Category: News
Database Engine could not find the object ‘MSysDb’
I am having issues Microsoft Database Engine could not find the object ‘MSysDb’
please advice How to recover data
I am having issues Microsoft Database Engine could not find the object ‘MSysDb’please advice How to recover data Read More
Function Help
Hello,
I am trying to put together a spreadsheet that allows me to compare members of our team. We work in different “Sub” teams as you will. Just because you work on one team, does not mean your will not also be a part of another team. We encourage people to work on three different sub teams to allow them to work with others and allow for more free thinking ideas and strategies. I would like to be able to compare our team and see how well others work on different teams and try to objectively identify who really excels working with certain people and who does not.
So my problem is when I try and use AVERAGEIFS or STDEV.S it only pulls the first available value. As the team and year changes I would Expect the average and the standard deviation to change as well. I have attached a spread sheet with my problem. Any clues with how to fix it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Tripp
Hello, I am trying to put together a spreadsheet that allows me to compare members of our team. We work in different “Sub” teams as you will. Just because you work on one team, does not mean your will not also be a part of another team. We encourage people to work on three different sub teams to allow them to work with others and allow for more free thinking ideas and strategies. I would like to be able to compare our team and see how well others work on different teams and try to objectively identify who really excels working with certain people and who does not. So my problem is when I try and use AVERAGEIFS or STDEV.S it only pulls the first available value. As the team and year changes I would Expect the average and the standard deviation to change as well. I have attached a spread sheet with my problem. Any clues with how to fix it would be greatly appreciated. Thank You,Tripp Read More
Destination cell displays either a value or 0.0
Source cell options, either a Field Technician entered value or blank
Source cell is on Sheet “G1 Data Entry” Cell E20
I want that value to be displayed on a Certification Sheet “G1 Cert” Cell AF100.
I currently have on Certification Sheet “G1 Cert” in Cell AF100
=’G1 Data Entry’!E20
“G1 Cert” in cell AF100 displays the value correctly, but if Sheet “G1 Data Entry” Cell E20 is blank it displays 0.0
How do I get the destination cell Sheet “G1 Cert” Cell AF100 to be blank also if the source cell is in fact blank? I cannot simply just hide the zero values on my destination sheet as I have other conditions where I need those zero’s to in fact be displayed.
Source cell options, either a Field Technician entered value or blankSource cell is on Sheet “G1 Data Entry” Cell E20I want that value to be displayed on a Certification Sheet “G1 Cert” Cell AF100.I currently have on Certification Sheet “G1 Cert” in Cell AF100=’G1 Data Entry’!E20 “G1 Cert” in cell AF100 displays the value correctly, but if Sheet “G1 Data Entry” Cell E20 is blank it displays 0.0 How do I get the destination cell Sheet “G1 Cert” Cell AF100 to be blank also if the source cell is in fact blank? I cannot simply just hide the zero values on my destination sheet as I have other conditions where I need those zero’s to in fact be displayed. Read More
Overcoming Asymmetrical Routing in Azure Virtual WAN: A Collaborative Journey
Overcoming Asymmetrical Routing in Azure Virtual WAN: A Collaborative Journey
In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud networking, professionals often encounter complex challenges that demand innovative solutions. This blog post delves into a recent scenario involving Azure Virtual WAN (VWAN), where a team embarked on a collaborative journey to address asymmetrical routing issues. This case study not only highlights the technical intricacies but also underscores the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing in the tech community.
The Challenge:
The core issue revolved around asymmetrical routing within an Azure VWAN architecture, which included two hubs located in different regions. The primary goal was to ensure seamless connectivity between a Palo Alto NGFW in one hub and Panorama in another, without disrupting the existing VPN default routes. The asymmetry in routing was particularly problematic for traffic intended to reach Panorama from the NGFW, as the return traffic defaulted through the VPN, deviating from the desired path.
The configuration issue with the firewall is acknowledged as a known issue. The only mitigation provided is documented in Microsoft’s official documentation. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-wan/whats-new#known-issues
Possible solutions:
Exposing the Panorama to the public IP and creating a relay subnet for routing / advertising summary route from NCUS to SCUS for NCUS subnet (10.193.0.0/16)
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Securely connect 02 Azure Virtual Networks in different azure tenant
We are in the process of deploying Microsoft Sentinel and there is a requirement of sending logs to Microsoft Sentinel Securely without traversing public internet (traffic must always pass via Azure backbone). To meet this we have deployed Site-to-site VPN along with Azure ARC and Azure monitor Private Endpoints to use private link.
