having differential equations I want to use only algebraic equations in the state function.
The equations would be in the form . Is there a way to define the MPC state functions as such?
Preferably I would use the nonlinear version of MPC.
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Martin My goal ist to use Model Predictive Control (MPC) for high-level planning. Instead of having differential equations I want to use only algebraic equations in the state function.
The equations would be in the form . Is there a way to define the MPC state functions as such?
Preferably I would use the nonlinear version of MPC.
Thank you very much.
Best regards,
Martin mpc, algebraic equation MATLAB Answers — New Questions
Controller update in a discrete system
Hello everyone, I have a question
I have a continuous system that updates every 0.001 seconds.
In addition to this, I have a controller that should be updated with a delay of at least 100 times the system (ie every 100 iterations it is updated)
My question is this:
Do I need to calculate the signal and its derivatives and in addition the error and its derivative with T or with dt? I’m not sure..
The system is denoted as y_pk
The required signal is denoted as y_dk
This is part of my code:
dt=0.001; %discrete time
T=0.1; %continoues time
y_d = sin(1 * time); % desired signal
dy_d = diff(y_d) / dt;
ddy_d = diff(dy_d) / dt;
%initialize:
y_dk1=0; dy_dk1=0; uk2=0; uk1=0;
firstrun=true;
for j = 1:length(time)
y_dk = y_d(j);
if mod(j, 100) == 0 ||firstrun
T=dt; % ??
dy_dk = (y_dk-y_dk1)/T; %derv of y_dk
ddy_dk = (dy_dk – dy_dk1)/T; %second derv of y_dk
ek = y_dk – y_pk;
de_k = dy_dk – dy_pk;
uk = (1/c)*(a1*dy_pk + b1*(dy_pk)^2 + a2*y_pk + b2*(y_pk)^2 +k_p*ek + k_d*de_k + ddy_dk); % u: control input
% Store data for nex step:
uk2=uk1;
uk1=uk;
firstrun=false;
end
y_pk = …. ; %update each 0.001 second (continoues time)
dy_pk = (y_pk-y_pk1)/dt; %derv of y_pk
% Store data for nex step: system
y_pk2=y_pk1;
y_pk1=y_pk;
Thank you all!! :)Hello everyone, I have a question
I have a continuous system that updates every 0.001 seconds.
In addition to this, I have a controller that should be updated with a delay of at least 100 times the system (ie every 100 iterations it is updated)
My question is this:
Do I need to calculate the signal and its derivatives and in addition the error and its derivative with T or with dt? I’m not sure..
The system is denoted as y_pk
The required signal is denoted as y_dk
This is part of my code:
dt=0.001; %discrete time
T=0.1; %continoues time
y_d = sin(1 * time); % desired signal
dy_d = diff(y_d) / dt;
ddy_d = diff(dy_d) / dt;
%initialize:
y_dk1=0; dy_dk1=0; uk2=0; uk1=0;
firstrun=true;
for j = 1:length(time)
y_dk = y_d(j);
if mod(j, 100) == 0 ||firstrun
T=dt; % ??
dy_dk = (y_dk-y_dk1)/T; %derv of y_dk
ddy_dk = (dy_dk – dy_dk1)/T; %second derv of y_dk
ek = y_dk – y_pk;
de_k = dy_dk – dy_pk;
uk = (1/c)*(a1*dy_pk + b1*(dy_pk)^2 + a2*y_pk + b2*(y_pk)^2 +k_p*ek + k_d*de_k + ddy_dk); % u: control input
% Store data for nex step:
uk2=uk1;
uk1=uk;
firstrun=false;
end
y_pk = …. ; %update each 0.001 second (continoues time)
dy_pk = (y_pk-y_pk1)/dt; %derv of y_pk
% Store data for nex step: system
y_pk2=y_pk1;
y_pk1=y_pk;
Thank you all!! 🙂 Hello everyone, I have a question
I have a continuous system that updates every 0.001 seconds.
