ChangeTracking and Inventory migration with Azure monitor agent – Data collection rules deployment

Are you tired of dealing with the complexities of ChangeTracking and Inventory management in your organization? Do you wish you had a more streamlined and efficient way to collect and analyze data? Look no further! In this article, we’ll take you on a step-by-step journey to migrate your ChangeTracking and Inventory data to Azure Monitor Agent using Data Collection Rules (DCRs). Buckle up, and let’s dive in!

What are ChangeTracking and Inventory?

Before we dive into the migration process, let’s take a quick look at what ChangeTracking and Inventory are.

ChangeTracking is a feature in System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) that allows you to track changes made to your system, including software installations, updates, and configuration changes. This feature helps you stay on top of changes, identify potential issues, and maintain compliance.

Inventory, on the other hand, is a feature that collects and stores hardware and software information about your devices. This information includes details such as device type, operating system, processor speed, and installed applications. Inventory data is essential for making informed decisions about device management, software deployment, and license compliance.

Why migrate to Azure Monitor Agent?

So, why should you migrate your ChangeTracking and Inventory data to Azure Monitor Agent? Here are a few compelling reasons:

• Unified monitoring platform**: Azure Monitor Agent provides a single platform for monitoring and analyzing all your data, including ChangeTracking and Inventory.
• Scalability and reliability**: Azure Monitor Agent is built on a scalable and reliable architecture, ensuring that your data is always available and up-to-date.
• Advanced analytics**: With Azure Monitor Agent, you can leverage advanced analytics and machine learning capabilities to gain deeper insights into your data.
• Cost-effective**: By migrating to Azure Monitor Agent, you can reduce costs associated with maintaining and upgrading on-premises infrastructure.

Prerequisites for migration

Before you begin the migration process, ensure you have the following prerequisites in place:

• Azure subscription**: You need an active Azure subscription to create and configure Azure Monitor Agent.
• Azure Monitor Agent installation**: You need to install Azure Monitor Agent on your devices or virtual machines.
• Data Collection Rules (DCRs) configuration**: You need to configure Data Collection Rules to collect ChangeTracking and Inventory data.

Step 1: Configure Data Collection Rules (DCRs)

DCRs are used to define the data you want to collect from your devices or virtual machines. To configure DCRs for ChangeTracking and Inventory, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Azure portal and navigate to Azure Monitor.
2. Click on Data Collection Rules and then click on New Data Collection Rule.
3. In the New Data Collection Rule page, enter a name and description for your rule.
4. Under Data Sources, select Windows Event Logs as the data source type.
5. In the Windows Event Logs section, select the event logs you want to collect data from (e.g., System, Application, and Security).
6. Under Data Collectors, select Azure Monitor Agent as the data collector type.
7. Configure the data collector settings as follows:
   

   Setting	Value
   Data Collector Type	Azure Monitor Agent
   Data Collector Version	Latest
   Collector Configuration	Default

8. Click Review + Create to create the DCR.

Step 2: Deploy Data Collection Rules (DCRs)

Once you’ve configured the DCR, it’s time to deploy it to your devices or virtual machines. To do this:

1. Log in to Azure portal and navigate to Azure Monitor.
2. Click on Data Collection Rules and select the DCR you created earlier.
3. Click on Deploy to devices and select the devices or virtual machines you want to deploy the DCR to.
4. Choose the deployment method (e.g., Azure Monitor Agent or Azure Virtual Machine Extension).
5. Click Deploy to deploy the DCR.

Step 3: Verify Data Collection

After deploying the DCR, it’s essential to verify that data is being collected correctly. To do this:

1. Log in to Azure portal and navigate to Azure Monitor.
2. Click on Logs and select the log analytics workspace associated with your Azure Monitor Agent.
3. In the Logs page, click on New Query and enter the following query:

       AzureMonitor
       | where TimeGenerated >= ago(1h)
       | summarize count() by Computer
       

4. Run the query to verify that data is being collected from your devices or virtual machines.

Conclusion

Migrating your ChangeTracking and Inventory data to Azure Monitor Agent using Data Collection Rules (DCRs) is a straightforward process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can Collect, analyze, and gain insights from your ChangeTracking and Inventory data in a unified and scalable platform.

Remember to regularly review and update your DCRs to ensure that they are collecting the correct data and meeting your organization’s needs. Happy monitoring!

Additional Resources

• Azure Monitor Agent documentation
• Data Collection Rules documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

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