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Web
premium
Serverless API deployment
Serverless API deployment in Azure commonly means publishing HTTP-triggered Azure Functions, often with zip deployment, run-from-package, Static Web Apps APIs, or API Management integration. The deployment packages code, configuration, identity, routing, and monitoring so an API endpoint can scale without dedicated server management.
Azure Functions
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: serverless API release, Azure Functions API deployment, HTTP trigger deployment, function API deployment
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Databases
premium
Serverless compute tier
Serverless compute tier in Azure SQL Database automatically scales compute for single databases, bills compute per second while active, can pause during inactivity, and resumes when activity returns. It is available in General Purpose and Hyperscale, with auto-pause support limited to General Purpose.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Databases
premium
Serverless SQL database
A serverless SQL database is an Azure SQL Database single database configured with the serverless compute model. It automatically scales compute within configured limits, can auto-pause in supported tiers, resumes on activity, and keeps the managed SQL Database platform features such as backups, patching, monitoring, and security.
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Analytics
premium
Serverless SQL external table
A serverless SQL external table in Azure Synapse SQL is a metadata object that references files in Azure Storage or Azure Data Lake Storage. Serverless SQL pools use native external tables to read external data, map columns, apply supported file formats, and support CETAS export patterns.
Azure Synapse Analytics
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Analytics
premium
Serverless SQL pool
Serverless SQL pool in Azure Synapse Analytics lets users query data in the lake with T-SQL without provisioning dedicated SQL compute. It stores only metadata objects in databases, supports SELECT, CETAS, views, credentials, users, and object permissions, and charges based on data processed by queries.
Azure Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Databases
premium
Cosmos DB serverless
Cosmos DB serverless is the Cosmos DB capacity mode that bills for request units consumed and storage used instead of pre-provisioned RU/s. It lets intermittent or unpredictable workloads use Cosmos DB without reserving throughput all day. You see it when a new account is created, a workload has bursty usage, or a team compares serverless with provisioned throughput. The production check is whether consumption billing, throughput limits, regional design, and workload shape fit the production objective. Document the decision in code, templates, metrics, and runbooks.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Databases
premium
Cosmos DB serverless account
Cosmos DB serverless account is a Cosmos DB account created with the serverless capacity mode so databases and containers are billed by consumed request units and storage. It turns serverless billing into an account-level design choice rather than a per-container toggle. You see it when teams create accounts for prototypes, seasonal apps, low-duty-cycle workloads, or services with uncertain early demand. The production check is whether the account capacity mode supports the API, scale target, compliance need, and migration plan. Document the decision in code, templates, metrics, and runbooks.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Databases
premium
Azure SQL serverless compute
Run development, test, training, or demo databases that need full SQL behavior but sit idle outside work hours.; Support tenant databases with sporadic activity where provisioned compute would waste budget for long idle
Azure SQL Database
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL serverless compute
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Databases
complete
SQL serverless auto-pause
Microsoft Learn describes Azure SQL Database serverless auto-pause as a serverless compute behavior that pauses an inactive database after a configured delay. While paused, compute billing stops and only storage is billed; the database automatically resumes when logins or other activity return, where supported.
Azure SQL cost and compute
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL auto-pause, serverless database auto-pause, auto-pause delay, SQL Database serverless pause
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse Spark pool
A Synapse Spark pool is the workspace compute definition Azure Synapse uses to start Apache Spark sessions. It records node size, node count, autoscale behavior, runtime version, packages, and idle timeout so notebooks, Spark jobs, and pipelines get repeatable distributed processing.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
8 commands
Aliases: Apache Spark pool, Spark pool, Synapse Apache Spark pool, serverless Spark pool
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL CETAS
Synapse SQL CETAS means CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT. It creates external table metadata and exports the result of a T-SQL SELECT statement in parallel to files in Azure Storage or Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 for later SQL or lake consumption.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT, CETAS, Synapse CETAS, serverless SQL CETAS
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL external table
A Synapse SQL external table is database metadata that lets Synapse SQL query files stored outside the database, usually in Azure Storage or ADLS Gen2. It references an external data source, file format, and file location for governed SQL analytics.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: external table in Synapse, Synapse external table, SQL external table, external table over lake files
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL on-demand
Synapse SQL on-demand is the serverless SQL pool model in Azure Synapse Analytics. It lets teams run T-SQL queries over data in the lake without provisioning dedicated warehouse capacity, storing only metadata objects while using external data sources, views, functions, and security objects.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: SQL on-demand, Synapse serverless SQL, serverless SQL in Synapse, built-in serverless SQL pool
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Synapse SQL script
A Synapse SQL script is a saved T-SQL authoring artifact in Synapse Studio. Users create or import scripts in the Develop hub, connect them to a dedicated or serverless SQL pool, run queries, review tabular results, export output, and organize scripts into folders.