In addition to this, I have a controller that should be updated with a delay of at least 100 times the system (ie every 100 iterations it is updated)
My question is this:
Do I need to calculate the signal and its derivatives and in addition the error and its derivative with T or with dt? I’m not sure..
The system is denoted as y_pk
The required signal is denoted as y_dk
This is part of my code:
dt=0.001; %discrete time
T=0.1; %continoues time
y_d = sin(1 * time); % desired signal
dy_d = diff(y_d) / dt;
ddy_d = diff(dy_d) / dt;
%initialize:
y_dk1=0; dy_dk1=0; uk2=0; uk1=0;
firstrun=true;
for j = 1:length(time)
y_dk = y_d(j);
if mod(j, 100) == 0 ||firstrun
T=dt; % ??
dy_dk = (y_dk-y_dk1)/T; %derv of y_dk
ddy_dk = (dy_dk – dy_dk1)/T; %second derv of y_dk
ek = y_dk – y_pk;
de_k = dy_dk – dy_pk;
uk = (1/c)*(a1*dy_pk + b1*(dy_pk)^2 + a2*y_pk + b2*(y_pk)^2 +k_p*ek + k_d*de_k + ddy_dk); % u: control input
% Store data for nex step:
uk2=uk1;
uk1=uk;
firstrun=false;
end
y_pk = …. ; %update each 0.001 second (continoues time)
dy_pk = (y_pk-y_pk1)/dt; %derv of y_pk
% Store data for nex step: system
y_pk2=y_pk1;
y_pk1=y_pk;
Thank you all!! 🙂 control, discrete system, controller MATLAB Answers — New Questions
Indexing and Duplicates
Hi
I don’t need help resolving a problem on this occasion, but I would appreciate some help in understanding Indexing and Duplicates. I have a main Audits table plus 7 clause tables. They are related through the clause AuditID. The FK AuditIDs in the main table I would have thought should be indexed with no duplicates (that’s what makes sense in my head). But if I do that, the query becomes not updateable.
I would have thought that having no duplicates in the main table was the correct thing to do. Or is there something I am completely missing here?
Thanks.
Hi I don’t need help resolving a problem on this occasion, but I would appreciate some help in understanding Indexing and Duplicates. I have a main Audits table plus 7 clause tables. They are related through the clause AuditID. The FK AuditIDs in the main table I would have thought should be indexed with no duplicates (that’s what makes sense in my head). But if I do that, the query becomes not updateable.I would have thought that having no duplicates in the main table was the correct thing to do. Or is there something I am completely missing here? Thanks. Read More
VLookup #N/A Error
My Vlookup formula returns a ‘value not available error’.
Here is my formula:
=VLOOKUP(MAX(H5:H14),C5:H14,1,FALSE)
I want to search up the maximum value and return the name of the item.
My Vlookup formula returns a ‘value not available error’. Here is my formula:=VLOOKUP(MAX(H5:H14),C5:H14,1,FALSE) I want to search up the maximum value and return the name of the item. Read More
AVD Hostpool Insights – Migration from Log Analytics Agent to Azure Monitor Agent
Hi everyone,
we are currently experiencing some trouble migrating from the deprecated Log Analytics Agent to Azure Monitor Agent. After the migration “Hostpool >> Monitoring >> Insights >> Host performance” doesn’t show any info at all and only says “The query returned no results”
It’s the same problem this guy has: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1689731/avd-insights-host-performance-blade-empty-after-ch
Other blades like “Connection Diagnostics” or “Utilization” show data as they did before with MMA.
I already tried a new Log Analytics Workspace – without success. New DCRs (collecting everything) don’t work either.
I can see that perf-data, heartbeats, etc. are sent to the LAW by the DCR – but it seems like the hostpool’s insights workbook is unable to display/query the data.
On a dedicated/standalone virtual machine everything works fine (VM >> Monitoring >> Insights >> Performance).
The person above “solved” it this way:
“I found that the only solution for this issue is, to create a new log analytics workspace and recreate all session hosts and connect them to this workspace. This brought the Insights Host Performance back for us in all environments.”
But this can’t be the only way to fix it, right?