However for one such deployment the syslog collectors are not hosted in on-premises, instead in an another azure subscription, What we need to know is what will be the best possible way to connect two azure Vnets (one where log collectors are hosted and another one where the sentinel instance is deployed) to send the logs securely and also not traversing public internet instead traffic must remain in azure backbone. I explored Vnet peering with private link connection but could not find any reference articles for this. Any help and suggestion will be highly appreciated.
We are in the process of deploying Microsoft Sentinel and there is a requirement of sending logs to Microsoft Sentinel Securely without traversing public internet (traffic must always pass via Azure backbone). To meet this we have deployed Site-to-site VPN along with Azure ARC and Azure monitor Private Endpoints to use private link.However for one such deployment the syslog collectors are not hosted in on-premises, instead in an another azure subscription, What we need to know is what will be the best possible way to connect two azure Vnets (one where log collectors are hosted and another one where the sentinel instance is deployed) to send the logs securely and also not traversing public internet instead traffic must remain in azure backbone. I explored Vnet peering with private link connection but could not find any reference articles for this. Any help and suggestion will be highly appreciated. Read More
I am developing an AI that can play TicTacToe using Reinforcement Q learning
So I recenly took an udemy course part of which reinforcement learning was included as part of a broad AI course. So based on what I learnt about Q Learning(a type of reinforcement learning, under stereotypical Artificial Intelligence) , even though the implementation was not discussed in any full details, I had to go through a provided book to understand how it’s implemented in practice. And YouTube was not helping matters.
I need any additional opinions I can get from you, thanks.
Now in order for me to apply Q Learning to TicTacToe, I have to make the AI (Agent)always play X (makes the first move) for simplicity in my AI software development.
Q Learning algorithm is based on Bellmans Equation. Literally it’s about rewarding Favourable actions taken at different states and punishing unfavorable actions taken at different states also. Rewarding and punishing are one and the same number(variable) in the Bellmans equation. There is also the learning rate and discount factors, which are both variables too in the Bellmans equation.
For every action the agent takes at every state it always get a tiny reward (positive or negative), then after winning or losing it gets a much larger reward (positive or negative).
So how does the agent remembers all it has learnt, by looking at the q table,and checking for the action with the highest Q value. These Q values are updated by Bellmans equation whether positively or negatively.
Now the first challenge is I have to pair all the possible valid board configurations (states space) to all the possible valid actions that can be taken for each states in a Q table dictionary, and map all the pairs to Q values of 0 (for initialization). I will write a Python code that will generate this mapping and remove all impossible states (where X is greater than 0 by more than 1 is definitely invalid). Also make Q values for actions where ever is occupied by either X or O as – 1.0 to prevent agent from making such moves.
I will make 4 different players in different classes of the game software who would play with the agent at different stages of it’s learning automatically to update the Q values of every actions taken by agent in each game state, instead of waiting for the final result before updating Q value(my initial mistake when I was still learning about Q Learning) .
Below is for any of the 5 agents (Balanced, Quick Myopic, Quick Overplanner, Slow Myopic and Slow Overplanner) selected at the start of the training games. These agents have different combinations of hyperparameters (learning rate and discount factor)
To train the agent I will make it play against 4 heuristics players (players programed to play only in a certain way) all using different playing strategies.
For starting stage, agent will play with random player 1 for 2000 iterations of games and update it’s Q values for all the state action pairs it encountered.
Then for the next 2000 iterations, agent will play with a player 2 that always favor the center if available for its first move otherwise plays at any corner piece, otherwise plays any random available space.
Then for the next 2000 iters, agent will play against a player 3 that plays randomly until Agent is about to make a winning move, then blocks it. Not really trying to move, just blocking agent winning moves.
Then for the next 2000 iters, agent will play with a player 4 that tries to complete a line as soon as possible, by playing in corners that are impossible for agent to block, that is playing in triangular corners that leads to a definite win if agent doesn’t win on time.
Now create separate classes (.NET MAUI) for these four players that would train a selected agent chosen with options to pick the desired iterations of games for the training of the agent with that player.
For the reward system, +1 reward on completing a line. – 1 for allowing opponent win and not blocking it. +0. 5 for playing a position that can lead to a win in its next move. – 0.5 by playing in a position that cannot lead to a win in its next move (that is a move that doesn’t form a straight line of three with an empty cell anywhere in the line) and – 0.5 for playing along a line that is played by an opponent. This is the reward system rules.
So bells formula would be used for updating the Q value for every action taken for every state in the Q Table already defined in their respective Q Table json file for the particular agent being trained. We would use both learning rate, discount factor and reward from reward system for every action taken at every state.
Below is the link to the Q table (the brain of the AI);
https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/adedapoadeniran/tictactoe-q-learning-table
And below is the link to the code that generated the Q table.
https://www.kaggle.com/code/adedapoadeniran/reinforcement-learning-for-tictactoe-ai/
Thanks for your attention.
