Microsoftdocs Agent Skills

Included skill

Azure Data Explorer

Expert knowledge for Azure Data Explorer development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when securing ADX (RBAC, managed identities), automating cluster/schema deployment, integrating via ODBC/JDBC, tuning ingestion, or designing DR/multitenant architectures, and other Azure Data Explorer related development tasks. Not for Azure Synapse Analytics (use azure-synapse-analytics), Azure Stream Analytics (use azure-stream-analytics), Azure HDInsight (use azure-hdinsight), Azure Databricks (use azure-databricks).

Source: /skills/azure-data-explorer/SKILL.md

Azure Data Explorer Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Data Explorer. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

IMPORTANT for Agent: Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., L35-L120), use read_file with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., [security.md](security.md)), use read_file on the linked reference file

IMPORTANT for Agent: If metadata.generated_at is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If mcp_microsoftdocs tools are not available, suggest the user install it: Installation Guide

This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content:

  • Preferred: Use mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch with query string from=learn-agent-skill. Returns Markdown.
  • Fallback: Use fetch_webpage with query string from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

Category Lines Description
Troubleshooting L37-L49 Diagnosing and fixing ADX cluster health, creation, connection, private endpoint, ingestion, and DB/table operation errors, including interpreting ingestion error codes and using Resource Health.
Best Practices L50-L61 Guidance on optimizing ADX clusters and schemas, handling duplicates and JSON ingestion, tuning for high concurrency, monitoring queued ingestion, using hot windows, and applying Power BI best practices.
Decision Making L62-L76 Guidance on ADX capacity planning, SKU and compute choices, scaling, cost optimization, reservations, business continuity, confidential compute, streaming ingestion, and Elasticsearch migration.
Architecture & Design Patterns L77-L83 Designing ADX architectures for DR/BCP, cross-cluster access via follower DBs, and multitenant patterns (isolation, scaling, and resource sharing).
Limits & Quotas L84-L93 Cluster limits and behaviors: free cluster quotas, auto-stop, safe delete/recover, ingestion file size and invalid data handling, and supported data/compression formats.
Security L94-L121 Securing Azure Data Explorer: authn/z (RBAC, principals, Entra apps, Conditional Access), encryption, managed identities, network isolation, policies, data purging, and outbound/public access control.
Configuration L122-L136 Configuring ADX environments: database/table policies, retention/cache, cross-tenant Event Hubs, Kusto emulator, plugins, monitoring, schema sync, T-SQL, and web UI settings/shortcuts.
Integrations & Coding Patterns L137-L171 Integrating Azure Data Explorer with tools and platforms (SQL, ODBC/JDBC, Power Automate/Apps, Functions, Grafana, Splunk, OpenTelemetry, etc.) and coding patterns for querying, ingestion, and automation.
Deployment L172-L178 Automating ADX cluster provisioning and schema deployment, plus guidance for migrating clusters to availability zones and from VNet injection to private endpoints.

Troubleshooting

Topic URL
Monitor and troubleshoot Azure Data Explorer cluster health https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/check-cluster-health
Diagnose and fix Azure Data Explorer dashboard tile errors https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/dashboard-troubleshoot-tile-errors
Interpret ADX ingestion error codes and failures https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/error-codes
Resolve common Azure Data Explorer ingestion issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingestion-faq
Use Resource Health to diagnose ADX issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/monitor-with-resource-health
Troubleshoot Azure Data Explorer private endpoint issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-private-endpoint-troubleshoot
Fix Azure Data Explorer cluster connection issues https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/troubleshoot-connect-cluster
Troubleshoot Azure Data Explorer cluster creation failures https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/troubleshoot-create-cluster
Resolve Azure Data Explorer DB and table operation failures https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/troubleshoot-database-table

Best Practices

Topic URL
Apply Azure Advisor recommendations to optimize Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/azure-advisor
Handle duplicate data in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/dealing-with-duplicates
Optimize Azure Data Explorer clusters for high-concurrency workloads https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/high-concurrency
Use hot windows to efficiently query cold data in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/hot-windows
Ingest JSON into Azure Data Explorer with KQL, C#, and Python https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-json-formats
Monitor queued ingestion metrics in ADX https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/monitor-queued-ingestion
Apply Power BI best practices for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/power-bi-best-practices
Optimize Azure Data Explorer table schema design https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/schema-best-practice

Decision Making

Topic URL
Choose Azure Data Explorer business continuity options https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/business-continuity-overview
Deploy Azure Data Explorer with confidential compute https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/confidential-compute
Decide when to use streaming ingestion in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-streaming
Select isolated compute SKUs for Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/isolated-compute
Choose optimal Azure Data Explorer compute SKU https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/manage-cluster-choose-sku
Plan vertical scaling and SKU changes for clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/manage-cluster-vertical-scaling
Migrate Elasticsearch workloads to Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/migrate-elasticsearch-to-azure-data-explorer
Use ADX pricing calculator for cluster planning https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/pricing-calculator
Optimize ADX cost per GB ingested https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/pricing-cost-drivers
Understand ADX reservation discount application https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/pricing-reservation-discount
Choose and purchase Azure Data Explorer reserved capacity https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/pricing-reserved-capacity

Architecture & Design Patterns

Topic URL
Design Azure Data Explorer business continuity and DR https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/business-continuity-create-solution
Use follower databases for cross-cluster ADX access https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/follower
Choose multitenant architectures for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/multi-tenant