Does anyone have an idea how I can fix this?
Thanks & all the best,
Dirk
Hi everyone, we are currently experiencing some trouble migrating from the deprecated Log Analytics Agent to Azure Monitor Agent. After the migration “Hostpool >> Monitoring >> Insights >> Host performance” doesn’t show any info at all and only says “The query returned no results” It’s the same problem this guy has: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/1689731/avd-insights-host-performance-blade-empty-after-ch Other blades like “Connection Diagnostics” or “Utilization” show data as they did before with MMA.I already tried a new Log Analytics Workspace – without success. New DCRs (collecting everything) don’t work either. I can see that perf-data, heartbeats, etc. are sent to the LAW by the DCR – but it seems like the hostpool’s insights workbook is unable to display/query the data.On a dedicated/standalone virtual machine everything works fine (VM >> Monitoring >> Insights >> Performance). The person above “solved” it this way: “I found that the only solution for this issue is, to create a new log analytics workspace and recreate all session hosts and connect them to this workspace. This brought the Insights Host Performance back for us in all environments.” But this can’t be the only way to fix it, right? Does anyone have an idea how I can fix this? Thanks & all the best,Dirk Read More
How to Get Rid of Extra Admin Accounts
I wanted to streamline my computer login process by minimizing the need to enter my PIN every time I return to my computer or it goes into sleep mode.
Unexpectedly, I now find myself managing a faulty Admin account, my regular User account, and an additional Admin account that I’m hesitant to interact with.
I am hoping to eliminate the two unnecessary Admin accounts while preserving my User account.
I would be grateful for any assistance you can provide.
I wanted to streamline my computer login process by minimizing the need to enter my PIN every time I return to my computer or it goes into sleep mode. Unexpectedly, I now find myself managing a faulty Admin account, my regular User account, and an additional Admin account that I’m hesitant to interact with. I am hoping to eliminate the two unnecessary Admin accounts while preserving my User account. I would be grateful for any assistance you can provide. Read More
Service disabled during troubleshooting leading to login failure
I believe I accidentally disabled a crucial service while attempting to troubleshoot, leading to the login failure. Despite trying to restore a point from recovery mode, I encountered an unexpected error. Is it possible to switch the login setting to manual in the UEFI? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance.
– Dave
I believe I accidentally disabled a crucial service while attempting to troubleshoot, leading to the login failure. Despite trying to restore a point from recovery mode, I encountered an unexpected error. Is it possible to switch the login setting to manual in the UEFI? Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance.- Dave Read More
“Display PNG Icon as Desktop Background with ‘Show Desktops'”
Hello,
I’m experiencing an unusual display issue where, upon clicking or hovering over the “show desktops” button in the taskbar, the background displays the icon of a PNG file type, as shown in the screenshot below. Normally, PNGs are associated with XnView, but I’m uncertain if this is the cause of the problem. This peculiar issue has persisted for as long as I can remember, despite my computer being relatively new (around 6 months old) and running Windows 11.
Any suggestions on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance!
Hello, I’m experiencing an unusual display issue where, upon clicking or hovering over the “show desktops” button in the taskbar, the background displays the icon of a PNG file type, as shown in the screenshot below. Normally, PNGs are associated with XnView, but I’m uncertain if this is the cause of the problem. This peculiar issue has persisted for as long as I can remember, despite my computer being relatively new (around 6 months old) and running Windows 11. Any suggestions on how to resolve this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance! Read More
Understanding the Difference Between Home and This PC: A Guide to Choosing the Right Option
With the most recent Win11 updates, what exactly is the purpose behind the fresh Home hub in File Explorer? How can it enhance my user experience compared to the traditional This PC view? For adding custom locations, I rely on Winaero Tweaker to tailor This PC to my needs.
Additionally, why is every item grouped under “Desktop” in the left-hand pane?
