Many developers find themselves needing to rename Azure resources like Schedule Job Collections or Resource Groups for better organization. However, Azure doesn't provide a direct rename function for most resources. Here's what you need to know about working around this limitation.

Azure resources typically can't be renamed because:

1. The name is part of the resource's immutable identity

2. The name is used in DNS records and API endpoints

3. Resource Manager uses the name as part of its tracking system

For a Schedule Job Collection, you'll need to:

# PowerShell approach for migrating a Scheduler Job Collection
$oldResourceGroup = "Old-RG"
$newResourceGroup = "New-RG"
$oldJobCollection = "old-collection"
$newJobCollection = "new-collection"

# Export jobs from old collection
$jobs = Get-AzureRmSchedulerJobCollection -ResourceGroupName $oldResourceGroup -JobCollectionName $oldJobCollection

# Create new collection
New-AzureRmSchedulerJobCollection -ResourceGroupName $newResourceGroup -JobCollectionName $newJobCollection -Location $jobs.Location -Plan $jobs.Plan

# Recreate jobs in new collection
$jobs | ForEach-Object {
    New-AzureRmSchedulerJob -ResourceGroupName $newResourceGroup -JobCollectionName $newJobCollection -JobName $_.Name -JobDefinition $_.Properties
}

# Verify and delete old collection
Get-AzureRmSchedulerJob -ResourceGroupName $newResourceGroup -JobCollectionName $newJobCollection
Remove-AzureRmSchedulerJobCollection -ResourceGroupName $oldResourceGroup -JobCollectionName $oldJobCollection

For Resource Groups, the process is different:

# Azure CLI approach for resource group "renaming"
az group export --name Old-RG > template.json
az group create --name New-RG --location eastus
az deployment group create --resource-group New-RG --template-file template.json
az group delete --name Old-RG --yes

When performing these operations:

- Always test with non-production resources first

- Document all dependencies before migration

- Consider using Terraform or ARM templates for complex migrations

- Schedule the operation during low-traffic periods

For display purposes, you can use Azure Tags to create "friendly names":

# Adding display name tags
az resource tag --tags DisplayName="Production Database" --ids /subscriptions/{sub-id}/resourceGroups/{rg}/providers/Microsoft.Sql/servers/{server}

Unlike traditional file systems where renaming is trivial, Azure resources present unique constraints. The platform's distributed architecture means resource names often become immutable identifiers once created. This affects:

• Resource Groups (foundational containers)
• Scheduler Job Collections (legacy but still operational)
• Storage accounts (global DNS implications)
• VMs (network interface dependencies)

Microsoft's recommended approach follows these technical steps:

# PowerShell example for Resource Group migration
$sourceRG = "Old-ResourceGroup"
$targetRG = "New-ResourceGroup"
$resources = Get-AzResource -ResourceGroupName $sourceRG

# Create new RG first
New-AzResourceGroup -Name $targetRG -Location "EastUS"

# Move each resource
$resources | Move-AzResource -DestinationResourceGroupName $targetRG

# Verify before deletion
Get-AzResource -ResourceGroupName $targetRG

# Remove old RG (after confirmation)
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name $sourceRG -Force

For legacy Scheduler jobs (now replaced by Logic Apps), the process requires:

1. Export job JSON definitions
2. Create new collection with desired name
3. Recreate jobs in new collection
4. Update all references (webhooks, API calls)

For infrastructure-as-code scenarios:

{
  "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
  "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
  "parameters": {
    "newRgName": {
      "type": "string",
      "defaultValue": "Reorganized-RG"
    }
  },
  "resources": [
    {
      "type": "Microsoft.Resources/resourceGroups",
      "apiVersion": "2021-04-01",
      "name": "[parameters('newRgName')]",
      "location": "eastus"
    }
  ]
}

• Update all Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assignments
• Modify Azure Policy exemptions referencing old names
• Check Activity Log for dependent automation
• Validate DNS changes propagate for PaaS services