Microsoft Tool for Designing Graph Queries in the Microsoft Graph Environment
The Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool is a powerful utility designed to streamline the process of creating, testing, and refining queries against the Microsoft Graph API. This API offers RESTful access to data across various Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Intune and other online Microsoft services.
Interacting with the Microsoft Graph API
The tool communicates with the Microsoft Graph API by generating queries that are sent as HTTP requests to API endpoints. For instance, when working with Microsoft Intune, the tool helps construct queries targeting Intune-specific Graph API endpoints, returning the requested data.
The process typically involves:
- Utilising authentication tokens (often based on Microsoft Entra ID, formerly Azure AD) to securely access Microsoft Graph, ensuring the necessary permissions and roles are in place for accessing Intune or other service data.
- Forming queries using either the REST API directly, Kusto Query Language (KQL) for security or hunting queries, or custom search criteria depending on the data source.
- Executing these queries via supported SDKs (like Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK or language-specific SDKs) or directly through HTTP POST/GET requests.
- Receiving and handling the JSON response data from Microsoft Graph API, which can be device reports, security logs, or other resources relevant to Intune or Microsoft 365 services.
Using the Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool
The tool allows you to craft complex queries such as search requests or security hunting queries, as demonstrated in the Microsoft Graph API documentation. For example, a KQL query can filter device/process event data from Microsoft 365 Defender, or search queries can retrieve list items or reports from services like SharePoint or Intune.
To access Intune-specific data, authentication via Microsoft Entra ID is required, ensuring the caller has the necessary delegated or application permissions configured via Microsoft Graph. The PowerShell SDK or other SDKs then provide commandlets or methods to run these queries and receive response data, facilitating integration into administration or development workflows.
Getting Started
The Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool is written in PowerShell and requires the AzureAD module for ADAL authentication. To use the tool, follow these steps:
- Download and unzip the required files into a directory of your choosing.
- Modify the main application file and change the single value at the bottom of the script to match the administrative account for either Intune, AzureAD, or another cloud application.
- Modify the script to pass the data to Out-Gridview, allowing the data to be piped and viewed in Out-Gridview upon re-running the application. Alternatively, you can replace Out-Gridview with any other application to view the data.
- Running the file within PowerShell will prompt you to log in to the Azure tenant, requiring separate authentication compared to connecting to the Intune Data Warehouse or running a Microsoft Graph Request.
Advanced Usage
The main menu of the application includes options for running custom Graph requests, both basic and advanced. The advanced version allows input of a full Microsoft Graph request URI, including an optional query. Additionally, the advanced version enables the use of a found request URI from the Intune console, enabling the same results to be returned.
To view the Microsoft Graph request URI that Intune makes, open the Microsoft Edge Browser and connect to your Azure Portal. Opening the Intune console, navigating to Devices -> Compliant Devices, and searching for requests to reveals the exact request URI.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool serves as an interactive means to build and test queries that call the Microsoft Graph API, enabling retrieval and management of data from Microsoft Intune and other Microsoft cloud services by leveraging standardized API endpoints, authentication models, and query languages.
In the context of data-and-cloud-computing and technology, the Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool is a powerful utility that utilizes technology to communicate with the Microsoft Graph API, generating queries in various formats to access and manage data from Microsoft services such as Microsoft Intune. This data is received and handled as JSON response from the Microsoft Graph API.
To make use of Microsoft Graph Query Development Tool's capabilities for accessing Intune-specific data, authentication via Microsoft Entra ID is required, ensuring the caller has the necessary permissions and roles configured. The PowerShell SDK or other SDKs are then used to run these queries and receive response data, facilitating integration into administration or development workflows.
