Tutorial to export data from Azure Blob storage with Azure Import/Export (2024)

Perform the following steps to order an import job in Azure Import/Export. The Azure Import/Export service creates a job of the type "Data Box."

1. Use your Microsoft Azure credentials to sign in at this URL: https://portal.azure.com.

2. Select + Create a resource and search for Azure Data Box. Select Azure Data Box.

   

3. Select Create.

   

4. To get started with the import order, select the following options:

   1. Select the Export from Azure transfer type.
   2. Select the subscription to use for the Import/Export job.
   3. Select a resource group.
   4. Select the Source Azure region for the job.
   5. Select the Destination country/region for the job.
   6. Then select Apply.

5. Choose the Select button for Import/Export Job.

   

6. In Basics:

   See Also

   Understanding Six Popular Azure Storage Types and Their Use CasesFinding account name and key in AzureAzure Storage Account: A Comprehensive GuideStorage Accounts and security - Microsoft Azure Well-Architected Framework
   • Enter a descriptive name for the job. Use the name to track the progress of your job.
     • The name must have from 3 to 24 characters.
     • The name must include only letters, numbers, and hyphens.
     • The name must start and end with a letter or number.

   

   Select Next: Job details > to proceed.

7. In Job Details:

   1. Select the Source Azure region where your data currently is.

   2. Select the storage account from which you want to export data. Use a storage account close to your location.

      The drop-off location is automatically populated based on the region of the storage account that you select.

   3. Specify the blob data to export from your storage account to your blank drive or drives. For Blobs to export, choose one of the three following methods.

      • Choose to export All objects in the storage account.

        

      • Choose Selected containers and blobs, and specify containers and blobs to export. You can use more than one of the selection methods. Selecting an Add option opens a panel on the right where you can add your selection strings.

        Option	Description
        Add containers	Export all blobs in a container. Select Add containers, and enter each container name.
        Add blobs	Specify individual blobs to export. Select Add blobs. Then specify the relative path to the blob, beginning with the container name. Use $root to specify the root container. You must provide the blob paths in valid format, as shown in this screenshot, to avoid errors during processing. For more information, see Examples of valid blob paths.
        Add prefixes	Use a prefix to select a set of similarly named containers or similarly named blobs in a container. The prefix may be the prefix of the container name, the complete container name, or a complete container name followed by the prefix of the blob name.

        

   • Choose Export from blob list file (XML format), and select an XML file that contains a list of paths and prefixes for the blobs to be exported from the storage account. You must construct the XML file and store it in a container for the storage account. The file can't be empty.

     Important

     If you use an XML file to select the blobs to export, make sure that the XML contains valid paths and/or prefixes. If the file is invalid or no data matches the paths specified, the order terminates with partial data or no data exported.

     To see how to add an XML file to a container, go to Export order using XML file.

     

   Note

   If a blob to be exported is in use during data copy, the Azure Import/Export service takes a snapshot of the blob and copies the snapshot.

   Select Next: Return shipping > to proceed.

8. In Return shipping:

   See Also

   Microsoft Azure: Storage Types Overview

   1. Select a shipping carrier from the drop-down list for Carrier. The location of the Microsoft datacenter for the selected region determines which carriers are available.

   2. Enter a Carrier account number. The account number for a valid carrier account is required.

   3. In the Return address area, use + Add Address to add the address to ship to.

      

      On the Add Address blade, you can add an address or use an existing one. When you finish entering address information, select Add shipping address.

      

   4. In the Notification area, enter email addresses for the people you want to notify of the job's progress.

      Tip

      Instead of specifying an email address for a single user, provide a group email to ensure that you receive notifications even if an admin leaves.

   

   Select Review + Create to proceed.

9. In Review + Create:

   1. Review the Terms, and then select "I acknowledge that all the information provided is correct and agree to the terms and conditions above." Validation is then performed.
   2. Review the job information. Make a note of the job name and the Azure datacenter shipping address to ship disks back to. This information is used later on the shipping label.
   3. Select Create.

   

10. After the job is created, you'll see the following message.

    

    You can select Go to resource to open the Overview of the job.

To complete the tracking information for a job that you created in the portal, do these steps:

1. Open the job in the Azure portal/.

2. On the Overview pane, scroll down to Tracking information and complete the entries:

   1. Provide the Carrier and Tracking number.
   2. Make sure the Ship to address is correct.
   3. Select the checkbox by "Drives have been shipped to the above mentioned address."
   4. When you finish, select Update.

You can track the job progress on the Overview pane. For a description of each job state, go to View your job status.