Power BI generates various logs to track user activities, report usage, system performance, and security events. Understanding the retention period for these logs is crucial for compliance, auditing, and troubleshooting purposes. This article provides an overview of Power BI’s default log retention policies and introduces our Ready-to-Use Power BI Auditing and Compliance Monitoring Solution, which offers a cost-effective way to ensure compliance without the need for internal data engineers.
Default Log Retention Periods in Power BI
Power BI stores different types of logs, each with its own retention policy. Below are the key log types and their default retention periods:
1. Activity Logs (Microsoft 365 Compliance Center)
- Default Retention: 90 days
- Extended Retention: Can be extended to 1 year with a Microsoft 365 E5 compliance license and retention policies in Microsoft Purview.
- Purpose: Tracks user actions such as report access, sharing, and dataset refresh activities.
2. Audit Logs (Power BI Admin Portal)
- Default Retention: 90 days
- Extended Retention: Configurable through Microsoft Purview retention policies.
- Purpose: Records administrative activities such as workspace changes, security modifications, and gateway configurations.
3. Usage Metrics (Report/Dashboard Level)
- Default Retention: 90 days
- Purpose: Provides insights into report views, unique users, and interaction trends.
4. Power BI Premium Capacity Metrics
- Default Retention: 30 days
- Purpose: Helps monitor Power BI Premium performance, including query execution times and resource utilization.
5. Power BI Gateway Logs
- Default Retention: Typically 7-30 days, depending on the system settings.
- Purpose: Logs gateway operations, including data refresh events and connection statuses.
A Cost-Effective Alternative: Ready-to-Use Power BI Auditing & Compliance Monitoring
Instead of relying on internal data engineers to configure and maintain log retention, organizations can leverage our automated Power BI Auditing and Compliance Monitoring Solution. This pre-built solution offers:
- Automated Log Collection & Monitoring – No manual intervention needed.
- Compliance-Ready Reporting – Instantly access reports required for governance.
- Seamless Deployment – Ready to use at a fraction of the cost of hiring a data engineering team.
- Customizable Retention & Alerts – Extend log retention and set alerts for compliance violations.
Extend Your Power BI Log Retention Without Extra Costs
If you need to retain logs beyond the default periods, our solution provides an affordable alternative to managing logs manually.
Conclusion
By default, Power BI retains logs for 30 to 90 days, depending on the type of log. Instead of investing in complex internal engineering solutions, organizations can deploy our Power BI Auditing and Compliance Monitoring Solution at a fraction of the cost. This ensures compliance, enhances security, and simplifies auditing without the need for dedicated technical resources.