Synapse Analytics
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: SQL script in Synapse, Synapse Studio SQL script, T-SQL script artifact, Synapse query script
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Databricks SQL warehouse
A Databricks SQL compute resource for interactive queries, dashboards, BI tools, and governed analytics workloads.
Databricks
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: SQL warehouse, Databricks SQL compute, serverless SQL warehouse
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Analytics
premium
CETAS
Create External Table As Select, a pattern for writing query results to external storage.
Analytics platform
intermediate
8 commands
Aliases: Create External Table As Select
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Databases
premium
Cosmos DB provisioned throughput
Cosmos DB provisioned throughput means the request-unit-per-second capacity reserved for a database or container, either manually or with autoscale behavior in Azure Cosmos DB. In plain English, it is the thing developers and operators check when they need to understand how data access really works. It connects the application model to capacity planning, throttling prevention, RU allocation, cost control, and predictable performance for operational workloads. For a production team, it turns vague database talk into a specific thing to inspect in the portal, SDK code, templates, metrics, and incident notes.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
7 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Analytics
premium
Synapse SQL
Synapse SQL is the T-SQL analytics capability in Azure Synapse Analytics. It includes dedicated SQL pools for provisioned warehousing and serverless SQL pools for on-demand lake queries, letting teams analyze structured and semi-structured data through familiar SQL endpoints inside a Synapse workspace.
Synapse Analytics
intermediate
7 commands
Aliases: Synapse SQL engine, Azure Synapse SQL, Synapse serverless and dedicated SQL, SQL analytics in Synapse
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Compute
premium
Azure Functions
Azure Functions is Azure serverless compute for running code from triggers such as HTTP requests, queues, timers, events, and service integrations without managing servers.
Serverless compute
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Functions, Function App, serverless functions
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Databases
premium
DTU model
The DTU model is an Azure SQL Database purchasing model that bundles compute, memory, and I/O into service tiers and service objectives such as Basic, Standard, and Premium.
Azure SQL
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: DTU purchasing model, Azure SQL DTU model
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Analytics
premium
External data source
An External data source is a database object that defines the location and connection information used by SQL engines to access external data. Teams use it to point serverless SQL, dedicated SQL pools, or PolyBase-style queries to data stored outside the database, such as Azure Storage or Data Lake paths. It is not the external table schema, the file format definition, the storage account itself, or proof that the credential can read every file under the path.
Synapse SQL and data virtualization
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: CREATE EXTERNAL DATA SOURCE, PolyBase external data source, Synapse external data source
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Analytics
premium
External file format
An External file format is a database object that describes the file type, delimiter, compression, and parsing options used to read or write external data. Teams use it to tell SQL engines how to interpret external files such as delimited text, Parquet, ORC, or compressed data before external tables and CETAS jobs use them. It is not the data source location, the external table schema, the actual lake file, or a guarantee that every file in a folder has the same structure.
Synapse SQL and data virtualization
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: CREATE EXTERNAL FILE FORMAT, PolyBase file format, Synapse external file format
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Analytics
premium
External table
An External table is a SQL table definition whose data is stored outside the database, commonly in Azure Storage or Azure Data Lake Storage. Teams use it to let SQL users query lake files or remote data through familiar table names while the actual data remains in external storage. It is not a managed internal database table, a copy of the data, a storage access policy, or proof that the external files are optimized, fresh, or secure.
Synapse SQL and data virtualization
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Synapse external table, SQL external table, PolyBase external table
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Web
premium
Function deployment slot
Function deployment slot is a separate deployment environment inside a Function App that can host a release before it becomes the production slot. Teams use it to test code, app settings, warmup behavior, and integrations under the same app boundary before swapping traffic to the new version. In daily Azure work, it appears when engineers deploy a queue processor safely, warm an HTTP API, test slot settings, or roll back a bad serverless release without rebuilding the app.
Azure Functions
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Azure Functions deployment slot, function app slot, staging slot for Functions
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Web
premium
Functions Premium plan
Functions Premium plan is a hosting plan for Azure Functions that keeps capacity ready while still supporting event-driven scaling for serverless workloads. Teams use it to reduce cold starts, run longer or heavier functions, use VNet integration, and control minimum and maximum capacity more deliberately than Consumption hosting. In daily Azure work, it appears when engineers stabilize latency-sensitive APIs, connect functions to private dependencies, prepare for event spikes, or replace overprovisioned dedicated App Service capacity. It is not a free tier, a guarantee that code is efficient, unlimited scale, or a substitute for trigger tuning and dependency performance testing.
