Tag Archives: microsoft
1 List with 2 dependent Combo boxes…is it possible?
Hi all,
Not sure if this ask is even possible but here goes…
I have a 2 column list. Column 1 contains different type of legislation (i.e. HTA, CAIA, TSSEA, etc.). Column 2 has charge descriptions available for each type of legislation. Can I have a userform with 2 Combo boxes with the first listing the different types of legislation and the 2nd being dependent on the first for charge options.
So, if HTA is selected from Combo box 1, Combo box 2 should only show the charge options from the HTA. This would sort of be like the indirect function within a spreadsheet but instead of having a new list for each type of legislation, there would only be 1 list that contains all.
Can this be done and if so how?
Thanks in advance!!!
Hi all, Not sure if this ask is even possible but here goes… I have a 2 column list. Column 1 contains different type of legislation (i.e. HTA, CAIA, TSSEA, etc.). Column 2 has charge descriptions available for each type of legislation. Can I have a userform with 2 Combo boxes with the first listing the different types of legislation and the 2nd being dependent on the first for charge options. So, if HTA is selected from Combo box 1, Combo box 2 should only show the charge options from the HTA. This would sort of be like the indirect function within a spreadsheet but instead of having a new list for each type of legislation, there would only be 1 list that contains all. Can this be done and if so how? Thanks in advance!!! Read More
Lost an important workbook
I shut down Excel for the Windows Update yesterday August 13, 2024. One of the files that was an active workbook is missing. I thought everything was saved. I expected to see the file in the recently used list. It had been pushed of due to loading several other files. I increased the size of the list from 10 to 30, more than enough, but still couldn’t find it. So, I searched for it on OneDrive, and my c: drive and a usb drive. It is nowhere. I keep this file loaded all the time and expected to be able to re-open it with no problem, because it would be in the recently used file list. I used to always save the file in a specific location on my c: drive, but I started to trust OneDrive to put it wherever. I didn’t really pay attention to where it was stored. I never needed to before because it was always there in the recent files list opening excel. The only reason I closed excel was because of the update. Any ideas of where I can locate it? Could the update be the problem? The file is the one most important excel file which I use daily.
I shut down Excel for the Windows Update yesterday August 13, 2024. One of the files that was an active workbook is missing. I thought everything was saved. I expected to see the file in the recently used list. It had been pushed of due to loading several other files. I increased the size of the list from 10 to 30, more than enough, but still couldn’t find it. So, I searched for it on OneDrive, and my c: drive and a usb drive. It is nowhere. I keep this file loaded all the time and expected to be able to re-open it with no problem, because it would be in the recently used file list. I used to always save the file in a specific location on my c: drive, but I started to trust OneDrive to put it wherever. I didn’t really pay attention to where it was stored. I never needed to before because it was always there in the recent files list opening excel. The only reason I closed excel was because of the update. Any ideas of where I can locate it? Could the update be the problem? The file is the one most important excel file which I use daily. Read More
Windows 11 won’t sleep automatically
I have installed a fresh copy of Win 11 Pro and noticed that although I set the pc to switch off monitor and then goes to sleep, it is not doing so. The monitor tries to switch off but as soon as it goes off, it switches back on. I checked the drivers and all are up to date. Graphics card (GTX 4060 Ti) has the latest driver from nvidia website. I also checked that the network is set to allow the pc to sleep.
Then, I found a tip online to disconnect the keyboard and mouse and set them to another usb port. I tried that, but still the same problem. However, then I tried to disconnected them without plugging them in again, and the pc went to sleep. Then I checked whether it’s the keyboard or the mouse that’s causing the problem but even if only one of them was connected to the pc, still the pc didn’t go to sleep.
I’m using a wireless Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and a wireless Razer Balistic mouse. The mouse uses a 2.5 dongle, while the keyboard, I believe uses bluetooth.
Hope that this can be solved.
