Andrew Wilson

Presentations/Azure Bicep in the Real World Patterns - Pitfalls - and Pragmatism at main · Andrew-D-Wilson/Presentations This repo contains the PowerPoint slides from any public presentation I have made - Andrew-D-Wilson/Presentations

Thank you to everyone who joined my #dddnorth session 'Azure Bicep in the Real World: Patterns, Pitfalls, and Pragmatism.' Loved the conversations and engagement, hope you found it useful!

You can find my slides at github.com/Andrew-D-Wil...

MSTest | Controlling Parallelism of Test Runs Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

New blog post: MSTest | Controlling Parallelism of Test Runs

If you've ever had integration tests fail randomly because they're competing for shared resources, this one's for you.

Read more: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2026/02...

#MSTest #Integration #MVPBuzz

Azure Logic Apps Standard | Send Custom Events to Application Insights Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

New post: Sending Custom Events from Azure Logic Apps Standard to Application Insights

Send custom business metrics like process item counts and success rates directly from your Logic App workflows.

Read more: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2026/02...

#Azure #AIS #LogicApps #ApplicationInsights #MVPBuzz

Azure Function Apps | OkObjectResult Returns Empty JSON After Moving to .NET 9 Isolated Worker Runtime Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

I ran into a surprising issue after moving an Azure Function from .NET 8 to 9 and switching to the isolated worker runtime:
→ OkObjectResult returned {} instead of the expected JSON.

Read more: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/12...

#Azure #AzureFunctionApps #AzureIntegrationServices #AIS

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #9 | Prevent a Nasty Refactor with Function Namespaces Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Bicep Tips & Tricks No.9 is live!

Prevent a Nasty Refactor with Function Namespaces - save yourself from naming conflicts and extensive template rewrites!

Read more: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/09...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM #InfrastructureAsCode

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #8 | Agnostic Templates Through Config Files Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Bicep Tips & Tricks No.8 is live!

Building agnostic templates through config files - my favourite pattern for maintainable IaC!

Read more: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/09...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM #InfrastructureAsCode

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #7 | From Static to Dynamic Config Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Here’s another tip from my Bicep Tips & Tricks series

Part 7 explores how to transform static, duplicated configuration into dynamic, reusable patterns—increasing maintainability and reducing configuration drift.

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/08...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #6 | Typed Variables Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Here's another tip from my Bicep Tips & Tricks series

Part 6 covers typed variables - a game changing feature released in May that brings compiler validation, enhanced IntelliSense, and self-documenting code to your Bicep templates.

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/08...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #5 | From Documentation to Deployment-Time Validation: Conditional Parameter Requirements Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Another tip from my Bicep Tips & Tricks series

Part 5: Use Bicep's fail() function for conditional mandatory parameters instead of relying on docs alone. Catch config errors at deployment time!

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/08...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM #InfrastructureAsCode

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #4 | Shared Variables Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Bicep Tips & Tricks Part 4: Shared Variables

Stop duplicating configs across templates! Use Bicep imports to create a single source of truth for:
→ Environment settings
→ Organizational standards
→ Resource configurations

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/08...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM

Spectral: The API Linting Tool You Need in Your Workflow 🔎 - Rios Engineer

🚀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗣𝗜 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄

rios.engineer/spectral-the...

🎯 New #BicepTip! Writing Bicep is great, but generating it with GitHub Copilot? That’s the real magic. Learn more about Bicep Infrastructure as Code generation using GitHub Copilot agent mode in the latest tip:


🔗 www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

#azure #bicep #infrastructureascode

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #3 | Naming Convention and Functions Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Part 3 of my Bicep Tips & Tricks series is live!

Tackling poor naming conventions and manual errors with user-defined functions for consistent resource naming.

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/07...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC #ARM #InfrastructureAsCode

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #2 | Centralize Core Parameters with Types, Constructors, and Imports Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Part 2 of my "Bicep Tips & Tricks" series is live!

Learn how to centralize core parameters in your Bicep templates using user-defined types, constructors, and imports. Cleaner, more maintainable IaC for Azure!

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/07...

#Azure #Bicep #IaC

Bicep Tips and Tricks | #1 | Template Versioning and Applying to Azure Resource Tags Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Kicking off my new series: Bicep Tips & Tricks!

If you love Azure IaC, check out my first post on template versioning and resource tags for better traceability & governance.

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/07...

