Creating a Custom Policy to Check Last Activity on Azure Bot Channel

Create a custom policy to check the last activity of an Azure Bot channel

introduction

In the rapidly evolving world of technology, it is of utmost importance to ensure that your bot operates optimally and communicates with your users. One important aspect of bot management is monitoring activity.

In this post, we’ll look at how to create a custom policy to check the last activity of an Azure Bot channel, a task that can help keep your bot efficient and user happy.

Azure Bot Service provides tools to build, test, deploy, and manage intelligent bots that naturally interact with users on websites, apps, Cortana, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Slack, Facebook Messenger, and more. Azure bot

However, tracking bot activity, including the last interaction with a user, is essential to maintaining engagement and troubleshooting potential issues.

Why monitor last activity?

Monitoring the last activity of your Azure Bot can help you:

• Ensure engagement: By tracking their last interaction, you can see whether users are consistently engaging with your bot or if there are bounces that need to be addressed.
• Identify issues: Regular checks can help you identify any periods of inactivity that could potentially be caused by bots or issues within the channel itself.
• Improve user experience: Understanding interaction patterns can help you improve bot responses and improve the overall user experience.

Creating a custom policy to determine the last activity of an Azure Bot channel requires several steps. Below is a detailed process to guide you through effectively setting up this policy.

prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following:

• An active Azure subscription.
• Access Azure Bot Service.
• Basic knowledge of Azure Policy and Azure SDKs.

Step 1: Define policy

First you need to define your custom policy in JSON format. This policy checks the last activity of the bot channel. Here is a sample JSON definition:

{
  "properties": {
    "displayName": "Quater Audit active Channels",
    "policyType": "Custom",
    "mode": "All",
    "metadata": {
      "category": "Bot Service"
    },
    "parameters": {},
    "policyRule": {
      "if": {
        "allOf": [
          {
            "field": "type",
            "equals": "Microsoft.BotService/botServices"
          },
          {
            "field": "Microsoft.BotService/botServices/channels[*].lastActivity",
            "less": "[addDays(utcNow(), -90)]"
          }
        ]
      },
      "then": {
        "effect": "audit"
      }
    }
  }
}
 

Step 2: Deploy policy

Once the policy is defined, you must deploy it using the Azure portal or Azure CLI. We’ll use the Azure CLI here.

az policy definition create --name 'check-last-activity' --display-name 'Check Azure Bot Last Activity' --description 'Audits if the bot has not been active within the specified threshold.' --rules 'path-to-your-policy-definition.json' --mode All

After you create a policy definition, you assign it to a scope (e.g. subscription, resource group).

Step 3: Monitor compliance

Once a policy is assigned, Azure Policy periodically evaluates compliance. You can monitor your compliance status through the Azure Policy dashboard in the Azure portal.

Advanced monitoring and notifications

For more sophisticated monitoring, you can integrate with Azure Monitor and set up alerts. Here’s how:

Step 1: Create a Log Analytics workspace

If you don’t already have a Log Analytics workspace, create one.

az monitor log-analytics workspace create --resource-group your-resource-group --workspace-name your-workspace-name

Step 2: Configure diagnostic settings

Configure the bot service to send diagnostic logs to your Log Analytics workspace.

az monitor diagnostic-settings create --resource /subscriptions/your-subscription-id/resourceGroups/your-resource-group/providers/Microsoft.BotService/botServices/your-bot-name --workspace your-workspace-name --logs '[{"category": "AuditLogs", "enabled": true}]'

Step 3: Set up notifications

Create an alert rule to notify you when your bot’s last activity exceeds a threshold.

az monitor metrics alert create --name 'BotInactivityAlert' --resource-group your-resource-group --scopes /subscriptions/your-subscription-id/resourceGroups/your-resource-group/providers/Microsoft.BotService/botServices/your-bot-name --condition "total lastActivity less than 1" --description 'Alert for bot inactivity' --action-group /subscriptions/your-subscription-id/resourceGroups/your-resource-group/providers/microsoft.insights/actionGroups/your-action-group

conclusion

Creating a custom policy to determine the last activity of your Azure Bot channel is an essential step to ensure continued engagement and optimal performance. By following the steps outlined above, you can set up an effective monitoring system that will help you stay informed about your bot’s interactions and take proactive steps to resolve any issues.

Adopt this approach to strengthen your bot management strategy and deliver a great user experience. Stay tuned for more insights and tips on how to get the most out of Azure services.