I have installed a fresh copy of Win 11 Pro and noticed that although I set the pc to switch off monitor and then goes to sleep, it is not doing so. The monitor tries to switch off but as soon as it goes off, it switches back on. I checked the drivers and all are up to date. Graphics card (GTX 4060 Ti) has the latest driver from nvidia website. I also checked that the network is set to allow the pc to sleep. Then, I found a tip online to disconnect the keyboard and mouse and set them to another usb port. I tried that, but still the same problem. However, then I tried to disconnected them without plugging them in again, and the pc went to sleep. Then I checked whether it’s the keyboard or the mouse that’s causing the problem but even if only one of them was connected to the pc, still the pc didn’t go to sleep. I’m using a wireless Microsoft ergonomic keyboard and a wireless Razer Balistic mouse. The mouse uses a 2.5 dongle, while the keyboard, I believe uses bluetooth. Hope that this can be solved. Read More
Microsoft graph API method call to get content from content.body
I am writing a windows application that retrieves all messages and replies from MSTeams using the graphClient API using c#. I am using the method graphClient.Teams[TeamsID].Channels[ChannelID].Messages.GetAsync((requestConfiguration) to get the messages(not replies). I am trying to get (and store) the image embeded within the Body.Content return data. The method I am trying to use to get the image data is
graphClient.Teams[TeamsID].Channels[TeamsID].Messages[MessageID(from previous method return data)].HostedContents[Content-ID].GetAsync();
I know what the Value of the TeamsId,ChannelID and MessageID. I do not know what the value is for the Content-ID. The return data from the first API call contains data looking like the following.
“<p>Sep no jacket, no straps, weatherhead tied on</p>
<p><img alt=”Media” src=”https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/teams/02e7c74575f2/channels/x615tT4UI_UjDHEu1tx3mXiJ1wRtE1@thread.tacv2/messages/1723665375573/hostedContents/aWQ9LHR5cGU9MSx1cmw9aHR0cHM6Ly91cy1hcGkuYXNtLnNreXBlLmNvbS92MS9vYmplY3RzLzAtZXVzLWQxMS1hMGEyYTg4ZjhlNjlmN2RjZTFhYTE5YjIzNDM4Nzc1YS92aWV3cy9pbWdv/$value” width=”1920″ height=”2560″></p>”
The item highlighted in red is the MessageID
I’m looking for some documentation as to what this parameter is. Searching for a solution always points me to getting the contents using the chat methodology. This is not a chat, this is a message.
I am writing a windows application that retrieves all messages and replies from MSTeams using the graphClient API using c#. I am using the method graphClient.Teams[TeamsID].Channels[ChannelID].Messages.GetAsync((requestConfiguration) to get the messages(not replies). I am trying to get (and store) the image embeded within the Body.Content return data. The method I am trying to use to get the image data is graphClient.Teams[TeamsID].Channels[TeamsID].Messages[MessageID(from previous method return data)].HostedContents[Content-ID].GetAsync(); I know what the Value of the TeamsId,ChannelID and MessageID. I do not know what the value is for the Content-ID. The return data from the first API call contains data looking like the following. “<p>Sep no jacket, no straps, weatherhead tied on</p><p><img alt=”Media” src=”https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/teams/02e7c74575f2/channels/x615tT4UI_UjDHEu1tx3mXiJ1wRtE1@thread.tacv2/messages/1723665375573/hostedContents/aWQ9LHR5cGU9MSx1cmw9aHR0cHM6Ly91cy1hcGkuYXNtLnNreXBlLmNvbS92MS9vYmplY3RzLzAtZXVzLWQxMS1hMGEyYTg4ZjhlNjlmN2RjZTFhYTE5YjIzNDM4Nzc1YS92aWV3cy9pbWdv/$value” width=”1920″ height=”2560″></p>” The item highlighted in red is the MessageIDI’m looking for some documentation as to what this parameter is. Searching for a solution always points me to getting the contents using the chat methodology. This is not a chat, this is a message. Read More
Excel loading in a table from Power Query extremely slowly
I have a workbook that uses multiple queries, with lots of merges/joins. I know that this can slow down the data processing time a bit, however I am getting extremely slow query load times, not due to the transformations but simply loading it into an excel workbook.
