Invoke-AzureRmOperationalInsightsQuery returns any data as string

[slavizh]

Description

When run Invoke-AzureRmOperationalInsightsQuery and get .Results from the object all data is returned as string. According to the official documentation the Log Analytics Search API returns the types of the different columns. The Enumerable that is returned for results should honer the data types and return them as the output of the query rather returning every column as string. This breaks any functionality to
handle the data properly like converting it to JSON or PowerShell array and make some actions by doing comparison on things like dates, integers, etc.

Script/Steps for Reproduction

Works with any query that return results with different formats like int.

$summaryQuery = 'Perf | take 1'
$summaryQueryResults =Invoke-AzureRmOperationalInsightsQuery -Workspace $Workspace -Query $Query -Timespan (New-TimeSpan -Hours 24)
$summaryQueryResults.Results.CounterValue
0
$summaryQueryResults.Results.CounterValue.GetType()
IsPublic IsSerial Name                                     BaseType
-------- -------- ----                                     --------
True     True     String                                   System.Object

It should've integer or double but not string.

Module Version

Get-Module -Name AzureRM -ListAvailable
    Directory: C:\Program Files\WindowsPowerShell\Modules


ModuleType Version    Name                                ExportedCommands
---------- -------    ----                                ----------------
Script     5.4.1      AzureRM

Environment Data

$PSVersionTable
Name                           Value
----                           -----
PSVersion                      5.1.17134.1
PSEdition                      Desktop
PSCompatibleVersions           {1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0...}
BuildVersion                   10.0.17134.1
CLRVersion                     4.0.30319.42000
WSManStackVersion              3.0
PSRemotingProtocolVersion      2.3
SerializationVersion           1.1.0.1

Debug Output

There is no need for debug as it can be reproduced very easily.

[alexeldeib]

@slavizh appreciate you giving feedback on this -- definitely makes sense. I'm taking a look at modifying the cmdlet to return the values as their proper data types.

[slavizh]

Thanks @alexeldeib . I am currently using workoaround by querying the API with my own function but as soon as the data is returned according to the LA schema I will switch back to the cmdlet.

[slavizh]

It has been year and so and in Az 3.1 this bug is still present.

[jethrovaneetvelde]

So, is this ever getting fixed?

[ghost]

Thanks for the feedback! We are routing this to the appropriate team for follow-up. cc @AzmonLogA.