Why did I get a retirement notice for Azure Synapse runtime for Apache Spark 2.4?

Question

I got a Retirement Notice email last week from Azure:

Azure Synapse runtime for Apache Spark 2.4 will be retired on 29 September 2023—transition to version 3.2 or 3.3 You're receiving this email because you have workloads that use Azure Synapse runtime for Apache Spark 2.4. ... Required action Choose Azure Synapse runtime for Apache Spark version 3.2 or version 3.3 for your workloads that currently use version 2.4 before 29 September 2023 to ensure they continue to run as usual. If you have code that's incompatible with the version you transition to, follow this guidance to troubleshoot it.

However, as far as I can tell, I'm not using Azure Synapse or Apache Spark (I don't even really understand what they are!). If I look up Azure Synapse resources from my portal, 0 resources are displayed. I also found this page about monitoring Spark apps, but when I go to the Synapse Studio, I don't have a Workspace to select, which reinforces my belief that I don't have any resources.

Is there a way to confirm why I got this message or to otherwise confirm that I don't have anything that needs to be upgraded? Is it possible there's something in one of our other resources that's using this in the background, and if so, how would I go about upgrading the runtime? (We do have some legacy function app code that's slated to be upgraded from .NET Core 3.1, but as far as I know, it's not doing anything with Synapse/Spark.)

Answer 1

@Ben Walter Thanks for the question and using MS Q&A platform.

It is possible that you received the retirement notice email because you have a subscription that includes Azure Synapse Analytics, even if you are not currently using it. The email may have been sent to all subscribers who have access to Azure Synapse Analytics, regardless of whether they are actively using it or not.

To confirm whether you have any resources that need to be upgraded, you can check your Azure subscription for any resources related to Azure Synapse Analytics or Apache Spark. You can also check your Azure billing history to see if you have been charged for any usage of these services.

If you do have resources that need to be upgraded, you can follow the guidance provided in the retirement notice email to transition to version 3.2 or 3.3 of Azure Synapse runtime for Apache Spark before 29 September 2023 to ensure they continue to run as usual. If you have code that's incompatible with the version you transition to, you can troubleshoot it using the guidance provided in the email.

Note: If you do not have any resources that need to be upgraded, you can safely ignore the retirement notice email.

Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.

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