One of the datasets I am working with only has 238 rows, and when a refresh my Excel Workbook’s data, it just shows 238 rows loaded for incredibly long without actually updating the worksheet. The query previews in query editor load relatively quickly, so I assume this is an Excel issue. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
I have a workbook that uses multiple queries, with lots of merges/joins. I know that this can slow down the data processing time a bit, however I am getting extremely slow query load times, not due to the transformations but simply loading it into an excel workbook. One of the datasets I am working with only has 238 rows, and when a refresh my Excel Workbook’s data, it just shows 238 rows loaded for incredibly long without actually updating the worksheet. The query previews in query editor load relatively quickly, so I assume this is an Excel issue. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Read More
Multiple staff can support a single facility/resource
I have multiple staff that can support multiple facilities but only one user/customer and staff member can use the facility at a time. Staff already have Microsoft accounts with mailboxes and calendars. The facility can have a resource account with a mailbox and calendar. The solution I need is a Bookings service to check calendars of multiple staff members’ calendars and a single resource account calendar. Bookings only allows for selecting from the availability of anyone staff member or multiple staff members’ combined availability. Is there a workaround to combine a staff member and resource calendars virtual account (or something) for each combination of staff member and resource?
If that wasn’t clear, I’ll try to illustrate my point using one of Microsoft’s early examples of Bookings, safari truck rental, that was shown to me by a Microsoft support person (can’t find a link to it). The idea was that there are multiple trucks were available for rent and they could either be driven by the customer or by a staff member. Staff members had normal mailbox with calendars. The trucks had resource accounts with a mailbox and calendar. But the example did not work completely for the same reason I am having. The example was not well tested because it didn’t have a way to do “or” and “and” logic of different accounts. The Microsoft support person agreed but never offered a workaround. The equivalent to my case is all trucks would require one of my staff to drive.
Also, here is a link to another Microsoft site and were directed to this form but I can find the post here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/bookings-multiple-services-run-by-different-staff/71d83dc7-0a53-464c-8929-4f6c6c33b308
Any ideas for workarounds?
I have multiple staff that can support multiple facilities but only one user/customer and staff member can use the facility at a time. Staff already have Microsoft accounts with mailboxes and calendars. The facility can have a resource account with a mailbox and calendar. The solution I need is a Bookings service to check calendars of multiple staff members’ calendars and a single resource account calendar. Bookings only allows for selecting from the availability of anyone staff member or multiple staff members’ combined availability. Is there a workaround to combine a staff member and resource calendars virtual account (or something) for each combination of staff member and resource? If that wasn’t clear, I’ll try to illustrate my point using one of Microsoft’s early examples of Bookings, safari truck rental, that was shown to me by a Microsoft support person (can’t find a link to it). The idea was that there are multiple trucks were available for rent and they could either be driven by the customer or by a staff member. Staff members had normal mailbox with calendars. The trucks had resource accounts with a mailbox and calendar. But the example did not work completely for the same reason I am having. The example was not well tested because it didn’t have a way to do “or” and “and” logic of different accounts. The Microsoft support person agreed but never offered a workaround. The equivalent to my case is all trucks would require one of my staff to drive. Also, here is a link to another Microsoft site and were directed to this form but I can find the post here: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/bookings-multiple-services-run-by-different-staff/71d83dc7-0a53-464c-8929-4f6c6c33b308 Any ideas for workarounds? Read More
Repeat Rows
Hello All – I have an scenario where I collate list of Employees for specific month and count based on each manager for a specific month. In order to extrapolate the data for the full financial year, I copy paste the data below the previous month data and another tab in excel calculates based the count for soecific month and specific manager. Scope of data per month if 1300 rows.
Is there a way we can repeat the data automatically or via formula so that I dont have to copy paste data for each month.