This was really mentally tasking to come up with and figure out.
So I recenly took an udemy course part of which reinforcement learning was included as part of a broad AI course. So based on what I learnt about Q Learning(a type of reinforcement learning, under stereotypical Artificial Intelligence) , even though the implementation was not discussed in any full details, I had to go through a provided book to understand how it’s implemented in practice. And YouTube was not helping matters. I need any additional opinions I can get from you, thanks. Now in order for me to apply Q Learning to TicTacToe, I have to make the AI (Agent)always play X (makes the first move) for simplicity in my AI software development.Q Learning algorithm is based on Bellmans Equation. Literally it’s about rewarding Favourable actions taken at different states and punishing unfavorable actions taken at different states also. Rewarding and punishing are one and the same number(variable) in the Bellmans equation. There is also the learning rate and discount factors, which are both variables too in the Bellmans equation.For every action the agent takes at every state it always get a tiny reward (positive or negative), then after winning or losing it gets a much larger reward (positive or negative).So how does the agent remembers all it has learnt, by looking at the q table,and checking for the action with the highest Q value. These Q values are updated by Bellmans equation whether positively or negatively. Now the first challenge is I have to pair all the possible valid board configurations (states space) to all the possible valid actions that can be taken for each states in a Q table dictionary, and map all the pairs to Q values of 0 (for initialization). I will write a Python code that will generate this mapping and remove all impossible states (where X is greater than 0 by more than 1 is definitely invalid). Also make Q values for actions where ever is occupied by either X or O as – 1.0 to prevent agent from making such moves. I will make 4 different players in different classes of the game software who would play with the agent at different stages of it’s learning automatically to update the Q values of every actions taken by agent in each game state, instead of waiting for the final result before updating Q value(my initial mistake when I was still learning about Q Learning) . Below is for any of the 5 agents (Balanced, Quick Myopic, Quick Overplanner, Slow Myopic and Slow Overplanner) selected at the start of the training games. These agents have different combinations of hyperparameters (learning rate and discount factor)To train the agent I will make it play against 4 heuristics players (players programed to play only in a certain way) all using different playing strategies.For starting stage, agent will play with random player 1 for 2000 iterations of games and update it’s Q values for all the state action pairs it encountered.Then for the next 2000 iterations, agent will play with a player 2 that always favor the center if available for its first move otherwise plays at any corner piece, otherwise plays any random available space.Then for the next 2000 iters, agent will play against a player 3 that plays randomly until Agent is about to make a winning move, then blocks it. Not really trying to move, just blocking agent winning moves.Then for the next 2000 iters, agent will play with a player 4 that tries to complete a line as soon as possible, by playing in corners that are impossible for agent to block, that is playing in triangular corners that leads to a definite win if agent doesn’t win on time. Now create separate classes (.NET MAUI) for these four players that would train a selected agent chosen with options to pick the desired iterations of games for the training of the agent with that player.For the reward system, +1 reward on completing a line. – 1 for allowing opponent win and not blocking it. +0. 5 for playing a position that can lead to a win in its next move. – 0.5 by playing in a position that cannot lead to a win in its next move (that is a move that doesn’t form a straight line of three with an empty cell anywhere in the line) and – 0.5 for playing along a line that is played by an opponent. This is the reward system rules. So bells formula would be used for updating the Q value for every action taken for every state in the Q Table already defined in their respective Q Table json file for the particular agent being trained. We would use both learning rate, discount factor and reward from reward system for every action taken at every state. Below is the link to the Q table (the brain of the AI);https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/adedapoadeniran/tictactoe-q-learning-tableAnd below is the link to the code that generated the Q table.https://www.kaggle.com/code/adedapoadeniran/reinforcement-learning-for-tictactoe-ai/Thanks for your attention.This was really mentally tasking to come up with and figure out. Read More
Schedule a meeting using copilot in outlook
We need to explore how to build a Copilot for scheduling meetings. This Copilot should automatically suggest meeting times, check availability across company calendars, and manage invites. Our users already have Copilot licenses. Since we’re not experts in Copilot, we need to clarify if this functionality is available in Copilot for Outlook in the US. If it is, how can we use and customize these features? If not, what would be the approach to build something similar using the Copilot interface in Outlook?
