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Azure Files Monitoring Plan

Create monitoring plans for Azure Files to track file and folder changes across your Azure storage accounts.

Prerequisites​

  • Azure Files Configuration completed
  • Azure Application registered with required permissions
  • Diagnostic settings enabled for storage accounts

Create Monitoring Plan​

Step 1: Create New Monitoring Plan​

  1. Navigate to Home > Monitoring Plans
  2. Click Create New Monitoring Plan
  3. Provide monitoring plan name
  4. Create audit database
  5. Configure email notification method

Step 2: Add Azure Files Data Source​

  1. Click Add Data Source
  2. Select Azure Files
  3. Configure connection settings:
    • Tenant ID (use ID, not tenant name)
    • Application ID
    • Application Secret
    • Subscription ID

Step 3: Configure Storage Accounts​

Configure storage account settings (requires separate accounts):

  • File Share Storage Account - Contains the file shares to monitor
  • Audit Log Storage Account - Stores diagnostic logs (must be separate account)
  • Resource Group - Resource group containing the storage accounts

Step 4: Configure Monitoring Options​

Select monitoring options:

  • Track changes (successful/failed operations)
  • Monitor read access (optional - increases audit volume)
  • User monitoring restrictions (specify users to exclude from monitoring)
  • Monitored object types - Select from:
    • Files
    • Folders
    • Shares
  • Monitored actions - Configure which file operations to track

Step 5: Test Connection​

Click Test Connection to verify:

  • Azure Active Directory authentication
  • Storage account access
  • Audit log collection

Next Steps​

After creating the monitoring plan:

  1. Verify data collection is working
  2. Configure reports as needed
  3. Set up alerts for important events

For configuration requirements, see Azure Files Configuration.