Hello All – I have an scenario where I collate list of Employees for specific month and count based on each manager for a specific month. In order to extrapolate the data for the full financial year, I copy paste the data below the previous month data and another tab in excel calculates based the count for soecific month and specific manager. Scope of data per month if 1300 rows. Is there a way we can repeat the data automatically or via formula so that I dont have to copy paste data for each month. Read More
Signing VBA in Word
Hello. I am attempting to sign VBA in a Word file. I imported a PFX file to my Personal Certificates (via edge://settings/privacy). I also confirmed the import via certmgr.msc (it’s there under Personal…Certificates)
This PFX is used for a server TLS which I maintain (in addition to the server leaf cert, the PFX contains the intermediate and root self-signed organization certs…both are pre-loaded in everybody’s Windows Trust Stores).
So my thinking is to sign the VBA with this server PFX then via chain of trust, the VBA signature will be verified when walked back to the root by the client.
Anyway, in MS Word…Developer….Tools…Digital Signature….
when I choose “Sign as” and Choose button, I get the “No usable signing certificates are available”
Anybody have any ideas? I’ve googled all over and all day.. Does the”Certificate intended purpose” have anything to do with it not being available?
thank you so much for reading.
Hello. I am attempting to sign VBA in a Word file. I imported a PFX file to my Personal Certificates (via edge://settings/privacy). I also confirmed the import via certmgr.msc (it’s there under Personal…Certificates) This PFX is used for a server TLS which I maintain (in addition to the server leaf cert, the PFX contains the intermediate and root self-signed organization certs…both are pre-loaded in everybody’s Windows Trust Stores). So my thinking is to sign the VBA with this server PFX then via chain of trust, the VBA signature will be verified when walked back to the root by the client. Anyway, in MS Word…Developer….Tools…Digital Signature…. when I choose “Sign as” and Choose button, I get the “No usable signing certificates are available” Anybody have any ideas? I’ve googled all over and all day.. Does the”Certificate intended purpose” have anything to do with it not being available? thank you so much for reading. Read More
Outlook Version
Is version 1.2024.701.200 an updated version so that I will continue to have access to hotmail email after Sep 16, 2024?
Is version 1.2024.701.200 an updated version so that I will continue to have access to hotmail email after Sep 16, 2024? Read More
Bookings allows people to book in PERSONAL Bookings Page when not available
In my PERSONAL Bookings Page, Bookings allows people to book meetings with me even when I am “busy” in Outlook. This is NOT a staff Bookings Page. It is my personal one. My time zones are correct.
In my PERSONAL Bookings Page, Bookings allows people to book meetings with me even when I am “busy” in Outlook. This is NOT a staff Bookings Page. It is my personal one. My time zones are correct. Read More
Approval and Documentation, IP address
Good Afternoon strangers, friends, and fans, curious, learners. My name is Eyeknow you can call me EyeSee, I’m a learner a friend a fan very curious like some other people. Perhaps maybe this is a great way to collaborate with fragile pieces that most of us all have I meant windows. I’m not a planner or an event organizer I have zero experience and knowledge of such but definitely interested in listening in that way I’m actually present physically knowingly and mentally.
Good Afternoon strangers, friends, and fans, curious, learners. My name is Eyeknow you can call me EyeSee, I’m a learner a friend a fan very curious like some other people. Perhaps maybe this is a great way to collaborate with fragile pieces that most of us all have I meant windows. I’m not a planner or an event organizer I have zero experience and knowledge of such but definitely interested in listening in that way I’m actually present physically knowingly and mentally. Read More
v24.151.0728.0003 (64 bits) – BUG with multiple MOVE or DELETE
Old thread with the same issue, since 2022!
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/onedrive-sync-issue-this-file-is-read-only-but/d26e86d4-edb5-48f2-998a-4a2de6bfb6dd?page=2
* User has permission on the shared folder, he was able to create/change/remove fine.
<><><><> the issue is when select too may files/folder
User01 – tenant01
##############
user02 – tenant02
—-
We are partner here in Brazil, right now, two customer reporting the same issue
>>>>>> Come on MS!!!!