This is where I currently stand…
With the most recent Win11 updates, what exactly is the purpose behind the fresh Home hub in File Explorer? How can it enhance my user experience compared to the traditional This PC view? For adding custom locations, I rely on Winaero Tweaker to tailor This PC to my needs. Additionally, why is every item grouped under “Desktop” in the left-hand pane? This is where I currently stand… Read More
Error: Teams Feedback doubled / Question: Amplify Integration into Newsfeeds
Hello everyone,
I am currently aiding a customer using Amplify in their environment. We have come across two questions/issues that I would like to share:
(Error) Doubled Feedback in Analytics:
For Teams posts, reactions seem to be doubled in analytics. For instance, a post will have 13 thumbs and 2 hearts – in analytics, this will read as 30 positive feedbacks. This seems to happen consistently across several Teams posts. Has anyone encountered this before?
(Question) Integrating Amplify content into SharePoint Newsflows
My customer is using SharePoint page details (such as “news type”) to determine to which feeds a post will play out. Amplify does not allow altering site details when creating a SharePoint post. Thus, posts need to be edited after posting to ensture the flow is triggered.
Is there some way around this? Are there other way to solve this?
Appreciate any thoughts :).
Hello everyone, I am currently aiding a customer using Amplify in their environment. We have come across two questions/issues that I would like to share: (Error) Doubled Feedback in Analytics:For Teams posts, reactions seem to be doubled in analytics. For instance, a post will have 13 thumbs and 2 hearts – in analytics, this will read as 30 positive feedbacks. This seems to happen consistently across several Teams posts. Has anyone encountered this before? (Question) Integrating Amplify content into SharePoint NewsflowsMy customer is using SharePoint page details (such as “news type”) to determine to which feeds a post will play out. Amplify does not allow altering site details when creating a SharePoint post. Thus, posts need to be edited after posting to ensture the flow is triggered.Is there some way around this? Are there other way to solve this? Appreciate any thoughts :). Read More
WAC – Server not addable from AD
Hi,
i installed actual WAC public preview with my domain account (local admin) on a Server 2025 (26257).
When i start WAC and i want to add window Server i can´t search Active Directory, because it says:
“We can’t search Active Directory because the Windows Admin Center computer isn’t joined to an Active Directory domain. It’s also possible that your account doesn’t have permission to read from Active Directory.“
Can you help, because server is domain joined. SPN is also set on AD Computer Account with http/admincenter.domain.internal.
Hi,i installed actual WAC public preview with my domain account (local admin) on a Server 2025 (26257). When i start WAC and i want to add window Server i can´t search Active Directory, because it says:”We can’t search Active Directory because the Windows Admin Center computer isn’t joined to an Active Directory domain. It’s also possible that your account doesn’t have permission to read from Active Directory.”Can you help, because server is domain joined. SPN is also set on AD Computer Account with http/admincenter.domain.internal. Read More
Possible to recover deleted files from external hard drive on Windows 11 PC?
I recently deleted a few important files from my external hard drive while connecting to my Windows 11 PC. These files are crucial for my work, and I need to recover them as soon as possible. I’ve heard there are various methods to recover deleted files, but I’m not sure which one would be the best and most reliable for my situation.
I’ve tried checking the Recycle Bin, but the files are not there. I’m considering using software like the built in Windows File Recovery but I would love to hear from those who have successfully recovered deleted files from external hard drive on Windows 11. Any step-by-step instructions or tips would be greatly appreciated.
I recently deleted a few important files from my external hard drive while connecting to my Windows 11 PC. These files are crucial for my work, and I need to recover them as soon as possible. I’ve heard there are various methods to recover deleted files, but I’m not sure which one would be the best and most reliable for my situation. I’ve tried checking the Recycle Bin, but the files are not there. I’m considering using software like the built in Windows File Recovery but I would love to hear from those who have successfully recovered deleted files from external hard drive on Windows 11. Any step-by-step instructions or tips would be greatly appreciated. Read More
Identify your savings potential in Azure
A guide to use Cost Management tools and services to optimize your cloud spending and efficiency.
