Version 14 of Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell eBook Available for Download

The Office 365 for IT Pros team is delighted to announce the release of version 14 of the Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell eBook. The book is included in the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook bundle and is available for separate purchase by those who are only interested in PowerShell. Naturally, we recommend the full Office 365 for IT Pros bundle! We’ve also updated the paperback edition of Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell that’s available on a print on demand basis from Amazon.com.

This update includes new information about Microsoft Graph APIs, the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK, code examples, insights gleaned from experience of using Graph APIs and cmdlets in scripts and with Azure Automation, and so on. Version 14 spans 350 content-rich pages and is essential reading for anyone who wants to work with a Microsoft 365 tenant through PowerShell.

If you have an Office 365 for IT Pros subscription or have purchased the separate version of Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell, you can download the updated PDF and EPUB files now. Use the View content link in the receipt you were emailed after taking out your subscription to get the files.

Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK Updates

Speaking of the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK, Microsoft released V2.29 on July 9, 2025, and followed up with V2.29.1 a few days later. Regretfully, there was a total lack of formal communication from Microsoft about why the point release was needed so soon after V2.29 appeared. Sources behind the scenes say that a tooling problem was identified that Microsoft felt they should fix. The Microsoft.Graph.BackupRestore module was the only one affected by the V2.29.1 update.

Be aware that the issue with Azure Automation PowerShell runtimes and the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK persists. In a nutshell, use PowerShell V5.1 modules and runbooks with the Graph PowerShell SDK (including V2.29.1) until better news emerges.

Metered API Changes

On July 25, Microsoft published message center notification MC1122144 to announce that they are changing how metered APIs in Microsoft Graph incur costs based on usage. Effective August 25, 2025, a set of APIs will no longer be chargeable and it will not be necessary to set up an Azure subscription to pay for the metered use of the APIs.

To say that this announcement was surprising is an understatement. The set of APIs include the assignSensitivityLabel API used to assign sensitivity labels to Office files and PDFs stored in SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business (here’s how to assign labels with PowerShell). I guess tenants can now build their own auto-label policies to apply sensitivity labels to target content. The APIs also include the Teams chat export API, which is a good example of what Microsoft calls a high-capacity API (access to data at scale). Perhaps Microsoft now considers that its infrastructure can cope with demands from apps to access large quantities of Teams data.

In any case, after August 25, 2025, Azure will register no further billing events when apps call the APIs and customers will receive a final bill.

On to Version 15 of the PowerShell eBook

PowerShell doesn’t remain static and nor do the modules used in Microsoft 365 tenants. We’ll continue working on the Automating Microsoft 365 with PowerShell eBook to add more content by covering additional Graph APIs and new cmdlets introduced in other Microsoft 365 modules, as well as adding more practical examples to demonstrate the principles of using PowerShell to solve real-world problems.

So much change, all the time. It’s a challenge to stay abreast of all the updates Microsoft makes across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. Subscribe to the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook to receive monthly insights into what happens, why it happens, and what new features and capabilities mean for your tenant.