Reminder: Connect+Learn Session Nov. 18 – Azure Data Studio Transition to Visual Studio Code

Date: November 17, 2025
To: Azure Data Studio Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Reminder: Connect+Learn Session Nov. 18 – Azure Data Studio Transition to Visual Studio Code

 

Dear Azure Data Studio Users,

As a follow-up to earlier communications, this is a reminder that Microsoft will be retiring Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026, consolidating its SQL tools in Visual Studio Code.

To maintain security compliance and support, we recommend that current Azure Data Studio users transition to Visual Studio Code as soon as possible. We also recommend that new users follow these instructions to onboard to Visual Studio Code.

Please join us for a Connect+Learn session on Tuesday, November 18 at 11 a.m., or attend a future session.

Session details:

In this session, we will discuss:

  • An overview of the migration to Visual Studio Code.
  • What’s changing, including key similarities and differences to Azure Data Studio.
  • A demo of how to download and connect to Visual Studio Code.
  • An overview of support resources on the Power BI site.

If you have any questions, please visit the Power BI Toolbox and submit a support ticket.

Sincerely,

Reporting and Analytics Technology Team
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

Action Required: Azure Data Studio Retirement – Transition to Visual Studio Code

Date: November 7, 2025
To: Azure Data Studio Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Action Required: Azure Data Studio Retirement – Transition to Visual Studio Code

 

Dear Azure Data Studio Users,

As a follow-up to earlier communications, this is a reminder that Microsoft will be retiring Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026, consolidating its SQL tools in Visual Studio Code.

To maintain security compliance and support, we recommend that current Azure Data Studio users transition to Visual Studio Code as soon as possible. We also recommend that new users follow these instructions to onboard to Visual Studio Code.

What do you need to know?

  • Visual Studio Code offers a similar interface and functionality to Azure Data Studio, supporting the same platforms and databases.
  • There will be no changes to your SQL queries, and all existing queries will continue to connect to the same databases.
  • Current and new users may contact their divisional IT administrators for help with installing Visual Studio Code.

What’s changing?

  • Users will need to install an extension and then set up the connection to Visual Studio Code.
  • There are some minor changes to the interface, that can be tailored to individual preferences, which will not affect functionality of the tool.
  • Watch this video to learn more details on the transition.

What’s Next?

Join us for upcoming Connect+Learn sessions:

If you have any questions, please visit the Power BI Toolbox and submit a support ticket.

Sincerely,

Reporting and Analytics Technology Team
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

System Maintenance November 9 – Potential VPN Disruption

Date: November 7, 2025
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: System Maintenance November 9 – Potential VPN Disruption

 

Dear AMS Users,

Please note that system maintenance associated with the U of T firewall will take place on Sunday, November 9 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

During this time, you may temporarily lose access to AMS applications, including Employee Self-Service (ESS)/Manager Self-Service (MSS), Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit (ERDD)/Concur, Travel & Expense Reimbursement, Fiori Launchpad Reporting and My Research (MR/Portal).

VPN connectivity may also be affected, resulting in interruptions to SAP GUI sessions. Once maintenance is complete, you may need to reconnect to the VPN to re-establish your SAP GUI session.

Thank you for your support as we make these improvements.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration

Important Announcement: Azure Data Studio Retirement

Microsoft will retire Azure Data Studio on February 28, 2026, as part of its strategy to consolidate SQL tools into Visual Studio Code.

To ensure continued support and security compliance, we strongly recommend that all current Azure Data Studio users transition to Visual Studio Code as soon as possible. New users should also begin onboarding directly to Visual Studio Code.

What do you need to know?

  • Visual Studio Code offers a similar interface and functionality to Azure Data Studio, supporting the same platforms and databases.
  • There will be no changes to your SQL queries, and all existing queries will continue to connect to the same databases.
  • Current and new users may contact their divisional IT administrators for help with installing Visual Studio Code.

What’s changing?

  • Users will need to install an extension and then set up the connection to Visual Studio Code.
  • There are some minor changes to the interface, that can be tailored to individual preferences, which will not affect functionality of the tool.
  • Watch this video to learn more details on the transition.

What’s Next?

Join us for upcoming Connect+Learn sessions:

Questions?

If you have questions, please visit the Power BI Toolbox and submit a support ticket.