Introduction
Are you spending more than you need to in the cloud? Do you want to learn how to monitor, analyze, and optimize your Azure costs? If so, this document is for you. In this document, we will introduce you to some of the key features and capabilities of Azure Cost Management, Azure Advisor, and the Cost Optimization workbook, and show you how to use them to find and implement cost optimization opportunities. You will learn how to use Cost analysis to understand your cost drivers and trends, and how to investigate the root causes of cost changes or spikes. You will also learn how to use Azure Advisor to implement cost optimization best practices and recommendations, and how to use the Cost Optimization workbook to analyze and optimize your usage and costs across your environment. Additionally, you will learn how to perform an architectural review to align your solutions with the Well-Architected Framework, and how to stay updated with the latest cost optimization news and resources. By using these tools and services, you can reduce your cloud spending and improve your cost efficiency, while aligning your costs with your business needs and goals.
Identify your cost drivers and trends with Cost analysis
The first step to optimize your Azure costs is to understand where and how you spend your money in the cloud. Cost analysis, part of Microsoft Cost Management, is a powerful tool that shows you a detailed breakdown of your costs by various dimensions, such as service, resource, resource group, subscription, location, tag, and more[1]. You can use Cost analysis to view your costs in different levels of detail, such as daily, monthly, or custom, and in different chart types, such as bar, line, pie, or table. You can also use filters, grouping, and sorting to customize your view and focus on the data that is relevant to you. Cost analysis also provides you with a forecast of your costs based on your current usage, and allows you to export your data to Excel or CSV for further analysis or reporting[2].
Figure 1 Cost analysis Accumulated costs view
To use Cost analysis, you need to select a scope that defines the level of detail you want to see. The scope can be an entire billing account, a management group, a subscription, or a resource group. Depending on your organizational structure and access level, you can choose the scope that best suits your needs. For example, if you are a cloud administrator or a finance manager, you might want to see the costs across the entire billing account or management group. If you are a product owner or a developer, you might want to see the costs for a specific subscription or resource group. You can also switch between scopes easily to compare costs across different levels, and use filtering to refine the scope to resources which have a particular tag name and tag value.
Walk through a cost analysis scenario
Let’s assume you are a cloud administrator who is responsible for managing the costs of your assets in Azure. You have successfully migrated several applications to the cloud, and you are seeing an increase in costs from month to month due to the popularity and ease of deployment of your services. However, you are also facing some challenges in evaluating why the costs for certain services are increasing, and if they are running cost-optimized. You want to use Cost analysis to gain some insights into your cost drivers and trends, and to identify potential savings opportunities. Here are the steps you can follow:
Select the entire billing account as your scope, to see the overall view of your costs across all your subscriptions.
Choose the Accumulated costs view to see the total costs for the current month, and the forecast for the next month. You see that your forecast is higher than your budget, and you want to find out why.
Switch to the Daily costs view to see the costs per day and notice a spike in costs on a certain date. You want to drill down to find the root cause of the spike.
Group by service name to see the breakdown of your costs by service. You see that the service that caused the spike is virtual machines.
Click on the virtual machines bar to filter by that service. You see that the costs for virtual machines are still high after the spike, and you want to find out which resources are contributing to the high costs.
Group by resource to see the breakdown of your costs by resource. You see that there are several virtual machines that have high costs, and you want to find out more details about them.
Click on one of the virtual machines to filter by that resource. You see that the virtual machine has a high cost due to a reserved instance purchase. You realize that someone purchased a reserved instance for a year and paid monthly, which resulted in a spike in costs. You also see that the virtual machine is running on a premium SKU, which might not be necessary for your workload. You decide to investigate further and see if you can optimize the costs of this virtual machine and other similar ones.