#Azure #Bicep #DevOps #IaC #ARM #CICD

Automating web.config Environment Transforms in Azure DevOps Pipelines for App Services Husband - Father - Microsoft Azure MVP - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Struggling with web.config transforms in Azure DevOps? I shared a simple way to use one artifact for all environments, no more config drift! A few tips and YAML in the post. Hope it helps!

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/07...

#Azure #AzureAppServices #AzureDevOps

How to Set Up Manual Approval for Azure App Service Slot Swaps in Azure DevOps Pipelines Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer @ Black Marble - Microsoft MVP Azure. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and ...

Take control of your Azure App Service releases!

Just published: a step-by-step guide to manual approvals for slot swaps in Azure DevOps Pipelines.

🔗 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/06...

#Azure #AzureDevOps #AppServices #Bicep #IaC

Agent Loop | Azure Logic Apps Just Got Smarter Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Microsoft just gave Logic Apps a brain.
Agent Loop brings AI agents into your workflows.

It’s a game-changer for integration and automation.

🔗 Read my thoughts:
andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/05...

#AzureIntegrationServices #AIS #LogicAppsAviators #Azure #AI

The Requirements Ambiguity Paradox Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

The Requirements Ambiguity Paradox
Light on requirements ≠ clear understanding. A few thoughts on where things go wrong.

Read it here: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/05...

#agile #softwaredevelopment #productdelivery

Automating Semantic Versioning in Azure DevOps CI/CD Pipelines with GitVersion Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Versioning made simple: I share how I use GitVersion + Azure DevOps to automate semantic versioning in CI/CD. From tagging to versioned ARM templates—less manual work, more traceability.

🛠️ #DevOps #Azure #GitVersion #Automation

👉 andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/05...

Bicep | Existing Resource Dependencies Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Experiencing issues with your Bicep existing resource definitions not adhering to explicit dependencies? Not only is this now solved but here are the reasons why.

Have a read and hope this helps.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/03...

#azure #bicep #infrastructureascode

Logic App | Access Key Revocation and Regeneration Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Looking for a way to revoke and regenerate HTTP Triggered Logic App Workflow Access Keys?

Have a look at this method that can be automated to comply with security policies.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/02...

#AzureIntegrationServices #AIS #LogicAppsAviators

Logic App | Try-Catch Pattern, Nested Scopes, And Compensating Transaction Pattern Husband - Father - Chief Consulting Officer at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Looking to implement defensive workflows in Azure Logic Apps?

Have a read of this article that shows the use of the Try-Catch Pattern, Nested Scopes, And Compensating Transaction Pattern.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/01...

#AzureIntegrationServices #AIS #LogicAppsAviators

Don't be caught out by the configuration differences in referencing KeyVault with your Logic Apps and Function Apps through Managed Identity. Have a read and hope it helps.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2025/01...

#azure #keyvault #functionapp #logicapp #azureintegrationservices

Tired of clunky SAS keys? The following blog posts show you how to secure your Azure Logic Apps and Functions with Easy Auth and API Management.

Read more:
• Logic App Security: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/02...
• Function App Security: andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/11...

Easy Auth | Function App with Azure API Management Husband - Father - Principal Consultant at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Following my previous post - exploring secure and configurable methods of setting up an Azure Function App as a Backend to API Management. This is part two - utilising Easy Auth to secure access.

Have a read and hope it helps.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/11...

#azure #apimanagement #functionapp

Azure API Management | Function App Backend Husband - Father - Principal Consultant at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Been exploring secure and configurable methods of setting up an Azure Function App as a Backend API to API Management. The method I have posted about uses the Function Specific SAS key. Have a read and hope it helps.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/10...

#azure #apimanagement #functionapp

webpack | Build Time Environment Variables With Azure DevOps Yaml CI/CD Husband - Father - Principal Consultant at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

I've been implementing build time environment variables with typescript, webpack, and Azure DevOps. There has been some interesting learnings. Have a read to find out more.

#webpack #AzureDevOps #TypeScript

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/07...

Azure Role Based Access Control (RBAC) | Removing Orphaned Role Assignments Husband - Father - Principal Consultant at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Have you encountered errors in deployments due to orphaned Azure Role Assignments? Have a read to see why and how to resolve.

#Azure #AzureRBAC

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/07...

Azure API Management | Enable Tracing for an API Husband - Father - Principal Consultant at Black Marble. Has a passion for creating software [especially solution integrations] that help others execute their jobs faster and more efficiently.

Azure API Management Test Client is not the only way of tracing your APIs. Have a look at the following.

andrewilson.co.uk/post/2024/06...