Microsoft Search With Azure DevOps Graph Connector

 Microsoft Search shows the content that your organization has stored in Microsoft 365 Tenant or indexed through connectors.

 



Microsoft Graph connectors can index third-party data to appear in Microsoft Search results. The third-party data can be hosted on-premises or in the public or private clouds. Connectors expand the types of content sources that are searchable in your Microsoft 365 productivity apps and the broader Microsoft ecosystem.
 
In this article, let's understand how to index "Azure DevOps" items using Graph Connector into Microsoft Search Results.
 
Note
The Azure DevOps connector supports only the Azure DevOps cloud service.



License requirements
 
To view data from connectors in your search results, users must have one of the following Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscriptions,
  • Microsoft 365 or Office 365 Enterprise E3 or E5
  • Microsoft 365 or Office 365 Education A3 or A5
Lets start configuration steps,
 
Step 1 - Navigate to Connectors
  1. Go to Microsoft 365 admin center.
  2. In the navigation pane, go to Settings.
  3. Select > Microsoft Search.
  4. Select > Connectors
  5. Select > + Add


Step 2 - Select Azure DevOps as data source
 
Microsoft has seven connector avaible to connect with external datasource and several partner released connector to connect with external datasource.


Step 3 - Fill connection name details
  • Name (mandatory)
  • Connection Id (mandatory)
  • Description (Optional)

Step 4 - Configure settings
 
AzureDevOps Organization -> Login to https://dev.azure.com and sign in with your orgnaization account. You can create new organization name or use existing one if exists.
 
Select Authentication Type as "Work or School Account"
 
You must register an app in AzureDevOps so that Microsoft search app can access the instance. Do use below information to complete the registration.
 
Navigate to https://app.vsaex.visualstudio.com/app/register
 
S.NOFieldsValuesDescription
1Company NameUse Appropriate NameThis is the name of your company.
2Application NameMicrosoft SearchThis unique value identifies the application that you're authorizing.
3Application Websitehttps://gcs.office.com/This required field is the URL of the application that will request access to your Azure DevOps instance during connector setup.
4Authorization Callback Urlhttps://gcs.office.com/v1.0/admin/oauth/callbackA required callback URL that the authorization server redirects to.
5Authorized ScopeSelect the following scopes: Identity (read), Work Items (read), Variable Groups (read), Project and team (read), Graph (read)This is the scope of access for the application
 
As configuration details complete, you will navigate to below details; i.e. App ID & Client Secret.
 
Extend Microsoft Search With Azure DevOps Graph Connector
Add generated App ID and Client Secret to complete authentication process.



Step 5 - Configure Data
 
Select project in the organization to crawl
 
Edit property, if  you need to add more properties click preview > Next to proceed. 


Step 6 - Manage Schema
 
You can choose which column can be set as Queryable, Searchable & Retrievable.  It is standard schema configuration as SharePoint Search.


Step 7 - Manage Search Permission
 
You can choose to use the ACLs specified in the full crawl screen or you can override them to make your content visible to everyone



Step 8 - Content Refresh Settings
 
You can configure the incremental and full refresh interval.



Step 9 - Review connection and complete
 
All defined configurations can be reviewed and modified here. Once it completes, click to finish to proceed.



Step 10 - Review connection and complete
 
Wait for a couple of minutes and connection state will change from Publishing to Ready. Once connection state is ready, two actions need to be performed in sequence,
  1. Create Result Source.
  2. Create Vertical.


Result Type 
 
A search result type is a rule that causes distinct kinds of search results to be displayed in different ways. It consists of the following,
  • One or more conditions to compare each search result against, such as the content source of the search result.
  • A result layout to use for search results that meet the conditions. The result layout controls the way that all results that meet the conditions appear and behave on a search results page.
Step 11 - Result Type Section
 
Once you select create result type, there will be simple steps to follow such as naming convention and entering the result type



Step 12 - Result Type Content Source
 
Select appropriate content source, so that crawled or configured data can be mapped properly.

Step 13 - Design Layout
 
Once you click "Launch Layout Designer", it will navigate to https://searchlayoutdesigner.azurewebsites.net/



Step 14 - Search Layout Designer
 
Select blank layout and design the required card.
 
Copy content from Layout Payload editor and paste into step no. 13.


Layout payload editor added to github link here
 
Step 15 - Review the resut type settings
 
Review the result type configuration and proceed to Vertical creation to map with defined result type.


Manage Vertical
 
Verticals make it easier for users to find the information that they have permission to see.
 
You can add search verticals that are relevant to your organization. These will appear on the Microsoft Search results page in SharePoint, Office, and Bing.
 
Before you start, make sure that the connector has been indexed. This can take up to 48 hours, depending on the file size.
 
You can’t create a vertical for content that resides in SharePoint.
 