The following table shows an example of how you can use Cost analysis to drill down to the root cause of a cost spike:
View
Scope
Filter
Group by
Chart type
Insight
Accumulated costs
Billing account
None
None
Bar
Forecast is higher than budget
Daily costs
Billing account
None
None
Line
Spike in costs on a certain date
Daily costs
Billing account
None
Service name
Bar
Virtual Machines is the service that caused the spike
Daily costs
Billing account
Service name: Virtual machines
Resource
Bar
Several virtual machines have high costs
Daily costs
Billing account
Service name: Virtual machines, Resource: vm1
None
Line
vm1 has a high cost due to a reserved instance purchase and a premium SKU
Implement cost optimization best practices with Azure Advisor
The next step to optimize your Azure costs is to implement best practices and recommendations that can help you reduce unnecessary spending and improve your efficiency. Azure Advisor is a free service that provides personalized and actionable guidance across five well-architected pillars: Cost, Security, Reliability, Operational Excellence, and Performance[3]. Each pillar is important and influences the others[4]. For example, choosing the right service level and availability options can affect your costs and reliability. Enabling security features and monitoring can affect your performance and operational excellence. Azure Advisor analyzes your usage and configuration data, and provides you with recommendations that can help you optimize your resources and services based on Microsoft best practices.
To use Azure Advisor, you need to select a scope that defines the level of detail you want to see. The scope can be an entire subscription or a resource group. You can also apply filters to see recommendations for specific categories, impacts, or resources. Azure Advisor also provides you with an Advisor score, which is an aggregate across all five pillars and shows your progression over time[5]. By implementing the recommendations, you can increase your score and improve your alignment with the well-architected framework. You can also download or share your recommendations, or create tasks and alerts to track your progress and follow up on the actions.
Figure 2 Azure Advisor Score
Cost recommendations
One of the pillars that Azure Advisor covers is Cost. The Cost pillar provides insights on where you can save money and improve your cost efficiency[6]. Some of the cost recommendations that Azure Advisor provides are:
Recommendation
Description
Potential savings
Right-size or shut down underutilized virtual machines
Azure Advisor identifies virtual machines that have low CPU or network utilization, and suggests resizing or deallocating them to save costs.
Up to 40% per virtual machine
Buy reserved instances or savings plans for compute
Azure Advisor identifies virtual machines that are running on pay-as-you-go pricing, and suggests buying reserved instances or savings plans to save up to 72% on your compute costs.
Up to 72% per virtual machine
Delete or reconfigure idle virtual network gateways
Azure Advisor identifies virtual network gateways that have low or no traffic, and suggests deleting or reconfiguring them to save costs.
Up to 100% per virtual network gateway
Remove unused or unattached disk storage
Azure Advisor identifies disk storage that is not attached to any virtual machine, or that has not been accessed for a long time, and suggests deleting it to save costs.
Up to 100% per disk
Remove orphaned resources
Azure Advisor identifies resources that are not associated with any resource group, such as public IP addresses, load balancers, or network security groups, and suggests deleting them to save costs.
Up to 100% per resource
These are some of the cost recommendations that Azure Advisor provides, but not all. You can find an ever-expanding list of currently covered services and recommendations here: Cost recommendations – Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn. However, most likely you will already find useful information and savings opportunities right away by using Azure Advisor. You can also easily introduce the service to other people who might only care about a single solution instead of your entire cloud landscape. Based on the level of their role-based access, they will only be able to see the subscriptions or resource groups that they have access. You also do not need to deploy any kind of tools or agents, because Azure Advisor is a built-in service that is available for free.
Analyze and optimize your usage and costs with the Cost Optimization workbook
The final step to optimize your Azure costs is to analyze and optimize your usage and costs across your environment, and to identify and implement savings opportunities. The Cost Optimization workbook, part of Azure Advisor Workbooks, is a comprehensive tool that provides a holistic view of your usage and costs, and helps you find and address inefficiencies and waste[7]. The workbook integrates with Azure Advisor to provide you with recommendations and actions to optimize your costs.
Figure 3 Cost Optimization Workbook
To use the Cost Optimization workbook, you need to select a scope that defines the level of detail you want to see. The scope can be an entire billing account, a management group, a subscription, or a resource group. You can also apply filters to see the data for specific time periods, services, locations, tags, or resource types. The workbook provides you with several tabs that show different aspects of your usage and costs, such as:
Overview: This tab shows a summary of your usage and costs, your cost optimization score, your top cost drivers, your cost trends and forecasts, and your cost optimization opportunities.
