Microsoft ends support for Instrumentation Key Ingestion on March 31, 2025. Instrumentation Key Ingestion is a method used in Azure Monitor – the Application Insights feature enabling applications to distinguish their telemetry data sent and ingested into the Application Insights resource. This applies to Sitecore Experience Platform deployed as Azure Web App. Microsoft reports that Instrumentation Key Ingestion will continue to work, however, providing updates and support for it will be discontinued. Microsoft recommends that applications be migrated to the Connection Strings method.
Support for Application Insights – Connection Strings across Sitecore Experience Platform releases is being added. This work includes consuming an updated version of the Application Insights SDK and delivering minor code and configuration updates in the XM and XP topologies of Sitecore Experience Platform.
Sitecore Experience Platform (Sitecore XP)
For Sitecore XP 10.4, to enable Application Insights – Connection Strings, download and install the pre-release as specified in KB1003424.
Updates include minor code changes, configuration, and instructions allowing you to optionally enable a Connections String in Sitecore XP deployments. This opt-in approach will be continued across subsequent cumulative hotfixes (pre-releases). If you do not enable a Connection String, then Application Insights will continue to use the current Instrumentation Key Ingestion method. If both a Connection String and an Instrumentation Key have been configured, then the Connection String will take precedence and the Instrumentation Key will be ignored.
For Sitecore XP 10.1–10.3, support for Connection Strings will be added in cumulative hotfixes, namely the pre-releases of Sitecore XP 10.1.4, 10.2.3, and 10.3.3, which are targeted for delivery in February 2025.
For Sitecore XP 9.0–10.0, support for Connection Strings will be delivered by hotfixes in March through April 2025.
Sitecore Identity Server module
Support for Application Insights – Connection Strings will be provided with the Sitecore Identity Server 8.0 release, which is targeted for delivery in February 2025. A new Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Template will be delivered specifically for deploying Sitecore Identity Server 8.0 to Azure App Service. Starting with Sitecore Identity Server 8.0, the ARM Template for Identity Server will be separate from the Sitecore XP ARM Templates. The ARM Template for Identity Server will include configuration instructions for Connection Strings.
There is no technical requirement to enable Connection Strings in the Sitecore Identity Server module at the same time as in Sitecore XP. These updates are independent.
Note: This article will be updated when new information on the progress becomes available.