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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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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
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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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
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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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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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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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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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 MLflow
The managed MLflow experience in Azure Databricks for experiments, runs, metrics, artifacts, model lineage, and MLOps evidence.
Databricks
fundamentals
4 commands
Aliases: MLflow on Databricks, Databricks experiment tracking, MLflow tracking
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Analytics
learning-path-anchor
Databricks notebook
A collaborative Azure Databricks document for code, SQL, visualizations, exploration, jobs, and ML workflows attached to compute.
Databricks
fundamentals
4 commands
Aliases: Azure Databricks notebook, Databricks workspace notebook, interactive notebook
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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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AI and Machine Learning
learning-path-anchor
Text to speech
Text to speech in Azure AI Speech converts written text or SSML into synthesized audio using neural voices, custom voice options, language support, and APIs. Teams use it to add spoken responses to apps, contact centers, accessibility tools, devices, and media workflows while governing region, keys, networking, and quota.
Azure AI services
fundamentals
4 commands
Aliases: Text to speech, text to speech, Azure Text to speech, Microsoft Learn Text to speech, TTS, speech synthesis, Azure AI Speech synthesis, neural voices, SSML speech
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Analytics
field-manual-complete
Synapse Apache Spark notebook
A Synapse Apache Spark notebook is an interactive workbook for Spark code inside a Synapse workspace. Data engineers and analysts use cells to read data, transform it, visualize samples, and test logic before turning it into a scheduled job or pipeline step. The notebook itself is not the compute; it attaches to a Spark pool that runs the work. This makes it useful for exploration and production preparation, but it also needs source control, parameter discipline, access review, and cost awareness.
Azure Synapse Analytics
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Synapse Spark notebook, Apache Spark notebook in Synapse, Synapse notebook, Spark notebook
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Web
field-manual-complete
HTTP trigger
An HTTP trigger is the front door for a function that should run because something made a web request. Instead of waiting for a queue message, timer, or file upload, the function wakes up when a client calls an HTTP route. Teams.
Azure Functions
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: HTTP trigger, http trigger
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App platform
complete
Static Web App
Microsoft Learn describes Azure Static Web Apps as a service that automatically deploys full-stack web apps from a source repository. It serves static assets from globally distributed locations, integrates optional APIs, supports GitHub or Azure DevOps workflows, and provides routing, authentication, staging environments, and CLI support.
Static Web Apps
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: static-web-app, Static Web App, Azure Static Web Apps, SWA, static web app resource, staticwebapp
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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Computer Vision
the Azure AI capability that helps applications understand images, read text, detect visual features, and return structured insights from pictures or screenshots
Azure AI services
fundamentals
12 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Integration
top-250-pre130-priority-upgraded
Logic Apps Consumption
Logic Apps Consumption is the Azure Logic Apps hosting option where each logic app resource contains one workflow that runs in the multitenant Azure Logic Apps service and is typically billed by trigger executions, actions, and connector usage in governed production environments.
Azure Logic Apps
intermediate
4 commands
Aliases: Logic Apps Consumption
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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Azure OpenAI Service
Azure OpenAI Service provides managed access to OpenAI model capabilities through Azure endpoints and enterprise controls.
Generative AI
fundamentals
11 commands
Aliases: Azure OpenAI
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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Azure OpenAI
Azure OpenAI provides OpenAI model capabilities through Azure resources, deployments, identity, networking, quota, and monitoring controls.
Azure OpenAI
intermediate
8 commands
Aliases: Azure OpenAI Service
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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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Analytics
premium
Data Factory
Azure’s managed data integration service for creating pipelines that move, transform, schedule, and orchestrate data across cloud, SaaS, and hybrid stores.
Data integration and orchestration
Intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Data Factory, Data Factory, data factory
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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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Databases
premium
Eventual consistency
Eventual consistency is the weakest Azure Cosmos DB consistency level, where reads can return a subset of writes and all writes become available eventually. Teams use it to favor low-latency, high-availability reads for workloads that can tolerate temporarily stale or out-of-order data. It is not strong consistency, session consistency, a conflict-resolution strategy, a cache setting, or permission to ignore user-facing correctness requirements. In production, confirm account consistency setting, client overrides, read region, write region, session tokens, replication latency, stale-read tolerance, conflict policy, and application workflows that read after writes before treating the design as healthy or ready for release.
Azure Cosmos DB
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: eventual consistency level, Cosmos DB eventual consistency, eventually consistent reads
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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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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Face API
The Face API is an Azure AI service API that provides face detection, recognition, verification, identification, grouping, and related face analysis capabilities. Teams use it to build applications that detect faces in images, compare faces, verify identity scenarios, support liveness workflows, or organize face-related image data under approved responsible AI controls. It is not a general computer vision labeler, proof of identity by itself, a surveillance policy, or permission to use biometric capabilities without legal, privacy, and access review.
Azure AI services
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Azure AI Face, Azure Face API, Face service
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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Face service
Face service is an Azure AI service that provides APIs for face detection, face analysis, verification, identification, grouping, and liveness-related workflows under approved access controls. Teams use it to build applications that detect faces in images, compare face evidence, verify approved identity scenarios, support liveness checks, or manage face lists within privacy and responsible AI controls. It is not a general image classification service, legal approval to process biometric data, a replacement for human identity review, or a guarantee that every face decision is correct.
Azure AI services
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: Azure AI Face, Azure AI Face service, Azure Face service, Face API, Azure AI services Face
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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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AI and Machine Learning
premium
Pipeline job
In Azure Machine Learning, a pipeline job is a parent job that orchestrates connected command or sweep jobs as steps. It defines inputs, outputs, compute, settings, and step dependencies so reusable training, evaluation, or data-preparation workflows can run repeatably in a workspace.
Machine learning
intermediate
6 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Integration
premium
Service Bus
Azure Service Bus is a fully managed enterprise message broker with message queues and publish-subscribe topics. It helps decouple applications and services, load-balance work across competing consumers, route data across boundaries, and coordinate transactional workflows that require reliable messaging, ordering, sessions, duplicate detection, and dead-letter handling.
Messaging
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: Azure Service Bus, Service Bus Messaging
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DevOps
premium
Service connection
Service connection is an Azure DevOps project resource that stores how a pipeline authenticates to Azure or another external service. In Azure Resource Manager connections, it can use workload identity federation, a managed identity, or a service principal so pipeline tasks can deploy safely.
CI/CD
fundamentals
6 commands
Aliases: Azure DevOps service connection, service endpoint, Azure Pipelines service connection, Azure RM service connection
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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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Identity
premium
Access package
An access package bundles resources someone may need for a job or project. Instead of asking separately for groups, apps, or sites, a user requests the package, and Entra applies approval, duration, review, and removal rules.
Identity operations
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Storage
premium
Account SAS
An account SAS is a powerful storage access token signed with the account key. It can grant limited access across multiple storage services, but because it is key-based and hard to audit, keep permissions narrow and expiry short.
Blob Storage
fundamentals
5 commands
Aliases: No aliases yet
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Containers
premium
ACR import
ACR import is a server-side image copy. Instead of pulling an image to your machine and pushing it back, Azure copies it into your registry directly. It is useful for migration, mirroring, controlled base images, and pipeline cleanup.
Azure Container Registry
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: ACR
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Containers
premium
ACR manifest
An ACR manifest is the record behind an image tag. It describes the image layers and configuration, and its digest is the exact content identity. Tags can move, but a manifest digest is what proves the precise image version.
Azure Container Registry
intermediate
5 commands
Aliases: ACR
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