Create Your First Azure AI Search Index

Azure AI Search is Microsoft Azure's cloud search service that enables you to build search experiences for your applications with minimal complexity. It provides powerful full-text search capabilities, AI-powered content understanding, and intelligent ranking that can transform how users discover information in your applications. Organizations use Azure AI Search to create search solutions for websites, mobile apps, and enterprise applications, helping users find relevant content quickly and efficiently.

In this lab, you will create an Azure AI Search service, upload sample data to Azure Storage, and build a searchable index. You'll learn how to configure data sources, customize index schemas with appropriate field types, and execute various search queries including filtering, sorting, and faceted navigation.

Objectives

Upon completion of this beginner level lab, you will be able to:

• Create an Azure AI Search service and explore its management interface
• Upload data to Azure Storage containers and configure appropriate access permissions
• Build a search index using the Import Data wizard with proper field type configuration
• Execute various search queries including filtering, sorting, and faceted navigation

Who is this lab for?

This lab is designed for:

• Cloud developers who want to add search capabilities to their applications
• Data engineers looking to implement search solutions for data discovery
• Solution architects designing applications with advanced search requirements
• DevOps engineers responsible for deploying and managing search infrastructure
• Product managers seeking to understand Azure AI Search capabilities and use cases