Power Automate Flow Logging in Microsoft App Insights

by HubSite 365 about David Wyatt [MVP]

Senior Staff Engineer - Intelligent Automation Developer

Citizen DeveloperPower AutomateLearning Selection

Unlock Microsoft Expertise: Optimize Flow Logging in Power Automate App Insights

Microsoft's Power Automate is addressing the challenge of having only read-only access for maintaining its production flows. It launched flow integration with Application Insights, a feature of Azure that handles all logging, provides notification alerts, and can serve as a data source for Power BI dashboards. However, the flow log data is not entirely identical as it only displays the actions and not the inputs or outputs.

Another important note is that with the setup, an individual with Azure experience and permissions is needed. For instance, the Power Platform Admin must have editing access to the app insight instance while establishing the connection. Connected environments each have one app, but multiple connections can be made to each app for differentiation of production, development, test environments.

Each connection is between one environment and one app
During the preview phase, the feature is available on all environments. Later, it will be exclusive to Managed Environments only
Application Insights can be used running live data, creating alerts, and more.
The feature is not free - it does entail small costs for memory and alerts.

Detailed Overview

In terms of log queries, there are a few key commands that are particularly useful - "let" commands for variables, "where" command for standard filter results, "extend" for bringing nested keys/fields to the root, and "project" pulls the required keys/fields for the report. These can provide important information on the infrastructure of requests and dependencies with data such as success of actions, error messages, and timestamps for workflow completion.

Furthermore, the queries can be created to view specific flow runs, capture flow action performance, and provide flow detail. With this feature, it becomes easier to track flow performance and identify failed runs. Another remarkable feature is the ability to add the App Insights data to Power BI to create reports with live data.

Read the full article Power Automate Flow Logging in Microsoft App Insights

Learn about Power Automate Flow Logging in Microsoft App Insights

The main topic is the Power Automate Flow Logging in Microsoft App Insights. Specifically, it addresses how this feature resolves the issue of maintaining production flows in Power Automate that previously lacked read-only access. With this latest feature, you don't need full edit access to read a flow log, making it safer for production environments using Service Accounts. Microsoft has introduced an integration of flow log with Application Insights, an Azure standard for logging. The text also mentions that this service isn't free and necessitates someone with Azure experience to install it.

Keywords

Microsoft App Insights expert, Azure logging professional, Power Automate flow specialist, Power BI dashboard developer, Global Power Platform Admin