> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.cloudquant.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Azure Blob Storage

> Configure Azure Blob Storage datasources

# Azure Blob Storage

Azure Blob Storage datasources allow CloudQuant Data Liberator to read CSV, TSV, and other delimited files from Azure Blob containers. CloudQuant Data Liberator mounts the container via FUSE.

<Note>
  See [Supported Data Formats](/datasource-config/supported-formats) for every file extension Liberator can ingest on Azure Blob, including formats added in 2.1 and 2.2.
</Note>

## Connection configuration

### Required fields

| Field             | Type   | Description                |
| ----------------- | ------ | -------------------------- |
| `connection_type` | string | Must be `"azure"`          |
| `account`         | string | Azure storage account name |
| `key`             | string | Storage account access key |
| `container`       | string | Blob container name        |

### Optional fields

| Field         | Type   | Default | Description                                                  |
| ------------- | ------ | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `endpoint`    | string |         | Blob endpoint URL (override for sovereign clouds or Azurite) |
| `prefix`      | string | `""`    | Blob prefix (virtual directory) within the container         |
| `mount_point` | string |         | Local mount path for FUSE-based access                       |
| `config_name` | string |         | Internal configuration identifier                            |
| `object_key`  | string |         | Object key pattern for blob selection                        |

<Note>
  The `endpoint` field is only needed for non-standard Azure environments such as Azure Government, Azure China, or local development with Azurite. For standard Azure public cloud, CloudQuant Data Liberator derives the endpoint from the account name.
</Note>

### Example connection

```json theme={null}
{
  "name": "azure-market-data",
  "connection_type": "azure",
  "account": "mystorageaccount",
  "key": "base64encodedstorageaccountkey==",
  "container": "market-data",
  "prefix": "equities/daily/"
}
```

<Warning>
  Storage account keys grant full access to the entire storage account. Rotate keys regularly and use environment variables or a secrets manager to inject them at deployment time.
</Warning>

## Dataset configuration (data\_args)

The `data_args` fields are identical to all file-based sources. See [Local File](/datasource-config/local-file) for the full reference. The `file_pattern` is evaluated relative to the `prefix` configured on the connection.

### Required data\_args

| Field             | Type           | Description                                                         |
| ----------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `file_pattern`    | string         | Glob pattern relative to the prefix, e.g., `"*.csv"`                |
| `data_dt_column`  | string or list | Column(s) containing the datetime value                             |
| `data_dt_format`  | string or list | strptime format or special values (`"muts"`, `"uts"`, `"datetime"`) |
| `data_key_column` | string or list | Symbol/key column(s)                                                |

### Optional data\_args

| Field                     | Type   | Default              | Description                              |
| ------------------------- | ------ | -------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `sep_override`            | string | `","`                | Delimiter character                      |
| `encoding`                | string | `"utf-8"`            | File encoding                            |
| `data_dt_timezone`        | string | `"UTC"`              | Source data timezone                     |
| `fname_dt_regex`          | string |                      | Regex to extract date from filename      |
| `fname_dt_format`         | string |                      | strptime format for filename date        |
| `fname_dt_timezone`       | string |                      | Timezone of filename date                |
| `fname_dt_nudge`          | int    | `0`                  | Microsecond offset for filename date     |
| `fname_dt_approx_seconds` | int    |                      | Approximate seconds per file             |
| `arrow_sort`              | list   | `["symbol", "muts"]` | Sort order                               |
| `arrow_timestamp`         | bool   | `true`               | Generate human-readable timestamp column |

## Complete example

### Connection

```json theme={null}
{
  "name": "azure-eod-prices",
  "connection_type": "azure",
  "account": "caboretlstorage",
  "key": "xYzAbCdEfGhIjKlMnOpQrStUvWxYz0123456789==",
  "container": "eod-data",
  "prefix": "prices/us-equities/"
}
```

### Dataset

```json theme={null}
{
  "name": "us-equity-eod",
  "connection": "azure-eod-prices",
  "data_args": {
    "file_pattern": "eod_*.csv",
    "sep_override": ",",
    "encoding": "utf-8",
    "data_dt_column": "date",
    "data_dt_format": "%Y-%m-%d",
    "data_dt_timezone": "America/New_York",
    "data_key_column": "ticker",
    "fname_dt_regex": "eod_(\\d{8})\\.csv",
    "fname_dt_format": "%Y%m%d",
    "fname_dt_timezone": "America/New_York",
    "fname_dt_approx_seconds": 86400,
    "arrow_sort": ["symbol", "muts"],
    "arrow_timestamp": true
  },
  "schema": [
    { "name": "ticker", "type": "string", "group": "key", "description": "Ticker symbol" },
    { "name": "date", "type": "string", "group": "time", "description": "Trade date" },
    { "name": "open", "type": "double", "group": "value", "description": "Open price" },
    { "name": "high", "type": "double", "group": "value", "description": "High price" },
    { "name": "low", "type": "double", "group": "value", "description": "Low price" },
    { "name": "close", "type": "double", "group": "value", "description": "Close price" },
    { "name": "volume", "type": "int64", "group": "value", "description": "Daily volume" },
    { "name": "adj_close", "type": "double", "group": "value", "description": "Adjusted close price" }
  ]
}
```

## Azure setup requirements

Ensure the following before configuring your Azure Blob connection:

1. **Storage account** exists and is accessible from the CloudQuant Data Liberator host
2. **Container** is created within the storage account
3. **Access key** is available (found under Storage Account > Access Keys in the Azure Portal)
4. **Network access** is permitted — if the storage account uses firewall rules, add the CloudQuant Data Liberator host's IP to the allowed list

<Tip>
  For initial testing, use Azure Storage Explorer to verify your files are accessible before configuring the CloudQuant Data Liberator connection. This eliminates credential and network issues early.
</Tip>

See the [Azure Blob Storage integration guide](/integrations/azure-blob-storage) for additional setup details.