Old thread with the same issue, since 2022!https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/onedrive-sync-issue-this-file-is-read-only-but/d26e86d4-edb5-48f2-998a-4a2de6bfb6dd?page=2* User has permission on the shared folder, he was able to create/change/remove fine.<><><><> the issue is when select too may files/folderUser01 – tenant01############## user02 – tenant02—-We are partner here in Brazil, right now, two customer reporting the same issue>>>>>> Come on MS!!!! Read More
PowerShell scripts are no longer executed. TamperProtection Failure
I have an environment with about 150 Windows 10 notebooks that are AAD joined and fully managed by Intune.
PowerShell Platform Scripts are used on the devices to perform various configurations. The PowerShell scripts are all executed in the user context “Run this script using the logged on credentials” and without signature check (Enforce script signature check=no).
On 08/12/2024 a new PowerShell script was configured which is not executed successfully on all devices. The status of the majority of devices is “Unknown”. However, there are devices on which it is executed successfully, status “Succeeded”.
Another Powershell script was configured for testing, which only logs the device IP address in a local log file. This script behaves in the same way. The majority of the devices deliver status “Unknown” on other devices with status “Succeeded”. These are always the same devices on which the script is executed, or not.
The following error message can be found in the Intunemanagementextension.log on the devices with status “Unknown”:
<![LOG[[TamperProtection] Enforcement mode = Enforcement2. PolicyType = 6. Running checks.]LOG]!><time=”15:35:51.2966252″ date=”8-13-2024″ component=”IntuneManagementExtension” context=”” type=”1″ thread=”69″ file=””>
<![LOG[[TamperProtection] Blob embedded certs:DigiCert Global Root G2:DigiCert Global Root G2|08/01/2013 14:00:00|01/15/2038 13:00:00|DF3C24F9BFD666761B268073FE06D1CC8D4F82A4
Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07:DigiCert Global Root G2|06/08/2023 02:00:00|08/26/2026 01:59:59|3382517058A0C20228D598EE7501B61256A76442
SideCarSignCert.manage.microsoft.com:Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07|02/09/2024 09:58:06|02/03/2025 09:58:06|A2553C3CDEE7BF3BF85EE30C4AB9CC819EB84D2C
]LOG]!><time=”15:35:51.2966252″ date=”8-13-2024″ component=”IntuneManagementExtension” context=”” type=”1″ thread=”69″ file=””>
<![LOG[[TamperProtection] (Failure) AccountId:<removed-for-security>,PolicyId:<removed-for-security>,Type:6,Enforce: Enforcement2. OSVersion:10.0.19045,AgentVersion:1.64.106.0. Additional validation failure:[Cert number 0]: [Validator SubjectNameIssuerStringMatchValidator]: [Field: SubjectName] Success
[Field: IssuerName] Did not match pre-trust list. Incoming value: Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07
[Cert number 1]: [Validator SubjectNameIssuerStringMatchValidator]: [Field: SubjectName] Did not match pre-trust list. Incoming value: Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07
[Field: IssuerName] Success
The script is not executed. The error is logged accordingly in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftintunemanagementextensionPolicies
An intensive internet search has not yet yielded anything. Would be great if someone has an idea.