Update Power Automate trigger URLs by November 30, 2025 

Date: November 4, 2025
To: EITU, MTAC, InfoTech-L
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Update Power Automate trigger URLs by November 30, 2025 

 

Dear colleagues,

Microsoft is changing how certain Power Automate workflows start. If you are a Power Automate user and your workflow begins when it receives a web request or a Teams webhook, you must update the URL that other tools use to call your flow before November 30, 2025.
Flow owners may also see an email titled ‘Your flow has a new trigger URL’ and will see an in-product banner. 

What is changing

Microsoft is updating the trigger URLs used in flows with “When an HTTP request is received” or Microsoft Teams Webhook triggers. 

When you open one of these flows: 

  • You’ll see a new trigger URL displayed in the trigger card. 
  • A banner will also appear showing the old URL, reminding you to update any systems or services that use it. 

 

Please update your flows and any connected systems to use the new URL before November 30, 2025. 

After that date, the old URLs will stop working, and any flows still using them will fail to trigger. 

Steps to Update Your Flow 

    1. Open your flow in Power Automate that uses either 
      • “When an HTTP request is received”, or 
      • Microsoft Teams Webhook trigger. 
    2. Find the new trigger URL shown in the trigger card. You’ll also see a banner with the old URL — use this as a reminder to update your connections. 
    3. Update all places where the old URL is used, such as app, script, website, Power App, Power Page, or any external system. 
    4. Test your flow after updating to confirm it still triggers correctly. 
    5. If the new URL looks long, make sure the system you’re connecting to supports URLs longer than 255 characters (some older systems may have limits). 

 

Timeline 

    • Now – November 30, 2025: Both the old and new URLs will work. Please update your links as soon as possible.  
    • After November 30, 2025: Old URLs will stop working, and any flows still using them will fail to trigger. 

 

Resources 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at (https://uoft.me/m365help). 

 

Kind regards, 

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)
Information Technology Services, University of Toronto

ROSI Database Quarterly Maintenance – Friday, November 28

Date:  November 3, 2025
To:  ROSI Users; Registrar’s Offices
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: ROSI Database Quarterly Maintenance – Friday, November 28

 

Dear ROSI users,

Please note that we will need to take ROSI and most associated student information systems offline on Friday, November 28 from 5 to 9 p.m. to perform quarterly maintenance on the database. We will return the systems to service sooner if the work is completed earlier than 9 p.m.

The ROSI-REPLICA on the Managed Instance (MI) will remain accessible during the maintenance. Data syncing with the ROSI transactional database will restart 10 – 20 minutes after the end of the maintenance period and applications have been restarted.

The following systems will be affected:

  • Accommodated Testing Services (Student and Admin)
  • ACORN
  • Course Information System
  • Degree Explorer (Student and Admin)
  • EASI Institutional File Transfer
  • eMarks
  • Online Administrative Student Information System (OASIS) – including Absence Declaration, and the Timetable Builder and Transfer Equivalencies database administrative screens
  • ROSI
  • ROSI Express
  • ROSI Files
  • Safety Abroad Student Registry
  • Varsity Blues Registration System
  • Web services/APIs

Timetable Builder (Student) will remain available.

A notice will be posted on the ACORN launchpad so that students will be aware of the outage.

Thank you for your patience as we make these improvements.

eMarks Configuration and ROSI Integration

Connect+Learn session on eMarks data relationships, best practices, and integration with ROSI. There will be a specific focus on sessional configuration (i.e., eMarks open/close practices) and instructor requirements.

This session combines general eMarks setup topics with best practices for managing the active cycle, including:

    • Defining eMarks staff and faculty roles
    • ROSI conditions required for eMarks to function each session
    • Managing warnings and submissions
    • Amendments and potential issues arising from incomplete data
    • eMarks data transfer to and from ROSI throughout the open-to-close session cycle
Resources:

AMS System Maintenance – November 15

Date: October 30, 2025
To: AMS Users
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: AMS System Maintenance – November 15

 

Dear AMS Users,

Please note that the systems below will be unavailable on Saturday, November 15 from 5 to 11 a.m. due to system maintenance:

  • Academic Administrative Appointments (AAA)
  • AMS SAP GUI
  • Capital Projects Portal
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS)/Manager Self-Service (MSS)
  • EvoSuite Applications (EvoOrder, EvoPlan, EvoNotify)
  • Expense Reimbursement Direct Deposit (ERDD)/Concur, Travel & Expense Reimbursement
  • Fiori Launchpad Reporting
  • Invoice Workflow
  • My Customer Account
  • My Research (MR/Portal)
  • SAP Asset Manager Mobile (sync will not work)
  • USOURCE

See our System Availability page for a list of ongoing information on system status.

