Bruno Borges walks Azure administrators through finding out who created a resource by using the systemData metadata, helping improve governance, compliance, and troubleshooting.

How to Identify Who Created an Azure Resource Using SystemData

Introduction

Managing large Azure subscriptions often means handling dozens or thousands of resources, and understanding resource ownership is critical for governance, compliance, and troubleshooting. Bruno Borges demonstrates a reliable method to identify who created a specific Azure resource using native Azure metadata.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Open Resource Overview
    Navigate to your resource’s Overview page. Here you’ll see basic metadata including:
    • Resource group
    • Subscription
    • Location
    • Login server
    • Provisioning state

    The creator information does not appear here.

  2. Switch to JSON View
    At the top right of the Overview page, click the JSON View link. This opens the complete resource definition in JSON format.

  3. Locate the systemData Section
    Scroll through the JSON until you find the systemData object. Example:

    "systemData": {
  "createdBy": "someuser@domain.com",
  "createdByType": "User",
  "createdAt": "2025–05–20T19:50:33.1511397Z",
  "lastModifiedBy": "someuser@domain.com",
  "lastModifiedByType": "User",
  "lastModifiedAt": "2025–05–20T19:50:33.1511397Z"
}

What systemData Reveals

  • createdBy: The specific user or service principal responsible for creating the resource.
  • createdByType: Whether the creator is a human user, managed identity, or Azure service.
  • createdAt: The UTC timestamp of creation.
  • lastModifiedBy / lastModifiedByType / lastModifiedAt: Helpful for understanding subsequent changes or updates to the resource.

Practical Benefits

  • Governance: Clarifies which team or individual owns a resource.
  • Troubleshooting: Identifies who made changes affecting the resource.
  • Compliance & Auditing: Documents accountability necessary for many organizations.

Recommendations

Make including the systemData check part of your standard operational procedure for resource review. Doing so streamlines investigations and ensures accountability within your Azure environment.

About the Author

Bruno Borges is a Microsoft expert who specializes in cloud solutions and governance best practices.

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