Auditing is a crucial functionality that oversees all the operations carried out in an organizational system. Configuring auditing in the Power Platform is a vital task for a Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant. It enables tracking of user interaction with data, such as when data is accessed, modified, or deleted.
Microsoft’s Power Platform provides a turnkey solution that facilitates auditing. The audit data provides insights into the activity history, which can help resolve system issues or detect potential security concerns. You can track changes in your organization, such as:
- Record and attribute changes: You can track when and by whom specific data changes were made.
- System events: Detect when a record is shared or assigned or when a user accessed the system.
Steps to Configure Auditing
Configuring auditing in the Power Platform is quite straightforward. Follow the steps below:
- Navigate to Power Platform Admin Center.
- Select Environments then choose the environment where you want to configure auditing.
- Select Settings > Product > Behavior > Auditing.
- Under Global Audit Settings, select Start Auditing.
After completing these steps, you can select specific entities to audit by choosing the Entity Settings tab and selecting Audit for entities.
Auditing Specific Actions
You can choose to audit specific actions at the entity level, besides auditing field-level data changes. Common actions to audit include Create, Update, Delete, Activate, Deactivate, etc.
Example Configuration:
- Navigate to Power Platform Admin Center.
- Select Environments then choose the environment where you want to configure auditing.
- Select Settings > Product > Behavior > Auditing.
- Under the Entities tab, select an entity, then choose the actions to audit under Audit Settings.
Viewing Audit Data
After configuring auditing, the logged audit data is easily accessible via the Audit Summary View in the Power Platform.
To view Audit Data:
- Navigate to Advanced Settings > Security > Auditing > Audit Summary View.
Manage Audit Partitions
Maintaining the performance of your system is necessary and as such, managing audit logs is vital. Audit log management involves creating partitions that each hold a specific amount of audit data.
To manage audit log partitions,
- Go to the Power Platform Admin Center.
- Select Settings > Auditing > Audit Log Management.
In this section, you’ll see your audit log’s storage usage and a list of audit log partitions. Here you can create or delete partitions as per your auditing needs.
Conclusion
Auditing is an essential process in any system as it enables monitoring of activities, prevention of unauthorized activity, and facilitates regulatory compliance. For a PL-200 Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant, understanding how to configure and implement auditing in the Power Platform environment is vital. It provides the ability to monitor system usage, track changes, identify issues, and maintain security. By configuring auditing, they can gain critical insights into the functionality and security of their Power Platform solutions.
Practice Test
True or False: Configuring auditing does not include the tracking of changes made by users.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Configuring auditing includes all changes and modifications that are made by users within the system.
The audit trail feature in Microsoft Power Platform helps to:
- (a) Identify and enforce business rules
- (b) Track changes and modifications made by users
- (c) Establish API connections
- (d) Restructure the database
Answer: (b) Track changes and modifications made by users
Explanation: The audit trail feature helps in keeping track of all the changes and modifications made by users, which is essential for maintaining system integrity.
True or False: It is mandatory to have administrative permissions to configure auditing in Microsoft Power Platform.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Only users with administrative permissions are allowed to configure auditing functionalities within the system.
The Auditing feature is turned on by whom?
- (a) System Administrator
- (b) Users
- (c) Developers
- (d) All of the above
Answer: (a) System Administrator
Explanation: The system administrator has the authority to turn on or off the auditing feature in Microsoft Power Platform.
True or False: You cannot configure field-level auditing in the Microsoft Power platform.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Field-level auditing permits you to manage the auditing of individual fields in your custom and system entities.
Who can access the Audit Summary View report?
- (a) Developers
- (b) System Administrators
- (c) All users
- (d) Guests
Answer: (b) System Administrators
Explanation: The Audit Summary View report can be accessed by System Administrators.
True or False: It is not possible to delete audit logs in the Microsoft Power Platform.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: It is possible to delete audit logs, but only a user with the correct administrative permissions can do so.
Microsoft Power Platform provides the option of
- (a) Data auditing
- (b) User auditing
- (c) Both (a) and (b)
- (d) None of the above
Answer: (c) Both (a) and (b)
Explanation: Microsoft Power Platform enables both data and user auditing, offering a broad spectrum of tracking possibilities.
True or False: Every single update or change made on the platform can be audited.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Every single update, including the creation of new records, changes to existing records, or record deletions can be audited.
Events that can be audited in the Microsoft Power Platform include:
- (a) Data Import
- (b) Data Deletion
- (c) Workflow
- (d) All of the above
Answer: (d) All of the above
Explanation: All events including data import, deletion and workflows can be audited in the Microsoft Power Platform.
Interview Questions
What is auditing in the context of Microsoft Power Platform?
Auditing in Microsoft Power Platform allows organizations to track user actions and changes to data within their environment.
How can auditing be configured in Microsoft Power Platform?
Auditing can be configured through the settings in the Power Platform Admin Center.
What types of activities can be audited in Microsoft Power Platform?
Activities such as record creation, deletion, sharing, and updates can be audited in Power Platform.
How can administrators view audit logs in Microsoft Power Platform?
Administrators can view audit logs through the Power Platform Admin Center or by using the Audit log search tool in the Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Center.
What permissions are required to configure auditing in Microsoft Power Platform?
Global admin, Security admin, and Compliance admin roles have permissions to configure auditing in Power Platform.
Can auditing be enabled or disabled for specific entities in Microsoft Power Platform?
Yes, auditing can be enabled or disabled for specific entities by configuring entity-level auditing settings.
How can organizations ensure compliance with auditing requirements in Microsoft Power Platform?
Organizations can create audit policies and enforce them to ensure compliance with auditing requirements.
What is the benefit of configuring auditing in Microsoft Power Platform?
Configuring auditing helps organizations track and monitor user activity, detect security breaches, and maintain data integrity.
Can audit logs be exported or saved for future reference in Microsoft Power Platform?
Yes, audit logs can be exported to a CSV file for further analysis and saved for future reference in Power Platform.
How often should organizations review audit logs in Microsoft Power Platform?
It is recommended that organizations review audit logs regularly to stay informed about user actions and identify any potential security risks.
Is there a way to automate the review of audit logs in Microsoft Power Platform?
Yes, organizations can use Power Automate to automate the review of audit logs and set up alerts for specific activities.
What are some best practices for configuring auditing in Microsoft Power Platform?
Best practices include defining clear audit policies, training users on auditing processes, regularly reviewing audit logs, and documenting audit findings.
What is the difference between auditing and monitoring in Microsoft Power Platform?
Auditing tracks user actions and changes to data, while monitoring focuses on real-time tracking and alerting on system performance and security events.
Can auditing be customized to meet specific requirements in Microsoft Power Platform?
Yes, auditing can be customized by configuring audit settings, defining audit policies, and setting up alerts based on specific requirements.
extutorials.com