Fine Tuning - Files from Azure OpenAI Connection, Nothing on the list

Question

Hello. I am trying to Fine Tuning my OpenAi Model, but when I get to the TRAINING DATA and choose the Files from Azure OpenAI Connection there is Nothing on the list to SELECT DATA. There is some previous step I missed? Sending a print with my options. I don't have a database, I want to use the azure one.

Best regards,

IS

Answer 1

Hi Irina Sopas,

Thanks for clarifying

You're not trying to upload your own training files, but instead you want to fine-tune a model using Microsoft/Azure-provided datasets or models — essentially hoping to use some pre-loaded data or already fine-tuned base in Azure OpenAI.

Here’s the key thing:

Azure OpenAI Does Not Provide Built-In Datasets for Fine-Tuning

Azure does not include public datasets or example files by default for fine-tuning. You always need to upload your own data — even if it's small sample data.

They provide pretrained models (like gpt-35-turbo, gpt-4, davinci-002, etc.), but they are not fine-tuned on domain-specific tasks unless you do it yourself.

So, what are your options?

Option1: Use a Pretrained Model As-Is (No Fine-Tuning Needed)

If you don’t have data to fine-tune and just want to use GPT-style capabilities for:

·       Q&A

·       Chatbots

·       Summarization

·       Classification

You can simply deploy a base model (like gpt-35-turbo) and use prompt engineering instead of fine-tuning.

Option2: Use Sample Training Files (Microsoft-Style)

You can simulate a small dataset for fine-tuning.

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

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If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

Thank you!

Answer 2

Hi Irina Sopas,

You're trying to fine-tune a model using Azure OpenAI, but when you go to the “Training Data” step, the file list is empty, even though you're expecting to see files in your Azure OpenAI connection.

What You May Be Missing

Here are the common causes and how to fix each one:

1. Files Must Be Uploaded via Azure OpenAI Studio

Azure OpenAI fine-tuning only works with files that were uploaded directly to the Azure OpenAI resource, not general Azure Storage, not your local file system, and not from Azure Blob Storage unless explicitly uploaded through the OpenAI Studio interface.

How to Fix:

·       Go to Azure OpenAI Studio

·       Click on the "Fine-tuning" section (left panel)

·       Click Upload Files

·       Select your .jsonl file that meets the format for fine-tuning (e.g., format: { "prompt": "text", "completion": "label" })

·       Once uploaded, they should appear in your file list during fine-tuning

2. File Format Issues

The file must be in .jsonl format (JSON Lines). If your file is .csv, .txt, or invalid .json, it will not appear.

How to Fix:

Ensure the file meets this format:

{"prompt": "What is the capital of France?", "completion": "Paris"}
{"prompt": "What is 2 + 2?", "completion": "4"}

Each line must be a separate JSON object.

3. Region Mismatch

Make sure your Azure OpenAI Studio session is connected to the same region where your OpenAI resource was deployed.

How to Check:

·       Go to your Azure Portal → Your OpenAI Resource

·       Check the region (e.g.West Europe)

·       Go to Azure OpenAI Studio, and make sure you're using the same region (it appears in the top-right dropdown)

4. Using the Correct Endpoint

When calling fine-tuning from Azure OpenAI Studio or SDK, ensure you’re using:

·       The correct endpoint (like https://<your-resource-name>.openai.azure.com)

·       And the deployment name matches a fine-tunable model, such as:

o   curie, davinci (legacy)

o   babbage-002, davinci-002 (recommended for fine-tuning)

Please refer to below document

Fine-tuning Azure OpenAI Model: Customize a model with fine-tuning

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

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If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further queries do let me know.

Thank you!