I have an environment with about 150 Windows 10 notebooks that are AAD joined and fully managed by Intune. PowerShell Platform Scripts are used on the devices to perform various configurations. The PowerShell scripts are all executed in the user context “Run this script using the logged on credentials” and without signature check (Enforce script signature check=no). On 08/12/2024 a new PowerShell script was configured which is not executed successfully on all devices. The status of the majority of devices is “Unknown”. However, there are devices on which it is executed successfully, status “Succeeded”. Another Powershell script was configured for testing, which only logs the device IP address in a local log file. This script behaves in the same way. The majority of the devices deliver status “Unknown” on other devices with status “Succeeded”. These are always the same devices on which the script is executed, or not. The following error message can be found in the Intunemanagementextension.log on the devices with status “Unknown”: <![LOG[[TamperProtection] Enforcement mode = Enforcement2. PolicyType = 6. Running checks.]LOG]!><time=”15:35:51.2966252″ date=”8-13-2024″ component=”IntuneManagementExtension” context=”” type=”1″ thread=”69″ file=””>
<![LOG[[TamperProtection] Blob embedded certs:DigiCert Global Root G2:DigiCert Global Root G2|08/01/2013 14:00:00|01/15/2038 13:00:00|DF3C24F9BFD666761B268073FE06D1CC8D4F82A4
Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07:DigiCert Global Root G2|06/08/2023 02:00:00|08/26/2026 01:59:59|3382517058A0C20228D598EE7501B61256A76442
SideCarSignCert.manage.microsoft.com:Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07|02/09/2024 09:58:06|02/03/2025 09:58:06|A2553C3CDEE7BF3BF85EE30C4AB9CC819EB84D2C
]LOG]!><time=”15:35:51.2966252″ date=”8-13-2024″ component=”IntuneManagementExtension” context=”” type=”1″ thread=”69″ file=””>
<![LOG[[TamperProtection] (Failure) AccountId:<removed-for-security>,PolicyId:<removed-for-security>,Type:6,Enforce: Enforcement2. OSVersion:10.0.19045,AgentVersion:1.64.106.0. Additional validation failure:[Cert number 0]: [Validator SubjectNameIssuerStringMatchValidator]: [Field: SubjectName] Success
[Field: IssuerName] Did not match pre-trust list. Incoming value: Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07
[Cert number 1]: [Validator SubjectNameIssuerStringMatchValidator]: [Field: SubjectName] Did not match pre-trust list. Incoming value: Microsoft Azure RSA TLS Issuing CA 07
[Field: IssuerName] Success The script is not executed. The error is logged accordingly in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEsoftwaremicrosoftintunemanagementextensionPolicies An intensive internet search has not yet yielded anything. Would be great if someone has an idea. Read More
Shared Contacts in New Outlook – not possible/functional
Hi,
Does anyone have any additional information about the status on the ability to share contacts in the New Outlook?
We have shared corporate contacts in a Public Folder and are unable to access them (I opened a support ticket and this is apparently by design…for now) so my only option is the old Outlook or Outlook for the web.
As an alternative we looked into setting up a generic account, housing the contacts there and sharing them but this also doesn’t function.
The web version is not a viable alternative and the Old Outlook is getting so glitchy and has a fraction of the CoPilot functionality.
Hi, Does anyone have any additional information about the status on the ability to share contacts in the New Outlook? We have shared corporate contacts in a Public Folder and are unable to access them (I opened a support ticket and this is apparently by design…for now) so my only option is the old Outlook or Outlook for the web.As an alternative we looked into setting up a generic account, housing the contacts there and sharing them but this also doesn’t function. The web version is not a viable alternative and the Old Outlook is getting so glitchy and has a fraction of the CoPilot functionality. Read More
How to active Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC2021 via phone
Dear Community,
how can I activate Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC2021 via phone. I MUST activate via phone since the computers are installed in a facility without internet connection. What I have already tried that DID NOT work
The activation dialogue does not show the “phone option” as seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RTu0_uWjMMRun “SLUI 4” from the command line with admin privilleges. It just returns without doing anythingRebuild some internal databases as described here before step 2: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/activate-windows-by-phone-not-there-in-settings/34b72b93-563f-463c-8614-4675cfd0143fContacted the seller of the license (arrow), they referred me to email address removed for privacy reasons, who then told me to go to the forums
What’s left that I can try?
Dear Community, how can I activate Windows IoT Enterprise LTSC2021 via phone. I MUST activate via phone since the computers are installed in a facility without internet connection. What I have already tried that DID NOT workThe activation dialogue does not show the “phone option” as seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RTu0_uWjMMRun “SLUI 4” from the command line with admin privilleges. It just returns without doing anythingRebuild some internal databases as described here before step 2: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/activate-windows-by-phone-not-there-in-settings/34b72b93-563f-463c-8614-4675cfd0143fContacted the seller of the license (arrow), they referred me to email address removed for privacy reasons, who then told me to go to the forumsWhat’s left that I can try? Read More
Why is the Properties Panel blacked out now when opening a document?
