KQL Series – create an Azure Data Explorer cluster

I have written a lot about the magic of KQL and the brilliance of Azure Data Explorer.

Now we should create a cluster of our own that hosts Azure Data Explorer…
To use Azure Data Explorer, we first create a cluster, and create one or more databases in that cluster. Then we’ll ingest data into that database so that we can run queries against it.

If you don’t have an Azure subscription, create a free Azure account before you begin.

Here is how we will create an Azure Data Explorer cluster:

Steps:

1. Login into the Azure portal
2. Create an Azure Data Explorer cluster with a defined set of compute and storage resources in an Azure resource group.Select the + Create a resource button in the upper-left corner of the portal.
3. Search for Azure Data Explorer.
4. Under Azure Data Explorer, select Create.
5. Fill out the basic cluster details with the following information.

SettingSuggested valueField descriptionSubscriptionYour subscriptionSelect the Azure subscription that you want to use for your cluster.Resource groupYour resource groupUse an existing resource group or create a new resource group.Cluster nameA unique cluster nameChoose a unique name that identifies your cluster. The domain name [region].kusto.windows.net is appended to the cluster name you provide. The name can contain only lowercase letters and numbers. It must contain from 4 to 22 characters.RegionWest US or West US 2Select West US or West US 2 (if using availability zones) for this quickstart. For a production system, select the region that best meets your needs.WorkloadDev/TestSelect Dev/Test for this quickstart. For a production system, select the specification that best meets your needs.Compute specificationsDev(No SLA)_Standard_E2a_v4Select Dev(No SLA)_Standard_E2a_v4 for this quickstart. For a production system, select the specification that best meets your needs.Availability zones1, 2, or 3Place the cluster instances in one or more availability zones in the same region (optional). Azure Availability Zones are unique physical locations within the same Azure region. They protect an Azure Data Explorer cluster from loss data. The cluster nodes are created, by default, in the same data center. When you select several availability zones you can eliminate a single point of failure and ensure high availability. Deployment to availability zones is possible only when creating the cluster, and can’t be modified later.

1. Select Review + create to review your cluster details, and on the next screen select Create to provision the cluster. Provisioning typically takes about 10 minutes.
2. When the deployment is complete, select Go to resource.