Rate optimization: This tab shows how you can optimize your costs by choosing the right pricing options, such as reserved instances, savings plans, spot instances, Azure Hybrid Benefit, and pay-as-you-go.
Usage optimization: This tab shows how you can optimize your costs by reducing or eliminating unused or underutilized resources, such as idle virtual machines, unattached disks, orphaned resources, and overprovisioned resources.
The Cost Optimization workbook should be your primary tool for having detailed insights and actions for rate optimization and usage optimization across your landscape. The workbook covers many services and scenarios that are not part of Azure Advisor recommendations, such as upgrading storage accounts to benefit from lifecycle management, optimizing SQL databases and elastic pools, optimizing App Service plans and functions, and more. You can also customize the workbook to suit your needs, by adding or removing tabs, charts, tables, filters, and parameters. The workbook is also a free service that is available for all Azure customers.
Perform an architectural review to align with the well-architected framework
The final step to identify your savings potential in Azure is to review your architecture and design choices. Architecture and design choices are the decisions that you make when you plan, build, and deploy your solutions in Azure. They include aspects such as the service selection, the configuration, the scalability, the availability, the performance, the security, and the governance of your solutions[8]. These choices have a significant impact on your costs, as they determine how you use and consume the resources and services in Azure. For example, if you choose a service that has a higher SLA or a more advanced feature set than what you need, you might be paying more than necessary. Or if you choose a service that does not fit your requirements or expectations, you might end up with poor performance, reliability, or security issues, which can also increase your costs. Therefore, it is essential that you review your architecture and design choices regularly and align them with the best practices and the latest offerings in Azure. To review your architecture and design choices, you can use the Well-Architected Framework in Azure[9]. The Well-Architected Framework is a set of principles, guidance, and tools that help you design and implement high-quality solutions in Azure. It is based on the five well-architected pillars that we mentioned before: Cost, Security, Reliability, Operational Excellence, and Performance. For each pillar, the framework provides a set of best practices, questions, and considerations that help you evaluate your current state, identify gaps and risks, and plan improvements.
Figure 4 Azure Well-Architected Framework
You can also use the Well-Architected Review tool in Azure to assess your solutions against the best practices and get a score and a report with recommended actions. The tool also helps you track your progress and compare your results over time. The Well-Architected Review is a workload-driven tool, which means that you can focus on a specific solution or application instead of the entire environment. This allows you to prioritize your efforts and resources based on the importance and impact of each solution. The Well-Architected Review is also a cross-functional tool, which means that you can involve different stakeholders and roles in the assessment process, such as the product owner, the developer, the architect, or the administrator. This helps you get a holistic and comprehensive view of your solutions and align your objectives and expectations. The Well-Architected Review does not aim to replace a human-driven architecture review session, but rather to complement and enhance it. You can use the tool as a starting point, a reference, or a validation for your architecture and design choices. You can find more information on how to get started with the Well-Architected Framework and the Well-Architected Review here: Assessments | Azure Well-Architected Review (microsoft.com).
The Well-Architected Framework and the Well-Architected Review are not the only resources that you can use to review your architecture and design choices. Microsoft also offers a wide range of workshops, assessments, and services to help you with your cloud journey. You can leverage the expertise and experience of Microsoft certified partners and Microsoft itself to get guidance, support, and feedback on your solutions. You can also get in touch with your Microsoft representative to learn more about the offerings and opportunities that are available for you. You do not have to walk this road alone. Microsoft is here to help you succeed in the cloud.
Stay updated with the latest cost optimization news and resources
The final tip to optimize your Azure costs is to stay updated with the latest cost optimization news and resources. Azure provides a variety of channels and sources that can help you keep up with the latest developments and best practices in cost optimization. Some of the channels and sources are:
Microsoft Cost Management blog: This is the official blog for Microsoft Cost Management, where you can find announcements, updates, tips, and tricks on how to optimize your Microsoft Cloud costs. You can subscribe to the blog to receive notifications when new posts are published[10].