Azure Functions hosting
advanced
6 commands
Aliases: Elastic Premium plan, Azure Functions Premium, EP plan
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Analytics
premium
Synapse SQL administrator
A Synapse SQL administrator is the Synapse RBAC role focused on serverless SQL access and SQL artifacts. It grants broad serverless SQL pool permissions plus create, read, update, and delete access to published SQL scripts, credentials, and linked services within a workspace.
Synapse Analytics
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Synapse SQL Administrator, Synapse SQL admin, SQL administrator in Synapse, Synapse SQL admin role
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Databases
premium
Azure SQL Database
Azure SQL Database is a fully managed relational database service in Azure that provides SQL Server-compatible engines as single databases, elastic pools, and serverless or provisioned compute choices. Microsoft Learn presents it as platform as a service with built-in availability, backups, patching, scaling, and security integration.
Database
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL pooled database, Azure SQL single database, SQL Database
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Web
premium
Blob trigger
Microsoft Learn describes the Blob Storage trigger for Azure Functions as a binding that starts a function when a new or updated blob is detected. The blob content is passed to code, letting serverless workloads react to files, documents, images, data feeds, or storage events.
Azure Functions
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Blob trigger, trigger, blob trigger
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Containers
premium
Container Apps
A serverless Azure service for running containerized apps and jobs without directly operating Kubernetes clusters.
Serverless containers
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Container Apps
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Databases
premium
Cosmos DB throughput
Choose container-level throughput for a critical workload that must not be slowed by noisy neighboring containers.; Use autoscale for predictable daily traffic spikes where manual RU changes create operational risk.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: RU/s, Cosmos DB throughput
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Compute
premium
Durable Functions
Microsoft Learn describes Durable Functions as an Azure Functions extension for building stateful workflows in a serverless environment. Developers write orchestrator, activity, and entity functions while the runtime manages checkpoints, state, retries, timers, recovery, and long-running operations across restarts and long delays.
Serverless workflows
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Durable Functions, Durable orchestration, Durable workflow
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Web
premium
Event Hub trigger
An Event Hub trigger is an Azure Functions trigger binding that runs a function when events are available from an Azure Event Hub stream. Teams use it to process streaming events with serverless function code instead of running a dedicated worker service for every Event Hubs consumer workload. It is not the event hub itself, a producer, a capture archive, or a guarantee that downstream business processing completed successfully. In production, confirm the namespace, event hub, partitions, capacity, identity, network path, consumer group, checkpoint behavior, monitoring, and owner before treating the stream as safe.
Azure Functions
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Functions Event Hub trigger, Event Hubs trigger, Event Hubs trigger binding
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Web
premium
Function App
The Azure Functions hosting resource that contains one or more functions and their runtime configuration.
Serverless
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Function App, Functions app, function app resource
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Web
premium
host.json
host.json is the Azure Functions metadata file that configures host-level runtime behavior for all functions in a function app.
Azure Functions
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: host json, host.json
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Compute
premium
Input binding
Input binding controls how serverless code receives external data without hand-writing every service connection, query, or blob read inside the function body. Teams see it in function.json files, code attributes. It is not a trigger, output binding, SDK call, API route, or dependency injected service; confusing them can create missing input data, secret exposure in settings. Use the term when reviewing access, monitoring, cost, recovery, or performance. It keeps architects, operators, security reviewers, and support teams focused on the same setting, resource, or behavior.
Azure Functions
Fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure Functions input binding, function input binding, binding input, declarative input binding
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Databases
premium
Integrated cache
Integrated cache controls how read-heavy Cosmos DB API for NoSQL applications reduce latency and request-unit consumption by reusing cached point reads and query results. Teams see it in azure cosmos db accounts, dedicated gateway configuration. It is not Azure Cache for Redis, a client-side memory cache, analytical store, a materialized view, or a replacement for correct partitioning; confusing them can create unexpected RU spending, stale reads. Use the term when reviewing access, monitoring, cost, recovery, or performance. It keeps architects, operators, security reviewers, and support teams focused on the same setting, resource, or behavior.
Azure Cosmos DB
Intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: Cosmos DB integrated cache, Azure Cosmos DB integrated cache, dedicated gateway cache, item cache, query cache
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Databases
premium
PostgreSQL burstable compute
PostgreSQL burstable compute is the Burstable pricing tier for Azure Database for PostgreSQL flexible server. It uses B-series virtual machine sizes for workloads with modest average CPU demand that may need occasional bursts instead of continuously provisioned high performance. safely.