We need to explore how to build a Copilot for scheduling meetings. This Copilot should automatically suggest meeting times, check availability across company calendars, and manage invites. Our users already have Copilot licenses. Since we’re not experts in Copilot, we need to clarify if this functionality is available in Copilot for Outlook in the US. If it is, how can we use and customize these features? If not, what would be the approach to build something similar using the Copilot interface in Outlook? Read More
Credit- GO – Loan app- CUsTomER -care HELPLINE – number+91))* 7047363916 ++7019785677 now
Credit- GO – Loan app- CUsTomER -care HELPLINE – number+91))* 7047363916 ++7019785677 now
Credit- GO – Loan app- CUsTomER -care HELPLINE – number+91))* 7047363916 ++7019785677 now Read More
Teams channels not receiving emails since a few weeks
Hi,
The new channels I created those past few weeks seem not to receive emails. There are a few old ones that still do.
Even a confirmation email from GMail (that is mandatory before being able to transfer) doesn’t show in the channel.
Has anyone else had this issue too?
Hi,The new channels I created those past few weeks seem not to receive emails. There are a few old ones that still do.Even a confirmation email from GMail (that is mandatory before being able to transfer) doesn’t show in the channel.Has anyone else had this issue too? Read More
Automating document indexing into Azure Cosmos DB with Logic Apps
Effectively managing large document volumes is essential for modern applications, particularly to maintain fast and reliable querying. With Azure Logic Apps, you can now automate document indexing into Azure Cosmos DB, in addition to the existing capability of indexing in AI Search, offering the flexibility to use either service as a vector store.
In this post, we’ll walk through a scenario where Logic Apps automates the ingestion and indexing of documents, such as PDFs, into Azure Cosmos DB. This approach not only reduces operational overhead but also ensures that your data remains highly accessible and queryable.
Why use Logic Apps for document indexing in Cosmos DB?
Automated Workflows: By automating document indexing, you eliminate manual tasks and ensure that documents are indexed as soon as they are uploaded.
Scalability: As your document volume grows, Azure Cosmos DB’s global distribution ensures your data remains scalable and highly available.
Seamless Integration: Logic App enables you to easily integrate with other Azure services, such as Blob Storage and AI models, enhancing your document indexing with intelligence and automation.
Scenario Overview
In this scenario, we automate the ingestion of document content from Azure Blob Storage, parsing it, and indexing it into Azure Cosmos DB. When a blob (such as a PDF or text document) is uploaded, a Logic App workflow is triggered to process the document and store its data in a Cosmos DB container, making it easily retrievable and queryable. Here is what the workflow will look like:
Key steps in the workflow:
Blob Upload Detection: The Logic App starts by detecting when a new blob (document) is added or updated in Azure Blob Storage using the event-based trigger.
Read Blob Content: The workflow reads the content of the uploaded blob and prepares it for further processing.
Document Parsing: Logic Apps parses the document, extracting the relevant content, such as text or metadata. This can include PDF extraction or text chunking for larger documents.
Chunk Text: For larger documents, the content is split into manageable chunks to ensure smooth processing and indexing.
Generate Embeddings Using AI: Using Azure AI, the Logic App generates embeddings from the document content. These embeddings allow for enhanced data processing, categorization, and structure mapping within Cosmos DB.
Map to Schema: The extracted data and embeddings are mapped to a predefined schema to ensure consistency in how documents are indexed within Cosmos DB.
Bulk Update in Cosmos DB: Finally, the processed document is stored and indexed in Cosmos DB. The “Create or update many items in bulk” action ensures that multiple items are processed efficiently for fast querying.
Here is a GitHub sample logic app that has the ingestion workflow to index data in Azure Cosmos DB.
Conclusion
By leveraging Azure Logic Apps to automate document indexing into Azure Cosmos DB, you can streamline data workflows, reduce manual intervention, and ensure your data is organized for optimal performance. This powerful integration simplifies the process, making it easier for teams to manage large volumes of documents and scale as needed.
We are also planning on adding support to allow retrieval of the indexed content soon. Stay tuned for more updates and please let us know your thoughts and feedback.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
Unknown crossbar on Teams tab
Dear Sir
I’m developing Teams Tab app to upload our app on the MS Teams Store later.
Since a few days ago, I have been seeing a unknown crossbar on the Tap of Teams.
(Both Desktop Teams and Web Teams).
I can’t find what the issue is.
I have attached the screen-cap below. It has a warning icon with orange color, with x icon at the right side.
Can you advise how I can’t remove the crossbar ?
Many thanks
BH.
Dear Sir I’m developing Teams Tab app to upload our app on the MS Teams Store later.Since a few days ago, I have been seeing a unknown crossbar on the Tap of Teams.(Both Desktop Teams and Web Teams).I can’t find what the issue is. I have attached the screen-cap below. It has a warning icon with orange color, with x icon at the right side. Can you advise how I can’t remove the crossbar ?Many thanks BH. Read More
Excel Window Resize from Bottom Right Very Slow. Others OK.
