Azure Cosmos DB Blog
The latest news, updates and technical insights from the Azure Cosmos DB team
Latest posts
Getting Started with Azure Cosmos DB Using the Python SDK
If you're new to Azure Cosmos DB and looking to build applications with Python, you're in the right place. I’ve created a four-part video series designed to take you from the basics to practical, real-world querying techniques—no prior experience required. Whether you’re setting up your first database, learning how to model your data, or optimizing your queries, this series will help you build confidence with each step. This blog post is your companion guide. It introduces key concepts, outlines what each video covers, and provides helpful context so you can follow along more effectively. Whether you're a stud...
Fast, Accurate, and Affordable: Sharded DiskANN for Multitenant Vector Search in Azure Cosmos DB
Introduction Azure Cosmos DB now includes Sharded DiskANN, a powerful capability that optimized for large-scale multitenant apps by splitting a DiskANN index into smaller, more performant pieces. When you specify a VectorIndexShardKey in your container’s indexing policy, Azure Cosmos DB creates multiple DiskANN indexes, one for each unique value of the selected document property. This can provide multiple benefits including: Use Cases Sharded DiskANN is especially valuable in scenarios where data isolation and targeted search are essential, such as: How is it different than...
Azure Cosmos DB Conf 2025 Recap: AI, Apps & Scale
On April 15, 2025, developers from around the world came together for Azure Cosmos DB Conf 2025—a free virtual event co-hosted by Microsoft and the vibrant Azure Cosmos DB community. From early-morning keynotes to lightning talks and live demos, the event was packed with fresh insights, expert guidance, and real-world examples of how developers are solving complex challenges with Azure Cosmos DB. This year’s sessions explored a broad spectrum of themes, including AI-powered workloads, real-time analytics, cost optimization, open-source tools, hybrid and vector search, and data security. Whether attendees were new...
Azure Cosmos DB with DiskANN Part 2: Scaling to 1 Billion Vectors with <100ms Search Latency
Introduction In the first part of our series on Azure Cosmos DB Vector Search with DiskANN, we explored the fundamentals of vector indexing and search capabilities using Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL and demonstrated a few early performance and cost characteristics. In Part 2, we’ll demonstrate how to scale to 1 billion vector datasets, while maintaining a query latency of under 100 milliseconds with > 90% recall, all in a cost-effective manner. Along the way, we will review concepts like partitioning for managing large-scale vector data in Azure Cosmos DB, along with optimizations & best practices for faster...
Introducing Region Selection in Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer for NoSQL Accounts
You asked—we delivered! Users can now manually select the region Data Explorer sends requests to! When you use Entra Authentication with NoSQL accounts, you can now enable the Region Selection option in settings. This new capability gives you precise control over where your requests are sent, helping you test, troubleshoot, and optimize performance by targeting a specific Azure region directly from the portal.   When you select a specific region, the Azure Cosmos DB client disables endpoint discovery and sends requests only to that region. This works similarly to using a regional connection string at https://...
Getting insights from changes to items in Azure Cosmos DB just got easier!
Azure Cosmos DB’s change feed provides a view of changes to data in your container. This enables patterns like event sourcing, auditing and synchronizing downstream systems. Change feed can be read in real time or on demand, giving you the most flexibility for processing and reprocessing changes. Change feed is available in two modes, latest version mode and all versions and deletes mode. The all versions and deletes mode Public Preview is now easier to use and you can enable it directly on your accounts without registering your subscription! Latest version mode gives you changes from create and update operati...
Unlock Real-Time Insights: Power BI Integration with vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB Now in Public Preview!
We are excited to introduce Power BI integration for vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB. This certified solution brings your operational data to life through real-time dashboards, directly in the Power BI interface that your analytics teams already love. You can now connect Power BI Desktop directly to your vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB instance, choose your collections, and start building dynamic dashboards using native MongoDB queries. Track real-time user activity, monitor inventory levels, or visualize your order pipeline right from your production database. This connector brings product an...
Exact Nearest Neighbor (ENN) Vector Search for Precise Retrieval
In applications such as personalized recommendations and scientific research, accurately identifying the closest data points to a given query is crucial. Traditional methods like Approximate Nearest Neighbor (ANN) search offer faster retrieval times by approximating results but may sacrifice accuracy, leading to potential errors in scenarios where precision is essential. This trade-off between speed and accuracy poses a significant challenge when exact results are necessary. Exact Vector Search (ENN) is a search method that compares your input vector to every single vector in the dataset to find the closest ma...
Azure Cosmos DB Conf 2025: Learn, Build, and Connect with the Community
Join us for the 5th annual Azure Cosmos DB Conf, a free virtual developer event co-hosted by Microsoft and the Azure Cosmos DB community. This is your opportunity to learn from Microsoft product managers, industry experts, and real-world customers who are building applications with Azure Cosmos DB. This year, we received over 100 session proposals from 87 unique speakers, making it one of our most competitive and diverse events yet. Why You Should Watch Whether you’re a developer getting started or an experienced architect, this conference offers something for everyone. Expect engaging 25-minute sessio...