Guided Lab: Creating an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account

1. Navigate to the Azure Cosmos DB service by clicking the service on the homepage or via the search bar.

2. Click the Create button in the center of the Create or on the top left corner of the portal.

3. On the Select API page, select Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL as the API for your account. This API enables schema-free, JSON-based data storage with low-latency access. After selecting, click the Create button to set up your Cosmos DB account.

Selecting the Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL API configures your account to store and manage schema-free, JSON-based data, making it ideal for applications that require flexible, document-oriented storage. This API provides low-latency access to data with automatic indexing, enabling fast queries without defining a schema upfront. It supports horizontal partitioning for scalable performance and offers multiple consistency models to balance availability and data accuracy across globally distributed regions.

Additionally, choosing the NoSQL API determines how your data is structured, queried, and integrated with tools like Data Explorer and SDKs for various programming languages, ensuring seamless management of NoSQL workloads. This selection also affects how throughput, scaling, and global replication are configured, directly influencing performance and cost efficiency.

1. In the Basic tab, set the following configuration:

• Product Details:
  • Workload Type: Choose your preferred workload type: Learning, Development / Testing, Production
  • Resource group: azure-lab-rg-66DFVNzG52fy
• Instance Details:
  • Account Name: Add your preferred account name
• Region: (US) Central US
• Availability zone: Disable

After completing the necessary configuration changes, leave the other settings at their default values under the Project Details and Instance Details sections. Then, click Next: Global Distribution to continue configuring your Cosmos DB account’s geographic replication and regional settings.

2. In the Global Distribution tab, Geo-Redundancy is automatically set to Default since Availability Zones are disabled. After reviewing these settings, proceed to configure the Networking options.

3. Next, in the Networking section, set the Connectivity method to All Networks. Once done, click the Backup Policy tab.

4. In the Backup Policy and Security tab, you can customize your backup and security settings, but since we are using the default settings, we can now proceed to the Review + Create tab.

1. Wait for the “Validation passed” message to appear, review all configurations to ensure they are correct, and click Create to deploy the Cosmos DB account.

• If validation fails, a red X will indicate the error, such as a missing value or incorrect configuration. Review the previous settings carefully, correct any issues, and re-run the validation until it passes.

2. Simply wait for a few moments while Azure completes the deployment of your new Cosmos DB for NoSQL account. The process may take several minutes as Azure provisions the resources, applies your configurations, and ensures the account is fully ready. Once deployment is complete, you can explore the account and manage your databases and containers.

3. Once deployment is complete, navigate to your Azure Cosmos DB account and verify that the new account has been created.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the guided lab and created an Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account using the Azure portal. You have learned how to configure key settings, including API selection, account name, region, capacity mode, networking, and backup options, and your account is now ready to store and manage schema-free JSON data for scalable, globally distributed applications.