I am running Excel 365 64 Bit v16.0.17328.20550 on Windows 11 Surface Pro 9 machine. When I try to change the windows size in Excel by dragging the bottom right corner and resizing diagonally Excel is painfully slow to resize and redraw the window, noticeably lagging behind the mouse movement. The odd thing is if I resize the same window diagonally using any of the other 3 corners it works fine. If I resize just horziontally or just vertically by dragging one of the edges it is also ok…..only the bottom right corner causes issues which per Murphy’s Law is the one I always use.
Seems very odd but has anyone else seen this issue?
I am running Excel 365 64 Bit v16.0.17328.20550 on Windows 11 Surface Pro 9 machine. When I try to change the windows size in Excel by dragging the bottom right corner and resizing diagonally Excel is painfully slow to resize and redraw the window, noticeably lagging behind the mouse movement. The odd thing is if I resize the same window diagonally using any of the other 3 corners it works fine. If I resize just horziontally or just vertically by dragging one of the edges it is also ok…..only the bottom right corner causes issues which per Murphy’s Law is the one I always use. Seems very odd but has anyone else seen this issue? Read More
How to Choose the Right Models for Your Apps | Azure AI
With more than 1700 models to choose from on Azure, selecting the right one is key to enabling the right capabilities, at the right price point, and with the right protections in place. That’s where the Azure AI model catalog and model benchmarks can help.
With Azure AI, you can seamlessly integrate powerful GenAI models into your app development process, making your applications smarter, more efficient, and highly scalable. Access a vast selection of AI models, from sophisticated large language models to efficient small models that can run offline.
Matt McSpirit, Microsoft Azure expert, shows how to compare and select the right AI model for your specific needs. Azure AI’s model benchmarks evaluate models on accuracy, coherence, groundedness, fluency, relevance, and similarity. Experiment with different models in Azure AI Studio or your preferred coding environment, and optimize costs with serverless pricing options.
Choose the right AI model for your app.
See how to make apps smarter, more efficient, and more user-friendly. Get started.
Switch between models.
Integrate with LLM development tools, and choose embedding models. Use your environment of choice to access AI models via Azure AI’s unified API. See it here.
Compare different models.
Use the Azure AI model inference package, and test models with your own data in your preferred coding environment. Check it out.
Watch our video here.
QUICK LINKS:
00:00 — Build GenAI powered apps
00:53 — Model choice
02:11 — Use your environments of choice
02:44 — Choose the right AI model
05:28 — Compare models
08:04 — Wrap up
Link References
Get started at https://ai.azure.com
See data, privacy, and security for use of models at https://aka.ms/AzureAImodelcontrols
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Video Transcript:
-Gen AI has forever changed the way we interact with apps and data, but how do you find and integrate the right AI model for your app? In fact, integrating Gen AI into your app dev process can make your app smarter, more efficient, and more user-friendly. Responses to user inputs are more personalized, engaging, and natural, and because Gen AI models can reason over large volumes of data and interactions, it’s easier to scale your app to accommodate the growing needs of your user base without compromising app performance. Additionally, when you combine and orchestrate multiple AI models with different functional components of your app, you can easily automate repetitive tasks and processes. In the next few minutes, I’ll walk you through choosing the right AI model for your app, and as part of that, how to compare models, as well as your options to deploy and minimize the cost of inference, all from the studio in Azure AI as well as in code. First, let’s take a look at model choice.
-Here, the choice you have today to incorporate different classes of AI models in your apps has never been broader. Everything from large language models capable of sophisticated reasoning based on their vast open-world knowledge comprising multiple billions, and even trillions of parameters hosted on Azure supercomputer infrastructure, to powerful quantized small language models that can also run locally and offline, such as the Phi family of models from Microsoft. In the studio, we provide a continually expanding central location to bring you the best selection of AI models as you develop your apps. The Model Catalog in Azure AI currently hosts more than 1,700 models, both premium models and hundreds of open models organized by collections. There are even regional flavored large language models, such as Core42 JAIS that support the Arabic spoken language, and Mistral Large, focused on European spoken languages. All models available on Azure have been vetted to meet Microsoft’s stringent security and compliance standards, which you can learn more about at aka.ms/AzureAImodelcontrols.
-Additionally, using the Hidden Layer Model Scanner, models are scanned for embedded malware and back doors and common vulnerabilities and exposures to detect tampering and corruption across model layers before being hosted on Azure. Importantly, the choice you get with the Azure AI service also extends to how you can access these models, from your favorite tools and languages via the Azure AI model inference API, which with its unified API schema, works across all models, making it super easy to switch between models. It’s also integrated with LLM app development tools like LangChain, as well as Semantic Kernel, Azure AI Prompt Flow and more. We also let you choose your embedding model for vector generations such as ADA from OpenAI or Cohere.