Limits & Quotas

Topic URL
Understand automatic stop behavior for inactive clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/auto-stop-clusters
Apply Event Grid ingestion file size limits in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/create-event-grid-connection
Delete and recover Azure Data Explorer clusters safely https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/delete-cluster
Understand invalid data behavior during ADX ingestion https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-invalid-data
Supported data and compression formats for Azure Data Explorer ingestion https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingestion-supported-formats
Upgrade free Azure Data Explorer clusters and remove limits https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/start-for-free-upgrade

Security

Topic URL
Programmatically add Azure Data Explorer cluster principals https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/add-cluster-principal
Programmatically add Azure Data Explorer database principals https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/add-database-principal
Enable disk encryption for Azure Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/cluster-encryption-disk
Configure encryption options for Azure Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/cluster-encryption-overview
Configure managed identities on Azure Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/configure-managed-identities-cluster
Configure cross-tenant access for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/cross-tenant-query-and-commands
Configure customer-managed keys for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/customer-managed-keys
Purge personal data from Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/data-purge-portal
Authenticate Azure Data Explorer external tables with managed identities https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/external-tables-managed-identities
Ingest data using managed identity authentication https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-managed-identity
Configure and manage Azure Data Explorer cluster locks https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/manage-cluster-locks
Configure Azure Data Explorer cluster RBAC permissions https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/manage-cluster-permissions
Configure database RBAC permissions in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/manage-database-permissions
Use managed identities with Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/managed-identities-overview
Apply built-in Azure Policy definitions to ADX https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/policy-reference
Securely connect private-endpoint clusters to Power BI https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/power-bi-private-endpoint
Create and authorize Microsoft Entra apps for Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/provision-entra-id-app
Configure Conditional Access for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-conditional-access
Apply Azure Policy compliance controls to Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-controls-policy
Configure managed private endpoints for Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-managed-private-endpoint-create
Plan network security for Azure Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-overview
Secure Azure Data Explorer with private endpoints https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-private-endpoint
Restrict outbound access from Azure Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-restrict-outbound-access
Control public network access to Data Explorer clusters https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-restrict-public-access

Configuration

Topic URL
Use KQL database scripts in ARM deployments https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/database-script
Programmatically create Azure Data Explorer database and table policies https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/database-table-policies
Create cross-tenant Event Hubs data connections for Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-cross-tenant
Install and configure Azure Data Explorer Kusto emulator https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/kusto-emulator-install
Manage language extension plugins in Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/language-extensions
Configure Azure Data Explorer monitoring reference settings https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/monitor-data-explorer-reference
Synchronize ADX schema with Sync Kusto tool https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/sync-kusto
Use T-SQL queries against Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/t-sql
Configure Azure Data Explorer table retention and cache https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/table-retention-policy-wizard
Customize Azure Data Explorer web UI environment settings https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/web-customize-settings
Use Azure Data Explorer web UI query keyboard shortcuts https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/web-ui-query-keyboard-shortcuts

Integrations & Coding Patterns

Topic URL
Manage ADX with Azure PowerShell Kusto cmdlets https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/azure-powershell
Clone Azure Data Explorer database schema via commands https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/clone-database-schema
Connect common SQL tools to Azure Data Explorer via emulation https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/connect-common-apps
Configure JDBC connectivity to Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/connect-jdbc
Set up ODBC connections to Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/connect-odbc
Query Azure Storage external tables from Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/external-azure-storage-tables-query
Use ADX connector in Power Automate flows https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/flow
Automate ADX queries with Power Automate examples https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/flow-usage
Configure Grafana integration with Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/grafana
Configure Event Grid ingestion from storage to Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-event-grid-overview
Ingest Splunk Enterprise data into Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-splunk
Ingest data from Splunk Universal Forwarder into Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-splunk-uf
Configure Telegraf Azure Data Explorer output plugin https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/ingest-data-telegraf
Use ADX input/output bindings in Azure Functions https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/integrate-azure-functions
Integrate MCP servers with Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/integrate-mcp-servers
Connect Azure Data Explorer to Kibana via K2Bridge https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/k2bridge
Query ADX from Jupyter using Kqlmagic https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/kqlmagic
Query ADX as a linked server from SQL Server https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/linked-server
Run ADX queries via Logic Apps connector https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/logic-apps
Configure OpenTelemetry collector to ingest into Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/open-telemetry-connector
Build Power Apps that query Azure Data Explorer via connector https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/power-apps-connector
Integrate Azure Data Explorer with Microsoft Purview https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/purview
Query Azure Data Explorer using the Python data client library https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/python-query-data
Query Azure Data Explorer from MATLAB using authorization tokens https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/query-matlab
Use Redash native connector with Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/redash
Use Serilog sink to stream logs into Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/serilog-sink
Set up Sisense integration with Azure Data Explorer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/sisense
Run KQL queries and stored functions over TDS from SQL clients https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/sql-kql-queries-and-stored-functions
Connect to Azure Data Explorer using SQL Server emulation (TDS endpoint) https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/sql-server-emulation-overview
Connect Azure Data Explorer to Tableau via ODBC https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/tableau
Debug KQL inline Python plugin code using Visual Studio Code https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/kusto/debug-inline-python?view=microsoft-fabric

Deployment

Topic URL
Automate provisioning of Azure Data Explorer environments https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/automated-deploy-overview
Use Azure DevOps pipelines for Azure Data Explorer schema deployment https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/devops
Migrate Azure Data Explorer clusters to multiple availability zones https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/migrate-cluster-to-multiple-availability-zone
Migrate Azure Data Explorer VNet injection to private endpoints https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/data-explorer/security-network-migrate-vnet-to-private-endpoint