My company is creating a document library. We are using the document properties panel to fill in document information.
When we began building the library, all the properties information was available when you opened a document. Now, this is no longer the case. Does anyone have any insight into how this happened and how to fix it?
My company is creating a document library. We are using the document properties panel to fill in document information. When we began building the library, all the properties information was available when you opened a document. Now, this is no longer the case. Does anyone have any insight into how this happened and how to fix it? Read More
Unveiling Azure OpenAI Service Provisioned Reservations and hourly pricing
Introduction
Microsoft recently launched Azure Essentials to provide guidance for managing your cloud investments efficiently by choosing the pricing offers that best meet your needs, paying only for what you use, and managing your cloud spend as your business evolves, whether you’re migrating your first workload or optimizing complex deployments. In alignment with the launch of Azure Essentials, the Microsoft team is thrilled to announce meaningful changes to provisioned deployments for Azure OpenAI Service. My name is Roman, I am part of the AI global black belt and it’s an absolute pleasure to share some of these changes with you today.
Starting today, we are rolling out several updates that are going to change the way you procure and deploy Provisioned Throughput Units. These changes are designed to help you be more agile, faster to market and more cost effective. The changes unveiled today only pertain to the provisioned deployments purchasing process. The technical value proposition is still the same and provisioned deployments remain the best option for real-time and high throughput applications.
Today we are announcing:
Self-service provisioning and model independent quota requests
Visibility to service capacity and availability
Provisioned hourly pricing and provisioned reservations
This blog post will focus on the last point and will delve into Azure Reservations for Provisioned Deployments. To learn more about all these changes, visit this link.
Late summer 2023, Microsoft launched Provisioned Throughput Units for Azure Open AI Service. This was, and still is, a way for customers to request a specified amount of computational power in the Azure OpenAI Service and solve the challenges related to the “noisy neighbor” problem presented with AI computing in a public cloud. In contrast with the regional standard and global-standard deployments, provisioned deployments allow customers to create a deployment with a guaranteed measure of capacity; as a result, customers can build GenAI applications with predictable latency and throughput.
Until today, if you wanted to create a provisioned deployment, you had to plan carefully and work with your account team; quota meant actual capacity carved out from the pool and pre-allocated to your subscription temporarily until the purchase was completed. The capacity and model family that you committed to using for 30 days was strongly coupled with what you could deploy. In addition, you had to tie your commitment to a specific resource and that could cause an administrative burden for multi region or even multi subscription architectures.
Introducing hourly no-commitment purchasing
At Microsoft, we want to empower our customers to build world class, real-time, high throughput applications using generative AI. To do that, we want to make our provisioned deployments more easily accessible; we want to provide as much flexibility as possible alongside high quality of service. We no longer require a 30-day minimum commitment to purchase provisioned throughput. You can now create a provisioned deployment in a self-service manner just to run a benchmarking script this afternoon if you so desire. And you can also tear down the deployment when done. No strings attached. To do this, we came up with an easy-to-understand, flat, hourly price of $2 (subject to change, check this link for up-to-date pricing) per unit per hour. It does not matter if you deploy GPT-3.5-Turbo or GPT-4o, the price per unit is the same and the construct of a provisioned throughput unit now becomes entirely model independent. That said, different models still have different minimum increment sizes. Taking GPT-4o as an example, you can deploy any multiple of 50 PTUs.
We did not stop there. If even one hour is more than you need, you can stop use early and we will prorate the cost for partial hours. If you create a provisioned deployment of 100 units and only use it for 15 minutes, you will be billed the equivalent of 25 hourly units. We want to make provisioned deployments accessible to all.
This option is great for all testing scenarios as well as transition periods where customers might be moving a deployment from one region to another and want to do so without PTU downtime.
Introducing Azure OpenAI Service provisioned reservations
Hourly no-commitment purchasing gives our customers more flexibility. But in the spirit of making provisioned deployments even more accessible, we also wanted to provide a mechanism for cost optimization.