-Next, with access to so much choice, let’s get into choosing the right AI model for your needs. Here, it’s essential to clearly define your app’s use case and the specific tasks it needs to accomplish, where in the Azure AI studio, you can start by filtering models by inferencing task. For example, if natural language processing is the main priority, for tasks like chat completion, you can see recommendations for models like OpenAI ChatGPT, Microsoft’s various SLMs like Phi models, Meta’s Llama or Mistral as options. For audio-focused tasks like speech recognition or generating speech from text, you could consider OpenAI Whisper, or for computer vision tasks like text to image for generating contextually relevant images from text prompts, DALL-E 3 and Stability AI appear as potential options.
-Now, if you need more precision and domain knowledge, here is where you can proactively look for off-the-shelf models, for example, Nixtla’s TimeGEN model for time-series forecasting and anomaly detection. Additionally, if you and your team have the expertise, you can start with a foundational base model and fine-tune the model you want right from Azure AI. That said, ultimately top of everyone’s mind is cost. Here, to optimize your app budget, you have the choice of hundreds of free open models, and even if you start there, you can move on to more performant models as needed, and that’s where our Model as a Service lets you use our Serverless API option that provides serverless pricing for dozens of foundational models with pay-go inference input and output tokens to literally pay as you go.
-Alternatively, you can choose to run hundreds of open models on hosted hardware with pay-per-GPU managed compute. The trade-offs based on your use case lie in model quality and the sophistication of the models themselves, combined with the impact on inference costs. As you start to build your app prototype, the good news is the studio in the Azure AI service makes it really easy for you to make decisions on choosing the right AI model for your app. One path is to choose one and experiment. Of course, you’ll need an Azure subscription and access to Azure AI for that, and once you select Deploy, that’s going to connect your Azure subscription with the Azure marketplace, so that you can be billed for use.
-From there, in the studio playground, it’s easy to test the model you’ve deployed by crafting the system message to instruct the model on the purpose and style of response, and you can experiment with sample prompts to test the output based on its open world knowledge. You can even continue this experimentation by adding your own data and testing the model responses in context of your data. And by the way, your prompts and completions are not shared with model providers or used for training models, it’s your private data. That said, you’ll likely want to compare multiple models, and that’s where model benchmarks come in. For example, if you’re looking to build an app primarily for chat completion, once you’ve filtered the list in the model catalog, you can head over to Model benchmarks, which are scored based on multiple industry datasets for breakdowns on each model across multiple categories. First is Model accuracy, which is just like it sounds. The line in the middle is based on averages across the different benchmarks.
-Next, Model coherence evaluates how well the model generates smooth and natural-sounding responses, then Model groundedness looks at how well the model refers to source materials in its default training set. Model fluency measures language proficiency of answers, Model relevance then scores how well the model meets expectation based on prompts, then Model similarity measures the similarity between a source data sentence and the generated response. And so now for example, if I want to optimize for Model coherence, I might decide to choose this Meta Llama 3.1 model, and I can also look at more details on model and the pricing.
-You can also apply Model Benchmarks to select your embedding model to create vectors, where data is given numeric, coordinate-like values to map similar terms based on contextual similarity. These are then used for vector-based search to retrieve grounding data for models in Retrieval Augmented Generation, the most common ones are also compared in the model benchmarks, and here, you’ll see which embeddings model perform best across categories like Classification, Clustering, and more.
-Beyond the studio, you can also compare different models using the Azure AI model inference package so that you can test models with your own data in your preferred coding environment. The only difference being the endpoint’s Target URI and Key, which makes it easy to switch between models. So, here we have, for example, set up three different notebooks using three different models to test generated answers from our custom data. Running them all at the same time with the same prompt can help provide like-for-like comparisons, and once you’ve made your model selection, have your app running, you can continue to evaluate how well it performs in code. There are basic built-in evaluators for Relevance, Fluency, Coherence, and Groundedness with scores for each on a one to five scale, and it will average your scores over a handful of runs. Additionally, you can use Application Insights dashboards to visualize model performance and other key metrics over time and across multiple runs, including detailed evaluation score trends, token usage over time and by model, which can help you evaluate costs, along with model duration, which is useful if you’re testing multiple models.
-So, now you know the essential steps for evaluating AI models based on your use case, from initial considerations to comparing models, and exploring deployment options with Azure AI. Beyond the model choices we give you, you can also benefit from responsible AI controls with content filters that work for prompt inputs as well as generated response outputs, and the Azure platform overall provides the scalability, intelligence, and security your Gen AI apps need, including extensive global data center reach, seamless integration with other Microsoft products, and of course, one of the most comprehensive suites of AI and machine learning tools and more.
