Automating Azure Storage Management and Storage Account Creation with Python

Stage 1: Installing Azure Management Storage Package in Python Using pip

pip install azure-mgmt-storage

pip: This is the package installer for Python. It is a command-line tool that allows to install and manage Python packages.

install: This is the command used with pip to install a Python package.

azure-mgmt-storage: This is the name of the Python package we are installing. In this case, it’s the Azure Management Storage package. This package provides functionalities for managing Azure Storage resources, such as Blob Storage, Queue Storage, Table Storage, and File Storage, using Python.

Before running this command, make sure have Python and pip installed on our system, and it’s recommended to create a virtual environment to manage our project dependencies.

Stage 2: Azure Storage Account Management with Python using Azure Identity and Management Client

Azure Identity and DefaultAzureCredential

from azure.identity import DefaultAzureCredential

This line imports the DefaultAzureCredential class from the azure.identity module.

DefaultAzureCredential is a part of Azure Identity library, and it simplifies the process of authenticating Python applications with Azure services. It tries various methods to acquire credentials, such as environment variables, managed identity, or interactive login, based on the environment in which the script runs.

Azure Storage Management Client

from azure.mgmt.storage import StorageManagementClient

This line imports the StorageManagementClient class from the azure.mgmt.storage module. This class is part of the Azure Management Storage library, and it allows to interact with Azure Storage resources programmatically.

StorageAccountCreateParameters

from azure.mgmt.storage.models import StorageAccountCreateParameters

This line imports the StorageAccountCreateParameters class from the azure.mgmt.storage.models module.

This class represents the parameters needed for creating a new Azure Storage account. When we want to create a new storage account, we will use an instance of this class to specify various settings like the account type, location, and other configurations.

The combination of these imports suggests that the script is setting up authentication using Azure Identity, creating a management client for Azure Storage, and using a model to define parameters for creating a new storage account.

Stage 3: Retrieving Azure Subscription ID from Databricks Secrets

subscription_id = dbutils.secrets.get(scope = "storage-secret", key = "storageincoming")

dbutils: Databricks utilities (dbutils) is a set of utility methods provided by Databricks, a big data analytics platform. It simplifies various tasks, including accessing and managing secrets.

dbutils.secrets.get(scope=”storage-secret”, key=”storageincoming”): This line retrieves a secret from Databricks Secrets.

The scope is like a container for grouping secrets, and key is the specific identifier for the secret within that scope. In this case, it’s retrieving the secret with the key “storageincoming” from the “storage-secret” scope.

subscription_id = dbutils.secrets.get(…): This variable (subscription_id) is assigned the value retrieved from the Databricks Secrets.

In the context of Azure, it’s likely that this value is an Azure subscription ID, which is a unique identifier for an Azure subscription.

Stage 4: Azure Storage Account Configuration

resource_group_name = "ns-ii-data-science-spatial"
storage_account_name = "checknew"
location = "East US"  # or your desired region

resource_group_name = “ns-ii-data-science-spatial”: This variable holds the name of the Azure Resource Group.

In Azure, a resource group is a logical container for resources that are deployed together and managed as a group. It helps in organizing and managing Azure resources efficiently.

storage_account_name = “checknew”: This variable specifies the name for the Azure Storage Account.

The storage account is a unique namespace in Azure for storing and accessing data objects such as blobs, files, queues, and tables. The name must be globally unique within Azure.

location = “East US”: This variable sets the geographical location or region where the Azure resources will be deployed. In this case, the storage account will be created in the “East US” region.

Azure resources can be placed in different regions to optimize for performance, availability, and data residency requirements.

Stage 5:Establishing Azure Resource Manager Credentials

credential = DefaultAzureCredential()

This line creates an instance of the DefaultAzureCredential class, which is a part of the Azure Identity library.

The DefaultAzureCredential simplifies the process of acquiring credentials for authenticating Python applications with Azure services.

It automatically tries various authentication methods based on the environment, such as using environment variables, managed identity, or interactive login, to seamlessly obtain the necessary credentials.

Stage 6:Creating an Azure Storage Management Client

storage_client = StorageManagementClient(credential, subscription_id)

storage_client: This line instantiates a StorageManagementClient object, which is part of the Azure Management Storage library. The StorageManagementClient allows Python scripts to interact with and manage Azure Storage resources programmatically.

credential: The credential parameter is the Azure Resource Manager credential, which has been previously set up using the DefaultAzureCredential class. It provides the necessary authentication for the script to access Azure resources securely.

subscription_id: The subscription_id parameter is the Azure subscription ID, which was likely retrieved from Databricks Secrets. It identifies the Azure subscription to which the script will connect and perform storage management operations.

Stage 7:Azure Storage Account Creation

storage_account_params = StorageAccountCreateParameters(
    sku={"name": "Standard_LRS"},  # You can choose the SKU that fits your needs
    kind="StorageV2",
    location=location,
)

storage_account = storage_client.storage_accounts.begin_create(
    resource_group_name,
    storage_account_name,
    storage_account_params
).result()

print(f"Storage account '{storage_account_name}' creation requested. Provisioning state: {storage_account.provisioning_state}")

storage_account_params = StorageAccountCreateParameters(…): This line creates an instance of the StorageAccountCreateParameters class. It is used to specify the parameters required for creating a new Azure Storage account. In this case, it sets the SKU (Standard_LRS), kind (StorageV2), and location (previously defined) for the storage account.

Creating the Storage Account: storage_account = storage_client.storage_accounts.begin_create(…): This line initiates the creation of the Azure Storage account by calling the begin_create method on the storage_client. It takes the resource group name, storage account name, and the storage account parameters as arguments.

print statement: print(f”Storage account ‘{storage_account_name}’ creation requested. Provisioning state: {storage_account.provisioning_state}”): This line prints a message indicating that the creation of the storage account has been requested. It also includes the storage account name and the provisioning state, which represents the current state of the storage account creation process.