Sincerely,
Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)

Exchange Online Introduce External Recipient Rate Limit – Effective Oct. 1, 2026

Date: October 29, 2025
To: EITU, MTAC, InfoTech-L
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Exchange Online Introduce External Recipient Rate Limit – Effective Oct. 1, 2026 

 

Dear colleagues, 

Microsoft has announced the rollout of the External Recipient Rate Limit (ERR) for Exchange Online. This feature is designed to limit the number of external recipients a mailbox can send messages to within a 24-hour period. This change is designed to support responsible usage and ensure fair resource usage within Exchange Online. 

What is changing 

Currently, each mailbox in Microsoft 365 can send emails to up to 10,000 total recipients in a 24-hour period. Under the new policy, Microsoft will apply an additional sub-limit specifically for external recipients (addresses outside the university’s email domains): 

    • New Limit: Each mailbox can send to up to 2,000 external recipients in a 24‑hour window.  
    • Internal emails: (to addresses ending in @utoronto.ca, @toronto.edu, or other approved university approved domains) are not affected. 
    • Once a mailbox reaches the 2,000 external recipients, any further messages to external addresses will be temporarily blocked until the 24-hour window resets. Internal messages can still be sent normally. 

This change is enforced by Microsoft and cannot be disabled. 

Action required 

    • Review your current mailing practices. 
    • If your mailbox needs to send more than 2,000 external recipients in 24 hours, use approved mass-mailing tools (i.e. SendGrid, Constant Contact, or Azure Communication Services for Email) designed for high-volume external communications.  

Timeline 

    • October 1, 2026: ERR enforcement begins for all existing tenants. 

If you have any further questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at https://uoft.me/m365help. 

Kind regards, 

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)
Information Technology Services, University of Toronto
215 Huron Street, Toronto

Enabling Microsoft 365 Idle Session Timeout

Date: October 24, 2025
To: ACE-IT, EITU, InfoTech-L, Tri-campus Service Desk Heads, EASI Site
From: Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration
Re: Enabling Microsoft 365 Idle Session Timeout 

 

Dear colleagues, 

As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance the security of our Microsoft 365 environment, we will be enabling the Idle Session Timeout feature across the tenant starting October 28, 2025. 

What’s changing 

Microsoft has announced the retirement of “Activity-Based Authentication Timeout” for Outlook on the web. This is being replaced by a more robust Idle Session Timeout for Microsoft 365, which offers broader protection across a wider range of Microsoft 365 web applications. 

What is Idle Session Timeout? 

Idle Session Timeout is a security feature that automatically signs users out of Microsoft 365 web apps after 9 hours of browser-based inactivity. This change is designed to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, particularly when devices are left unattended while still logged in. 

Key Points: 

    • The timeout policy applies to all web browsers except Microsoft Edge on Intune-managed desktops. It affects Microsoft 365 web applications such as Outlook Web App, SharePoint, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint Online, Microsoft365.com, Admin Center, and others. 
    • Works on a per-browser session basis in all web browsers, except for Microsoft Edge on Intune Managed Devices which already have a 10-minute inactivity timeout set at the OS level. 
    • If your session remains inactive for 9 hours, you will receive a notification prompting you to stay signed in. If no action is taken, you will be automatically signed out and prompted to re-authenticate when you return. 
    • Actively using Microsoft 365 web apps will keep your session alive; only idle users will be affected. 

 

Implementing Idle Session Timeout helps protect university data and user accounts by ensuring that unattended browser sessions are not left open indefinitely. This is an important step in strengthening our overall information security posture. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a ticket to the Enterprise Service Centre at (https://uoft.me/m365help). 

 

Kind regards,  

Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI)  

Information Technology Services 

University of Toronto