Overview
Auditing and monitoring Power Automate flows is essential for ensuring security, compliance, and performance. Regular auditing helps organizations detect unauthorized access, troubleshoot errors, and optimize workflows.
Track who created, modified, or ran a flow
Monitor flow execution history and performance
Detect security violations and unauthorized access
Ensure compliance with organizational policies
1️⃣ Why is Auditing & Monitoring Important?
Prevent Unauthorized Access – Monitor who is creating or modifying flows.
Detect Security Risks – Identify flows transferring data to unauthorized locations.
Troubleshoot Errors Faster – Review logs to fix failed executions.
Optimize Performance – Identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.
Ensure Compliance – Track data flows for GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 compliance.
Example: The IT department regularly audits Power Automate flows to ensure that customer data is not being shared with unauthorized third-party applications.
2️⃣ How to Audit Power Automate Flows
1. Using Power Automate Admin Center for Auditing
The Power Platform Admin Center provides an audit trail for Power Automate activities.
Steps to Review Flow Activity:
1️⃣ Go to Power Platform Admin Center
2️⃣ Click Environments > Select your environment
3️⃣ Navigate to Analytics > Click on Flow Runs
4️⃣ Review logs for flow executions, failures, and errors
Example: An IT admin checks the flow run logs to see who modified an important finance approval process.
2. Enabling Audit Logs in Microsoft Purview (Compliance Center)
Microsoft Purview allows organizations to track user activities and flow modifications.
🔹 Steps to Enable Flow Audit Logs:
1️⃣ Go to Microsoft Purview Compliance Center
2️⃣ Click Audit > Search for Power Automate activities
3️⃣ Select activities like:
- Flow created, modified, deleted
- Flow run started, completed, or failed
- Data connections and sharing events
4️⃣ Click Search and export results for compliance reporting.
Example: A compliance officer exports an audit report showing all flows that accessed customer records in the last 6 months.
3️⃣ How to Monitor Power Automate Flow Performance
1. Checking Flow Run History
Each flow execution is logged in Power Automate. Reviewing flow history helps detect failures and performance issues.
🔹 Steps to Check Flow History:
1️⃣ Open Power Automate > Go to My Flows
2️⃣ Select a flow > Click Run History
3️⃣ Review execution details:
- Successful runs
- Failed runs (with error messages)
- Pending/Timed-out runs
Example: A flow that updates Salesforce leads from Excel is failing due to API rate limits. The issue is identified and resolved.
2. Using Power Automate Analytics for Monitoring
Power Automate provides built-in analytics to track flow performance and usage trends.
Steps to View Analytics:
1️⃣ Open Power Automate Admin Center
2️⃣ Click Analytics > Select Flows
3️⃣ View key metrics:
- Number of runs per day/week/month
- Success vs. failure rates
- Average execution time
Example: The IT team identifies a slow-running flow and optimizes it by reducing unnecessary actions.
3. Setting Up Alerts for Flow Failures
Power Automate allows alerts via email, Teams, or Power BI when a flow fails.
Steps to Create Flow Failure Alerts:
1️⃣ Open Power Automate > Select a flow
2️⃣ Click Edit > Add a “Send an email” action at the end of the flow
3️⃣ Configure the email to notify admins when the flow fails
4️⃣ Save and Test the flow
Example: A sales order automation flow fails due to incorrect data input. An email alert is sent to the IT support team to fix the issue immediately.
4️⃣ Advanced Monitoring with Power BI & Azure Monitor
1. Visualizing Flow Data with Power BI
Power BI can analyze Power Automate logs for deeper insights.
Steps to Connect Power Automate to Power BI:
1️⃣ Export flow logs from Power Platform Admin Center
2️⃣ Import the data into Power BI
3️⃣ Create dashboards showing:
- Flow failure trends
- Execution times for performance optimization
- User activity logs
Example: The IT team uses Power BI dashboards to monitor all business-critical flows in real time.
2. Using Azure Monitor for Enterprise-Level Logging
Azure Monitor provides real-time alerts and logs for Power Automate flows.
Steps to Enable Azure Monitor for Power Automate:
1️⃣ Open Azure Monitor in the Azure Portal
2️⃣ Set up Log Analytics to track Power Automate flow events
3️⃣ Create alerts for failures and performance bottlenecks
Example: If a critical flow in HR stops running, Azure Monitor triggers an immediate alert to IT.