There are three basic steps to add a vertical,
  1. Create the vertical. In this step, you define the vertical’s name, content source, and scope of the content to search.
  2. Define what the results for this vertical will look like.
  3. Enable the vertical (to be displayed) from the vertical list page.
Step 16 - Create Vertical
 
In the navigation pane, go to custom connector, and then select the Verticals Link.
 
To add a vertical, select Add. Or, to edit a vertical, select it in the list.
 
Remember, verticals are created in a disabled state. They must be enabled before users can see them.

Step 17 - Connect Vertical with Content Source


Step 18 - Review and Add Vertical



Outcome
 
Azure Devops Data Screen Shot,





Microsoft Search Result from DevOps,


Related Article:-


I hope you have enjoyed and learned something new in this article. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next article.

Microsoft Search with SQL Graph Connector

 

Introduction 

 
Microsoft Search shows the content that your organization has stored in Microsoft 365 Tenant or indexed through connectors.
 
Microsoft Graph connectors can index third-party data to appear in Microsoft Search results. The third-party data can be hosted on-premises or in the public or private clouds. Connectors expand the types of content sources that are searchable in your Microsoft 365 productivity apps and the broader Microsoft ecosystem.
 
In this article, Let's understand how to index "Azure SQL" data using Graph Connector into Microsoft Search Results.

License requirements
 
To view data from connectors in your search results, users must have one of the following Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscriptions:
  • Microsoft 365 or Office 365 Enterprise E3 or E5
  • Microsoft 365 or Office 365 Education A3 or A5
Let's start with the configuration steps.
 
Step 1 - Navigate to Connectors
  1. Go to Microsoft 365 admin center.
  2. In the navigation pane, go to Settings.
  3. Select > Microsoft Search.
  4. Select > Connectors
  5. Select > + Add


Step 2 - Select Azure SQL as a data source
 
Microsoft has seven connectors available to connect with external data sources and several partners released connectors to connect with an external data source.

Step 3 - Fill connection name details
  • Name (mandatory)
  • Connection Id (mandatory)
  • Description (Optional) 

Step 4 - Configure Database settings
  • I already have Azure SQL in place, So I used the same to connect
  • Server > Azure SQL Server Name
  • Database > Azure SQL Database name
  • Credentials -> Basic (for this article purpose)
  • Click the Test Connection, On succeed > click next.



Step 5 - Configure Full Crawl Setting
 
Navigate to the Azure SQL Database table and create a SQL query, which will be used to get data. The full crawl selects all the columns or properties you want to be made queryable, searchable, or retrievable
 
Importance of watermark 
 
To prevent overloading the database, the connector batches and resumes full-crawl queries with a full-crawl watermark column. By using the value of the watermark column, each subsequent batch is fetched, and querying is resumed from the last checkpoint. Essentially this is a mechanism to control data refresh for full crawls.
 
Example:
 
WHERE (FlightId> @watermark). watermark column name with the reserved keyword @watermark. If the sort order of the watermark column is ascending, use >; otherwise, use <.
 
ORDER BY CreatedDateTime ASC. Sort on the watermark column in ascending or descending order.


Step 6 - Configure Incremental Crawl Setting 
 
With this query, the SQL connector determines any changes to the data since the last incremental crawl. As in the full crawl, select all columns that you want to be made queryable, searchable, or retrievable. Specify the same set of ACL columns that you specified in the full crawl query.

Step 7 - Configure Incremental Crawl Setting
 
You can choose which column can be set as Querable, Searchable & Retrieve, It is standard schema configuration as SharePoint Search. 

Step 8 - Manage Search Permission
 
You can choose to use the ACLs specified in the full crawl screen or you can override them to make your content visible to everyone 



Step 9 - Content Refresh Settings
 
You can configure the incremental and full refresh interval.



Step 10 - Review connection and complete
 
All defined configurations can be reviewed and modified here. Once it complete, click to finish to proceed.



Step 11 - Review connection and complete
 
Wait for a couple of minutes, connection content will full crawl and the connection state will also change from Publishing to Ready. Once the connection state will be ready, two actions need to be performed in sequence.
  1. Create a Result Source.
  2. Create a Vertical.

Step 12 - Result Type Section
 
Once you select create result type, It will simple steps to follow a naming convention, like enter the result type name:


Step 13 - Result Type Content Source
 
Select the appropriate content source so that crawled or configured data can be mapped properly.



Step 14 - Result Type Rule
 
Define the rules for result type is optional but you can define the filter or other criteria to exclude or include the results.



Step 15 - Design Layout
 
These are the important steps, how you can design your layout or adaptive rich card, which will be rendered into search results.
 
Once you click "Launch Layout Designer", it will navigate to https://searchlayoutdesigner.azurewebsites.net/




Step 16 - Search Layout Designer
 
Select a blank layout and design the required card.
 
