Getting started with Microsoft Azure Data Explorer Add-On for Splunk

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Microsoft Azure Data Explorer Add-On for Splunk allows users to effortlessly ingest data from Splunk to Azure Data Explorer which is a fast and scalable data analytics platform designed for real-time analysis of large volumes of data.



The following kinds of data are most suitable for ingestion into Azure Data Explorer, but are not limited to the following list:

  • High-Volume Data: Azure Data Explorer is built to handle vast amounts of data efficiently. If your organization generates a significant volume of data that needs real-time analysis, Azure Data Explorer is a suitable choice.
  • Time-Series Data: Azure Data Explorer excels at handling time-series data, such as logs, telemetry data, and sensor readings. It organizes data in time-based partitions, making it easy to perform time-based analysis and aggregations.
  • Real-Time Analytics: If your organization requires real-time insights from the data flowing in, Azure Data Explorer's near real-time capabilities can be beneficial.

Ingesting Data from Splunk to Azure Data Explorer using Azure Data Explorer Addon



Microsoft Azure Data Explorer Add-On for Splunk allows Azure Data Explorer users to ingest logs from Splunk platform using the Kusto Python SDK.

Details on pre-requisites, configuring the add-on and viewing the data in Azure Data Explorer is covered in this section.



Background




When we add data to Splunk, the Splunk indexer processes it and stores it in a designated index (either, by default, in the main index or custom index). Searching in Splunk involves using the indexed data for the purpose of creating metrics, dashboards and alerts. This Splunk add-on triggers an action based on the alert in Splunk. We can use Alert actions to send data to Azure Data Explorer using the specified addon.



This add-on uses kusto python sdk (Kusto Python SDK - Azure Data Explorer) to send log data to Microsoft Azure Data Explorer. Hence, this addon supports queued mode of ingestion by default. This addon has a durable feature as well which helps to minimize data loss during any unexpected network error scenarios. Although durability in ingestion comes at the cost of throughput, therefore it is advised to use this option judiciously.



Prerequisites




  1. A Splunk Enterprise instance (Platform Version v9.0 and above) with the required installation privileges to configure add-ons.
  2. Access to an Azure Data Explorer cluster.



Step 1: Install the Azure Data Explorer Addon




  1. Download the Azure Data Explorer Addon from the Splunkbase website.
  2. Log in to your Splunk instance as an administrator.
  3. Navigate to "Apps" and click on "Manage Apps."
  4. Click on "Install app from file" and select the downloaded Splunk Addon for Azure Data Explorer file.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the installation

After installation of the Splunk Addon for alerts, it should be visible in the Dashboard -> Alert Actions



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Step 2: Create Splunk Index




  1. Log in to your Splunk instance.
  2. Navigate to "Settings" and click on "Indexes."
  3. Click on "New Index" to create a new index.
  4. Provide a name for the index and configure the necessary settings (e.g., retention period, data model, etc.).
  5. Save the index configuration.



Step 3: Configure Splunk Addon for Azure Data Explorer




  1. In Splunk dashboard, Enter your search query in the Search bar based on which alerts will be generated and this alert data will be ingested to Azure Data Explorer.
  2. Click on Save As and select Alert.
  3. Provide a name for the alert and provide the interval at which the alert should be triggered.
  4. Select the alert action as "Send to Microsoft Azure Data Explorer".



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5. Configure the Azure Data Explorer connection details such as application client Id, application client secret, cluster name, database name, table name.


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6. When the alert is created, it should be visible in Splunk Dashboard -> Alerts


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Step 4: Verify data in Azure Data Explorer




  1. Start monitoring the Azure Data Explorer logs to ensure proper data ingestion.
  2. Once the alert is triggered in Splunk, the data will be ingested to Azure Data Explorer.
  3. Verify the data in Azure Data Explorer using the database and table name in the previous step.


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Azure Data Explorer Addon Parameters




The following is the list of parameters which need to be entered/selected while configuring the addon:

  1. Azure Cluster Ingestion URL: Represents the ingestion URL of the Azure Data Explorer cluster in the ADX portal.
  2. Azure Application Client Id: Represents the Azure Application Client Id credentials required to access the Azure Data Explorer cluster.
  3. Azure Application Client secret: Represents the Azure Application Client secret credentials required to access the Azure Data Explorer cluster.
  4. Azure Application Tenant Id: Represents the Azure Application Tenant Id required to access the Azure Data Explorer cluster.
  5. Azure Data Explorer Database Name: This represents the name of the database created in the Azure Data Explorer cluster, where we want our data to be ingested.
  6. Azure Data Explorer Table Name: This represents the name of the table inside the database created in the Azure Data Explorer cluster, where we want our data to be ingested.
  7. Azure Data Explorer Table Mapping Name: This represents the Azure Data Explorer table mapping used to map to the column of created Azure Data Explorer table.
  8. Remove Extra Fields: This represents whether we want to remove empty fields in the splunk event payload
  9. Durable Mode: This property specifies whether durability mode is required during ingestion. When set to true, the ingestion throughput is impacted.



Please refer to the following links for further details:
Link to Splunk Base Addon : Microsoft Azure Data Explorer Add-On for Splunk | Splunkbase

Link to Github Source code of Addon: azure-kusto-splunk/splunk-adx-alert-addon at main · Azure/azure-kusto-splunk (github.com)



Conclusion




In this blog post, we have seen how Microsoft Azure Data Explorer Add-On for Splunk can help us ingest data from Splunk to Azure Data Explorer, a powerful data analytics platform. We have also learned about the types of data that are most suitable for Azure Data Explorer, and how to configure the add-on and use alert actions to send data to Azure Data Explorer. By using this add-on, we can leverage the benefits of both Splunk and Azure Data Explorer, and gain deeper insights from our data.

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