-To learn more and get started, check out ai.azure.com, subscribe to Microsoft Mechanics for more explanations and tech updates, and thanks for watching.
Microsoft Tech Community – Latest Blogs –Read More
How I can access a current Teams Apps that has been added to our Office 365 tenant, to apply some ch
I am working on a client tenant, and they have installed this Teams Apps inside their tenant:-
https://github.com/OfficeDev/microsoft-teams-emergency-operations-center
now when i open my Teams i can see this tab been added automatically:-
And it is added inside the Apps list:-
Now they asked to do some changes, so i clone the code from GitHub >> modify the code using visual studio.. now i want to reupload the updated Teams app to the tenant .. but when i went to the SharePoint app catalog , i only found this app:-
so my first question is where i need to upload the apps? and can i run those commands to generate .sppkg file:-gulp clean gulp build gulp bundle –ship gulp package-solution –ship
Second question, inside the deployment steps for the Teams app @ https://github.com/OfficeDev/microsoft-teams-emergency-operations-center/wiki/Deployment-Guide#7-create-the-teams-app-packages they mentioned to define the <<appDomain>> & <<clientId>> .. So this means i need to get those from the current Teams apps that is already installed? i do not have to generate new ones? am I correct? If this is the case, then is there a way to get those from any where inside our tenant ? i am global office365 admin.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I am working on a client tenant, and they have installed this Teams Apps inside their tenant:-https://github.com/OfficeDev/microsoft-teams-emergency-operations-centernow when i open my Teams i can see this tab been added automatically:- And it is added inside the Apps list:- Now they asked to do some changes, so i clone the code from GitHub >> modify the code using visual studio.. now i want to reupload the updated Teams app to the tenant .. but when i went to the SharePoint app catalog , i only found this app:- so my first question is where i need to upload the apps? and can i run those commands to generate .sppkg file:-gulp clean gulp build gulp bundle –ship gulp package-solution –ship Second question, inside the deployment steps for the Teams app @ https://github.com/OfficeDev/microsoft-teams-emergency-operations-center/wiki/Deployment-Guide#7-create-the-teams-app-packages they mentioned to define the <<appDomain>> & <<clientId>> .. So this means i need to get those from the current Teams apps that is already installed? i do not have to generate new ones? am I correct? If this is the case, then is there a way to get those from any where inside our tenant ? i am global office365 admin.Thanks in advance for any help. Read More
ASR rules on personal microsft account?
Hello,
I triggered a Windows Defender block on my personal PC:
Following the links takes me to Defender for Endpoint tips, but this si my personal PC which doesn’t have that? I have logged in to my work’s teams account on this PC – could that have caused group policies to be applied and if so – how do undo it!
Thanks for any help received.
ps. I have tried allowing the app in defender, turning off app control etc, but this is persistent
Hello, I triggered a Windows Defender block on my personal PC: Following the links takes me to Defender for Endpoint tips, but this si my personal PC which doesn’t have that? I have logged in to my work’s teams account on this PC – could that have caused group policies to be applied and if so – how do undo it! Thanks for any help received. ps. I have tried allowing the app in defender, turning off app control etc, but this is persistent Read More
bug in MS Office 356 (Excel)
“Hello Microsoft,
I have noticed a bug in MS Office 356, specifically in Excel. If we don’t have a license for Office 365, the application prompts us to activate the product via the activation wizard. However, if we open the wizard and then open any saved Excel file, after closing the first file using the taskbar (not the task manager), the second file works normally. I can edit, save, and use all the toolbar features without any issue. I believe this is a bug in the product, as I haven’t observed the same behavior in Word , outlook and PowerPoint.”
Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise – en-us 10/21/2024 16.0.17328.20612
”Hello Microsoft, I have noticed a bug in MS Office 356, specifically in Excel. If we don’t have a license for Office 365, the application prompts us to activate the product via the activation wizard. However, if we open the wizard and then open any saved Excel file, after closing the first file using the taskbar (not the task manager), the second file works normally. I can edit, save, and use all the toolbar features without any issue. I believe this is a bug in the product, as I haven’t observed the same behavior in Word , outlook and PowerPoint.” Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise – en-us 10/21/2024 16.0.17328.20612 Read More
Graph API support for converting pptx into mp4
Hi Team,
My team is currently exploring the use of Graph API for converting PowerPoint files (PPTX) into MP4 format. Could you confirm if Graph API provides support for this functionality?
Based on the documentation provided, it seems Graph API only supports conversion to pdf or html at this moment. For reference, please review: Convert to other formats – Microsoft Graph v1.0 | Microsoft Learn.
Thanks!