PostgreSQL flexible server
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: Azure PostgreSQL B-series, Flexible Server burstable compute, PostgreSQL Burstable tier
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Databases
premium
Autoscale throughput
Autoscale throughput is Azure Cosmos DB’s way to adjust request-unit capacity for a database or container as traffic changes. In plain terms, you set a maximum RU/s value, and Cosmos DB scales within that range instead of forcing you to pick one fixed manual throughput number. It is useful for workloads with bursts, uneven schedules, or.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Cosmos DB autoscale throughput, autoscale RU/s, autoscale provisioned throughput, max RU/s
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Analytics
premium
Dedicated SQL pool pause
Dedicated SQL pool pause stops compute resources for an Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pool so compute charges stop while the database storage remains available and billable.
Analytics platform
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: pause dedicated SQL pool, Synapse SQL pool pause, pause SQL DW compute
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Analytics
premium
Dedicated SQL pool resume
Dedicated SQL pool resume restarts compute for a paused Azure Synapse dedicated SQL pool so users and workloads can query the warehouse again and compute billing resumes.
Analytics platform
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: resume dedicated SQL pool, Synapse SQL pool resume, start SQL DW compute
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Databases
premium
Dedicated throughput container
A dedicated throughput container is an Azure Cosmos DB container with throughput provisioned directly on that container instead of sharing database-level throughput with other containers.
Cosmos DB
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: dedicated container throughput, container-level throughput, Cosmos DB dedicated throughput container
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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Deployment type
Deployment type is the Azure AI or Microsoft Foundry model hosting option, such as standard, global, data-zone, regional, batch, serverless, or provisioned deployment, that determines availability, data processing location, capacity model, cost, and operational behavior.
Microsoft Foundry
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Microsoft Foundry deployment type, Azure AI deployment type, model deployment type, Foundry Models deployment type
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Compute
premium
Durable orchestration
A durable orchestration coordinates a reliable long-running workflow by using an orchestrator function that schedules activities, checkpoints progress, and resumes after interruptions.
Serverless workflows
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: durable orchestrator, orchestration instance
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Databases
premium
Elastic pool
An elastic pool in Azure SQL Database lets multiple databases on the same logical server share a set amount of compute and storage resources at a predictable price.
Azure SQL
fundamentals
4 commands
Aliases: Azure SQL elastic pool, SQL elastic pool
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Compute
premium
Entity function
An entity function is a Durable Functions function that defines operations for reading and updating small pieces of durable state called durable entities.
Azure Functions / Durable Functions
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: entity function
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Web
premium
Function
Function is a small unit of Azure Functions code that runs when a trigger fires, such as an HTTP request, timer, queue message, event, or database change. Teams use it to execute focused serverless logic without managing a full web server, worker service, or long-running virtual machine for every task. In daily Azure work, it shows up when engineers process messages, expose lightweight APIs, react to events, run schedules, orchestrate workflows, or troubleshoot one failing handler inside a larger function app.
Serverless
beginner
4 commands
Aliases: Azure function, serverless function, function trigger handler
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Web
premium
Function cold start
Function cold start is the delay before a function begins processing when the host, worker, language runtime, dependencies, or deployment package must initialize first. Teams use it to explain latency spikes after inactivity, new deployments, scale-out events, app restarts, dependency loading, or worker specialization in serverless workloads. In daily Azure work, it shows up when engineers investigate slow first requests, choose a hosting plan, enable always-ready capacity, prewarm slots, tune package size, or distinguish app code latency from platform startup.
Azure Functions
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Azure Functions cold start, cold start, serverless cold start
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Web
premium
Functions scale controller
Functions scale controller is the Azure Functions component that watches trigger workload signals and decides how many app instances should run. Teams use it to match serverless capacity to event demand without manually adding workers for every queue, event stream, timer, or HTTP workload. In daily Azure work, it appears when engineers investigate backlog growth, explain unexpected scale-out, tune trigger concurrency, enable scale logs, or decide whether Premium capacity is necessary. It is not an application scheduler, a guaranteed throughput contract, a replacement for downstream capacity, or a setting that can fix inefficient function code by itself.
Azure Functions scaling
advanced
4 commands
Aliases: Azure Functions scale controller, scale controller, Functions autoscale controller
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Databases
premium
Global distribution
Global distribution is the Azure Cosmos DB capability that replicates an account across multiple Azure regions so applications can read or write closer to users depending on configuration. Teams use it to improve low-latency access, support regional failover, place replicas near customers, and design globally available NoSQL applications. In daily Azure work, it shows up when engineers add or remove Cosmos DB regions, set failover priorities, enable multi-region writes, tune consistency, or investigate latency by user geography.
Azure Cosmos DB
advanced
4 commands
Aliases: Cosmos DB global distribution, multi-region distribution, globally distributed database
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Web
premium
Always ready instance
An always ready instance is prewarmed Azure Functions capacity kept available for selected function apps or groups so new executions can start faster and avoid cold-start delays.
Azure Functions
intermediate
3 commands
Aliases: prewarmed function instance, Azure Functions always ready, premium always ready instance
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