Say you built an application and hopefully you enjoyed the hourly pricing; during development, it gave you all the flexibility to run your tests against several models with various parameters. But you have now deployed that application in production, and it will be sending completion requests steadily. Not just for the next few hours, but also weeks and months to come. In that case, Azure OpenAI Service provisioned reservations will be immensely beneficial. Azure reservations do not change your provisioned deployment at all from a technical standpoint. Rather, it overlays a predictable and cost-effective billing mechanism on top of it.
The way it works is simple. In Azure OpenAI Studio, we provide a simple capacity calculator, you input the characteristics of your applications, and the calculator estimates the number of units you would need to provision to cover the entirety of the requests you expect to process with your deployment.
The capacity calculator in Azure Open AI Studio
As a customer, using the calculator you determine that across your applications, you will need a certain number of Provisioned Throughput Units. From there, you can purchase this number of PTU reservations for one month or one year in your Azure portal. By making a monthly reservation, you can save up to 82%* over the hourly rate and for a one-year reservation you can save up to 85%**. Keep in mind that although you must select a region, you do not need to commit to a specific model or model family any longer. Say you reserve 500 units for the year, you get a sizeable discount, and you can switch the models to which the units are allocated, mix and match models across multiple deployments, create and tear down deployments at will. Also keep in mind that reservations and deployments are now decoupled and can be changed entirely independently. Purchasing a PTU reservation does not create a deployment or guarantee availability of capacity. So, it is our recommendation to first create the deployment and only then proceed with the reservation. This methodology ensures that you do not purchase a reservation that cannot be fulfilled due to a temporary capacity shortage.
Reservations can be flexibly scoped to cover deployments in a single resource group, a subscription, a list of subscriptions in a management group, or all subscriptions in the same billing context. Now, if you are a large enterprise with say one subscription per business unit and within those subscriptions perhaps you have one resource on a per application basis, you can now purchase one single centralized reservation to cover all.
If the number of units you have reserved matches the units you have deployed, you are in good shape and you are optimizing cost as much as possible. If the number of units you have reserved is greater than the units you have deployed, then you are leaving value on the table. And if you deployed more units than reserved, then the difference is billed hourly as described in the previous paragraph. In any case, it is good practice to reassess your coverage periodically.
Conclusion
This new iteration does not change the technical characteristics of provisioned deployments. Those still provide the best-in-class service with respect to low and predictable latency. In terms of procurement, however, it is a brand-new world. Self service provisioning, model independent units along with hourly on-demand deployment for maximum flexibility and Reservations for maximum cost savings, provisioned deployments for Azure OpenAI are more attractive now than ever and barriers to entry have been lowered.
Learn more about how to elevate reliability, security, and ongoing performance of your cloud and AI investments with Azure Essentials.
Additional Resources:
What are Azure Reservations? – Microsoft Cost Management | Microsoft Learn
Reservations | Microsoft Azure
Azure OpenAI Service provisioned throughput – Azure AI services | Microsoft Learn
Azure OpenAI Service Provisioned Throughput Units (PTU) onboarding – Azure AI services | Microsoft Learn
*The 82% savings are based on the Provisioned Throughput Hourly rate of approximately $2/hour, compared to the reduced rate of a 1-month reservation at approximately $0.3562/hour. Azure pricing as of July 29, 2024 (prices subject to change). Actual savings may vary depending on the specific Azure OpenAI model and region availability.
**The 85% savings are based on the Provisioned Throughput Hourly rate of approximately $2/hour, compared to the reduced rate of a 1-year reservation at approximately $0.3028/hour. Azure pricing as of July 29, 2024 (prices subject to change). Actual savings may vary depending on the specific Azure OpenAI model and region availability.
My sincere appreciation to contributors and reviewers: Tierney Morgan, Mary Newcomer Williams, Kailyn Sylvester, Kyle Ikeda, Andy Beatman, David Huntley and Noah Aldonas.
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