Cynthia
Hi Team, My team is currently exploring the use of Graph API for converting PowerPoint files (PPTX) into MP4 format. Could you confirm if Graph API provides support for this functionality? Based on the documentation provided, it seems Graph API only supports conversion to pdf or html at this moment. For reference, please review: Convert to other formats – Microsoft Graph v1.0 | Microsoft Learn.
Thanks!
Cynthia Read More
New Blog | The latest enhancements in Microsoft Authenticator
By Nitika Gupta
Hi folks,
I’m thrilled to announce three major Microsoft Entra ID advancements that will help you protect your users with phishing-resistant authentication:
Public preview refresh: Device-bound passkey support in Microsoft Authenticator
Public preview: Support for FIDO2 security keys on native brokered applications, such as Outlook and Teams, on Android 14
General availability: FIPS compliance for Microsoft Authenticator on Android
These advancements are crucial, not only for adhering to the US Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, but also for safeguarding all organizations and users who rely on secure digital identities. Let’s dig deeper!
Read the full post here: The latest enhancements in Microsoft Authenticator
By Nitika Gupta
Hi folks,
I’m thrilled to announce three major Microsoft Entra ID advancements that will help you protect your users with phishing-resistant authentication:
Public preview refresh: Device-bound passkey support in Microsoft Authenticator
Public preview: Support for FIDO2 security keys on native brokered applications, such as Outlook and Teams, on Android 14
General availability: FIPS compliance for Microsoft Authenticator on Android
These advancements are crucial, not only for adhering to the US Executive Order 14028 on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity, but also for safeguarding all organizations and users who rely on secure digital identities. Let’s dig deeper!
Read the full post here: The latest enhancements in Microsoft Authenticator Read More
New Blog | Upcoming design updates: Microsoft Purview Message Encryption Portal
By Samson Chan
The Microsoft Purview Message Encryption portal will undergo minor design updates to align with Purview branding. Microsoft will be updating fonts, colors, controls, and more to align with Purview branding. These changes are designed to enhance the user experience without causing any disruptions. Microsoft will begin rolling out changes mid-October 2024 and expects to complete by mid-December 2024.
Users will see minor design changes within the user interface (UI) – fonts, colors, controls, and more are updated to align with Purview branding.
Read the full post here: Upcoming design updates: Microsoft Purview Message Encryption Portal
By Samson Chan
The Microsoft Purview Message Encryption portal will undergo minor design updates to align with Purview branding. Microsoft will be updating fonts, colors, controls, and more to align with Purview branding. These changes are designed to enhance the user experience without causing any disruptions. Microsoft will begin rolling out changes mid-October 2024 and expects to complete by mid-December 2024.
Users will see minor design changes within the user interface (UI) – fonts, colors, controls, and more are updated to align with Purview branding.
Read the full post here: Upcoming design updates: Microsoft Purview Message Encryption Portal Read More
New Blog | Enhancing Server and Container Risk Score Analysis in Power BI
By iulio Astori
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides vulnerability assessments for both virtual machines (servers) and container images, identifying vulnerabilities as Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). The risk posed by each CVE is assessed using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), providing a standardized numerical score that ranges from 0.0 to 10.0, translated into severity ratings like Low, Medium, High, or Critical. While Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides a robust risk level assessment for each resource, there is an opportunity to enhance this by integrating additional factors such as the exploitability of each CVE, the age since it was made public, and whether the CVE is a zero-day vulnerability. Additionally, resources themselves have contextual elements such as the number of attack paths, which can significantly impact their overall risk. The Power BI solution builds Defender for Cloud’s capabilities by integrating these multiple factors, providing a more comprehensive risk score for each resource and enhancing the prioritization of vulnerabilities requiring urgent remediation. This combined approach allows users to generate a more accurate top-down list of resources needing attention.
Read the full post here: Enhancing Server and Container Risk Score Analysis in Power BI
By iulio Astori
Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides vulnerability assessments for both virtual machines (servers) and container images, identifying vulnerabilities as Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs). The risk posed by each CVE is assessed using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), providing a standardized numerical score that ranges from 0.0 to 10.0, translated into severity ratings like Low, Medium, High, or Critical. While Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides a robust risk level assessment for each resource, there is an opportunity to enhance this by integrating additional factors such as the exploitability of each CVE, the age since it was made public, and whether the CVE is a zero-day vulnerability. Additionally, resources themselves have contextual elements such as the number of attack paths, which can significantly impact their overall risk. The Power BI solution builds Defender for Cloud’s capabilities by integrating these multiple factors, providing a more comprehensive risk score for each resource and enhancing the prioritization of vulnerabilities requiring urgent remediation. This combined approach allows users to generate a more accurate top-down list of resources needing attention.
Read the full post here: Enhancing Server and Container Risk Score Analysis in Power BI Read More