Table of Contents

1. Challenge

   Housekeeping

   • Open an incognito or in-private window and log in to the Azure portal using the user name and password provided in the lab environment.

   • From within the portal, initiate the Cloud Shell to select Bash (versus PowerShell) and use the existing storage account deployed into the lab environment for storage.

     Note: You are free to write the code for this lab in Visual Studio Code or another IDE, if you have experience in that environment. Just make sure you download the GitHub project file to ensure you have instructions and hints. Be aware that the lab guide and the solution video are based on working in the Cloud Shell editor, but it won't substantially change the code you write.

2. Challenge

   Prepare Environment

   At this point, you should be at the command prompt in the Cloud Shell environment.

   Clone the Lab Project

   From the Bash command prompt, execute the git clone command using the URL provided in the Additional Resources section of the lab, followed by AZ204_Labs to alias the downloaded folder to a friendly name.

   .NET C# Prep

   • Once the project is downloaded, use the Cloud Editor to open the program.cs file in the AZ204_Labs/work_with_cosmos/dotnet folder.
   • From the Bash command prompt, change to that directory.

   Python Prep

   • Once the project is downloaded, use the Cloud Editor to open the samplecode.py.
   • You'll use pip to install the azure-cosmos package
   • See the Project Guide for specific locations and commands.

   Get Connection String–Regardless of SDK

   Minimize (do not close) the Cloud Shell pane and navigate to the Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL account that is already set up for you. The name of the account starts with pluralsightlab. Navigate to the location of the primary connection string and copy it. Be sure to copy the connection string and not just the key. Return to your Cloud Shell window.

3. Challenge

   Use .NET to Create a Cosmos DB Database, Container, and Item

   You should have either program.cs (for the .NET SDK) open in the Cloud Shell editor.

   Follow the instructions and hints in the code file to modify and author additional code to:

   • Populate the my_connection_string variable with the primary connection string you retrieved from the Cosmos DB account in the portal.
   • Instantiate the Cosmos client object.
   • Create a new database.
   • Create a new container.
   • Add an item to the container.

   When you are ready, be sure to save your file in the code editor and then execute it at the command line with: dotnet build, which will surface any errors, and then: dotnet run.

   Navigate to the Cosmos DB account in the Azure portal to confirm the creation of a new container and a blob in that container.

   Tips:

   • If the instructions in the code file tells you to use an exact name for a deployed resource, be sure to follow those instructions, as the lab grading tool may be looking specifically for that name. Also, you don't want your resource names to conflict if you decide to complete the lab using both SDKs.
   • See the Additional Resources section of the lab for links to SDK reference material to help you author the code.
   • If you still need help after considering these tips, you can copy-paste the code from the Project Guide and/or watch the solution video.
4. Challenge

   Use Python to Create a Cosmos DB Database, Container, and Item

   You should have samplecode.py (for the Python SDK) open in the Cloud Shell editor.

   Follow the instructions and hints in the code file to modify and author additional code to complete the following actions:

   • Populate the my_connection_string variable with the primary connection string you retrieved from the Cosmos DB account in the portal.
   • Instantiate the Cosmos client object.
   • Create a new database.
   • Create a new container.
   • Add an item to the container.

   When you are ready, be sure to save your file in the code editor and then execute it at the command line with: python samplecode.py.

   Navigate to the Cosmos DB account in the Azure portal to confirm the creation of a new container and a blob in that container.

   Tips:

   • If the instructions in the code file tells you to use an exact name for a deployed resource, be sure to follow those instructions, as the lab grading tool may be looking specifically for that name. Also, you don't want your resource names to conflict if you decide to complete the lab using both SDKs.
   • See the Additional Resources section of the lab for links to SDK reference material to help you author the code.
   • If you still need help after considering these tips, you can copy-paste the code from the Project Guide and/or watch the solution video.