Azure SQL Edge usage and diagnostics data configuration

By default, Azure SQL Edge collects information about how its customers are using the application. Specifically, Azure SQL Edge collects information about the deployment experience, usage, and performance. This information helps Azure improve the product to better meet customer needs. For example, Azure collects information about what kinds of error codes customers encounter so that we can fix related bugs, improve our documentation about how to use Azure SQL Edge, and determine whether features should be added to the product to better serve customers.

Specifically, Azure doesn't send any of the following types of information through this mechanism:

• Any values from inside user tables.
• Any sign-in credentials or other authentication information.
• Any personal or customer data.

The following sample scenario includes feature usage information that helps improve the product.

An example query from the queries used for the usage and diagnostics data collection is provided as follows. The query identifies the count and types of different streaming data sources being used in Azure SQL Edge. This data helps Azure identify which streaming data sources are being used commonly such that Azure can improve the performance and user experience associated with these data sources.

SELECT count(*) AS [count],
    sum(inputs) AS inputs,
    sum(outputs) AS outputs,
    sum(linked_to_job) AS linked_to_job,
    data_source_type
FROM (
    SELECT ISNULL(value, 'unknown') AS data_source_type,
        inputs,
        outputs,
        linked_to_job
    FROM (
        SELECT convert(SYSNAME, LOWER(SUBSTRING(ds.location, 0, CHARINDEX('://', ds.location))), 1) AS data_source_type,
            ISNULL(inputs, 0) AS inputs,
            ISNULL(outputs, 0) AS outputs,
            ISNULL(js.stream_id / js.stream_id, 0) AS linked_to_job
        FROM sys.external_streams es
        INNER JOIN sys.external_data_sources ds
            ON es.data_source_id = ds.data_source_id
        LEFT JOIN (
            SELECT stream_id,
                MAX(CAST(is_input AS INT)) inputs,
                MAX(CAST(is_output AS INT)) outputs
            FROM sys.external_job_streams
            GROUP BY stream_id
            ) js
            ON js.stream_id = es.object_id
        ) ds
    LEFT JOIN (
        SELECT value
        FROM string_split('edgehub,sqlserver,kafka', ',')
        ) AS known_ep
        ON data_source_type = value
    ) known_ds
GROUP BY data_source_type;

Disable usage and diagnostic data collection

Usage and diagnostic data collection on Azure SQL Edge can be disabled using either of the below methods.

Disable usage and diagnostics using environment variables

To disable usage and diagnostics data collection on Azure SQL Edge, add the following environment variable and set its value to *False*. For more information on configuring Azure SQL Edge using environment variables, see Configure using Environment Variables.

MSSQL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED = TRUE | FALSE

• TRUE - Enables collection of usage and diagnostics data. This is the default configuration.
• FALSE - Disables collection of usage and diagnostics data.

Disable usage and diagnostics using mssql.conf file

To disable usage and diagnostics data collection on Azure SQL Edge, add the following lines in the mssql.conf file on the persistent storage drive that is mapped to the /var/opt/mssql/ folder in the SQL Edge module. For more information on configuring Azure SQL Edge using mssql.conf file, see Configure using mssql.conf file.

[telemetry]
customerfeedback = false

Local audit of usage and diagnostic data collection

The Local Audit component of Azure SQL Edge Usage and Diagnostic Data collection can write data collected by the service to a designated folder, representing the data (logs) that is sent to Microsoft. The purpose of the Local Audit is to allow customers to see all data Azure collects with this feature, for compliance, regulatory or privacy validation reasons.

Enable local audit of usage and diagnostics data

To enable Local Audit usage and diagnostics data on Azure SQL Edge:

1. Create a target directory for new Local Audit log storage. This target directory can either be on the host or within the container. In the following example, target directory is created in the same mount volume that is mapped to /var/opt/mssql/ path on SQL Edge.

   sudo mkdir <host mount path>/audit
   

2. Configure audit of usage and diagnostics data using either environment variables or mssql.conf file.

   • Using environment variables:

     • Add the following environment variable to your SQL Edge deployment and specify the target directory for the audit files.

       *MSSQL_TELEMETRY_DIR = <host mount path>/audit*

   • Using mssql.conf file:

     • Add the following lines in the mssql.conf file and specify the target directory for the audit files.

       [telemetry]
       userrequestedlocalauditdirectory  = <host mount path>/audit
       

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