Copy content from Layout Payload editor and paste into step no. 15. 



Layout payload editor added to GitHub link here
 
Step 17 - Review the result type settings
 
Review the result type configuration and proceed to Vertical creation to map with a defined result type




Manage Vertical
 
Verticals make it easier for users to find the information that they have permission to see.
 
You can add search verticals that are relevant to your organization. These will appear on the Microsoft Search results page in SharePoint, Office, and Bing
 
Before you start, make sure that the connector has been indexed. This can take up to 48 hours, depending on the file size.
 
You can’t create a vertical for content that resides in SharePoint.
 
There are three basic steps to add a vertical:
  1. Create the vertical. In this step, you define the vertical’s name, content source, and scope of the content to search.
  2. Define what the results for this vertical will look like.
  3. Enable the vertical (to be displayed) from the vertical list page.
Step 18 - Create a Vertical
 
In the navigation pane, go to custom connector, and then select the Verticals Link.
 
To add a vertical, select Add. Or, to edit a vertical, select it in the list.
 
Remember, verticals are created in a disabled state. They must be enabled before users can see them



Step 19 - Connect Vertical with Content Source



Step 20 - Add Query (Optional)
 
You can add a KQL query, It will help to filter the result further to the result set. 




Outcome
 
Use the Microsoft Search results page in SharePoint, Office, and Bing, Navigate to respective vertical to get external items result.



Limitations
  • Indexing rich content inside database columns is not supported. Examples of such content are HTML, JSON, XML, blobs, and document parsings that exist as links inside the database columns.
Same Article published here also:- https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/extend-microsoft-search-with-azure-sql-graph-connector/


I hope you have enjoyed and learned something new in this article. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next article.


Interactive Experience With Microsoft Search using PowerApps

 Introduction 

 
Let's understand Microsoft Search and how it works:
  • Microsoft Search is a secure way to search both your intranet and web content.
  • Microsoft Search indexes all your Microsoft 365 data to make it searchable for users. When a user executes a search, Microsoft Search pulls results from data sources in Microsoft 365, including SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Teams, Yammer, and organizational and directory service information.
  • Microsoft Search uses insights from the Microsoft Graph to show results that are recent and relevant to each user.


Microsoft Search BookMarks

 
If your organization uses a promoted results set, you can use Bookmarks to do the same. A bookmark can have several keywords and several bookmarks can share the same keyword, but a reserved keyword can't be shared. When a Bookmark is created or modified, the search index is refreshed immediately, and the bookmark is available to users immediately.
 
Microsoft Search Bookmarks integrated with Power Apps makes the search experience much more interactive.
 
Simply put, users search for a topic or keywords that are defined as keywords with the associated app. On the keyword or topic search, the user can launch the app within Microsoft Search. 



Step1 - How to add/edit a bookmark
  1. Go to the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  2. In the navigation pane, go to Settings.
  3. Select > Microsoft Search. 
  4. Select > Answers. 
  5. Select > Bookmarks.
  6. To add a bookmark, select Add new. To edit a bookmark, select the bookmark in the relevant bookmark list.



Step 2 - Create a PowerApps application
 
i.e. Leave Request > Save -> Publish. Note down the powerapp ID to configure into Microsoft search.




Note
To get an understanding of Power Apps, visit the previous reference article here.
 
Step 3 - Configure the Bookmarks with Power Apps
  1. Add Title > It will be shown in the bookmark result.
  2. Add Url > It will navigate to a reference document or link.
  3. Bookmark description > Add bookmark description, it will be shown the description of the bookmark.
  4. Keywords > it used to find this page.
  5. Reserved Keywords > It should be unique and the same used to get the result based on unique keywords
  6. Categories > it helps to organize or group the keywords.
  7. Get App ID for the Power App that you want to add from step no.2.
  • Select Power App, and then Add a Power App ID.
  • Height and width are automatically adjusted. Bookmarks can support both portrait and landscape orientations, but currently, the size can't be changed. 
Select Publish or Save to Draft.




Step 4 - Publish the Bookmark
 
Once the bookmark gets published, it will start appearing as below. Bookmark gets indexed quickly and is available for use immediately. Finally, you can define keywords into the search box and a bookmark will appear with an integrated Power App link.



Same Article published here also:- https://www.c-sharpcorner.com/article/interactive-experience-with-microsoft-search/

Summary 

 
I hope you have enjoyed and learned something new in this article. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next article.



Join me at Azure Virtual Conference, happening live on 8th August 2020

Data Transformation using Azure Data Factory


Data Factory is a Cloud based data integration service used to compose data storage, data movement and processing services into automated data pipelines

I will be speaking about "Data Transformation using Azure Data Factory".


Date and Time Saturday, 8th August, 2020 ,  ⏱️09:40PM IST