Microsoft Cost Management YouTube channel: This is the official YouTube channel for Microsoft Cost Management, where you can find videos, demos, and webinars on how to use the cost management tools and services. You can subscribe to the channel to receive notifications when new videos are uploaded.
Microsoft Cost Management documentation: This is the official documentation for Microsoft Cost Management, where you can find detailed information and guidance on how to use the cost management tools and services[11]. You can also provide feedback and suggestions on the documentation.
FinOps blog: This is the official blog for Microsoft’s FinOps news and advice.
By staying updated with the latest cost optimization news and resources, you can learn new ways and best practices to optimize your Azure costs, and also get support and feedback from the Microsoft Cost Management team and the community.
Summary
In this document, we have shown you how to optimize your Azure costs with cost management tools and services. We have explained how to use Cost Analysis to identify your cost drivers and trends, and how to drill down to find the root causes of cost fluctuations or spikes. We have also explained how to use Azure Advisor to implement cost optimization best practices and recommendations, and how to use the Cost Optimization workbook to analyze and optimize your usage and costs across your environment. Additionally, we have explained how to perform an architectural review to align your solutions with the well-architected framework, and how to stay updated with the latest cost optimization news and resources. By using these tools and services, you can benefit from:
Reducing your cloud spending and improving your cost efficiency
Aligning your costs with your business goals and requirements
Implementing Microsoft best practices and well-architected principles
Monitoring and managing your costs across your complex and dynamic environment
Identifying and addressing inefficiencies and waste
Improving your operational processes and practices
We hope you find this document useful and informative, and we encourage you to try out these tools and services to optimize your Azure costs. If you have any suggestions or feedback, please let us know in the comments. Happy cloud computing!
References
[1] Get started with Cost Management reporting – Azure – Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn
[2] Tutorial – Create and manage exported data from Cost Management – Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn
[3] Introduction to Azure Advisor – Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn
[4] Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework – Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework | Microsoft Learn
[5] Optimize Azure workloads by using Advisor score – Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn
[6] Cost recommendations – Azure Advisor | Microsoft Learn
[7] Use and customize the Cost optimization workbook – Cloud Computing | Microsoft Learn
[8] Cloud rationalization – Cloud Adoption Framework | Microsoft Learn
[9] Azure Well-Architected Framework – Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework | Microsoft Learn
[10] Cost Management | Microsoft Azure Blog | Microsoft Azure
[11] Get started with Cost Management reporting – Azure – Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
VerifyEqual within a time interval
Hello, I have been assigned a series of tests to be completed on several floating point variables. The assignment requires me to check whether the Expected value is the same as the Actual value. However, it may take a few milliseconds for the Actual value to reach the same status as the Expected value, and the verifyEqual function does not seem to consider this scenario.
I’d like to know if there is some sort of workaround for this situation. Basically, if A is the Actual value and E the Expected value, I’d like to modify (somehow) the verifyEqual function so that it returns a passing test if A == E with a time delay of approx. 3 milliseconds.
Thank you for your cooperation.Hello, I have been assigned a series of tests to be completed on several floating point variables. The assignment requires me to check whether the Expected value is the same as the Actual value. However, it may take a few milliseconds for the Actual value to reach the same status as the Expected value, and the verifyEqual function does not seem to consider this scenario.
I’d like to know if there is some sort of workaround for this situation. Basically, if A is the Actual value and E the Expected value, I’d like to modify (somehow) the verifyEqual function so that it returns a passing test if A == E with a time delay of approx. 3 milliseconds.
Thank you for your cooperation. Hello, I have been assigned a series of tests to be completed on several floating point variables. The assignment requires me to check whether the Expected value is the same as the Actual value. However, it may take a few milliseconds for the Actual value to reach the same status as the Expected value, and the verifyEqual function does not seem to consider this scenario.
I’d like to know if there is some sort of workaround for this situation. Basically, if A is the Actual value and E the Expected value, I’d like to modify (somehow) the verifyEqual function so that it returns a passing test if A == E with a time delay of approx. 3 milliseconds.
Thank you for your cooperation. matlab function, testcase, guide, solve, time MATLAB Answers — New Questions
