John Liu Blog

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Terraform Notes

We use Terraform template to reliably deploy Azure resource. Terraform is not an “installable” program. Simply download from Terraform Downloads page the Windows AMD64 zip file and extract the terraform.exe binary and execute it. To initiate terraform terraform init To test/check what the template will change (add/change/destroy) terraform plan To deploy resources in the template terraform apply To remove all resources in the template terraform destory To import existing resources into the templace.

Posted by John Liu Monday, February 23, 2026

Azure Functions Notes

Some Azure function related articals. References: Azure Functions: The Serverless Powerhouse

Posted by John Liu Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Power Automate with Excel

When we work with Excel in Power Automate, we might need to remove the filter on worksheet to be able to create a data table. If filter is enabled, Excel Online for Business connector might not be able to create a data table. We can create Office Script within Excel Online for Business. To save the script so Power Automate can use it, we must open the file in Excel Online (the web version).

Posted by John Liu Friday, February 13, 2026

SQL 2025 Gotcha

SQL 2025 is GA and SQL 2016 is on it’s end of life on Jul 14, 2026. Some changes in SQL 2025 might break things working before. SQL 2025 uses MSOLEDBSQL 19, and its defaults are different from what we have been using, like with old SQL Native Client (SQLNCLI). In SQL 2025, encrypt is on by default, trust server certification is off by default, and it enforces strick certificate chain validation.

Posted by John Liu Monday, February 9, 2026

Fabric Capacity

When we use paid Fabric Capacity, we might need to auto pause and resume the capacity for cost saving. We can use Azure Automation Runbook to achieve this. We setp an Automation Account with a Managed Idenity. Step 1: Set Up Permissions Go to your Azure Automation Account. Under Account Settings, click Identity and ensure the “System assigned” toggle is On. Go to your Fabric Capacity resource in the Azure Portal.

Posted by John Liu Friday, January 23, 2026

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