Cloud Flow Delete Activity Is Visible, but No Audit Record Is Generated

Sujith 5 Reputation points
2026-09-08T03:57:52.2066667+00:00

Hi Microsoft Team,

I am working with Cloud Flows and auditing in Power Automate / Dataverse.

I noticed the following behavior:

  • When a Cloud Flow is created, the corresponding audit record is generated successfully.
  • When a Cloud Flow is edited/updated, the audit record is also generated successfully.
  • However, when a Cloud Flow is deleted, the delete activity is visible, but I cannot find any corresponding audit record for the deletion.
  • I have also tested this by manually deleting a Cloud Flow, but the audit record is still not generated.

So, my observation is:

Create → Audit record is generated ✅ Edit → Audit record is generated ✅ Delete → Activity is shown, but no audit record is generated ❌

Could someone please clarify:

  1. Is Cloud Flow deletion expected to generate an audit record in Dataverse/Power Automate?
  2. Is there any specific audit configuration or setting required to capture Cloud Flow deletion?
  3. Is the delete operation logged under a different audit/event type or entity?
  4. If the delete activity is visible, but no audit record is generated, is this a known limitation or expected behavior?
  5. Is there any supported way to retrieve the audit information for a deleted Cloud Flow?

I would appreciate any documentation or guidance on how Cloud Flow deletion is expected to be audited.

Thanks.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-08T03:58:17.99+00:00

    Based on the documented behavior, Cloud Flow deletion is not expected to appear as a Dataverse audit record in the same way as create and update changes on Dataverse tables.

    Key points:

    1. Dataverse auditing and Purview logging cover different things
      • Dataverse auditing logs changes to records in audited Dataverse tables and applies to cloud flows created in solutions.
      • To increase visibility, auditing can be enabled on the Workflows and Connection reference tables.
      • Audit logs can be viewed in Audit History for a single record and Audit Summary for audited operations in an environment.
    2. Power Automate delete events are documented in Microsoft Purview
      • In the Microsoft Purview compliance portal, Power Automate audit events include Created flow, Edited flow, and Deleted flow.
      • This indicates that deletion is supported as an activity log event in Purview.
    3. Purview has an important limitation
      • Purview audit logs capture flow lifecycle events such as create, edit, delete, and permission changes.
      • These logs do not include runtime details such as individual flow runs, action executions, or connector calls.
    4. What this means for the observed behavior
      • If delete activity is visible but no Dataverse audit record exists for the deleted cloud flow, the supported interpretation from the documentation is that deletion is available through Power Automate activity logging in Microsoft Purview, not necessarily as a retrievable Dataverse audit record after the flow record is removed.
      • The documentation provided does not describe any extra Dataverse audit setting specifically required to make cloud flow deletion appear as a Dataverse audit record.
      • The documented supported way to retrieve delete activity for cloud flows is through Microsoft Purview Audit.
    5. Supported retrieval path
      • In the Microsoft Purview compliance portal:
        1. Sign in to the portal.
        2. Under Solutions, select Audit.
        3. Under Activities, select the Power Automate activities to audit.
        4. Run the search.
        5. Open the matching result to view activity details.
      • The documented Power Automate events there include Deleted flow.
    6. Retention
      • The referenced compliance article states that audit data is retained for 90 days.

    So, for the specific questions:

    • Is Cloud Flow deletion expected to generate an audit record in Dataverse/Power Automate?
      It is documented as a Power Automate audit event in Microsoft Purview. The provided documentation does not confirm that deletion will always produce a Dataverse audit record for the deleted flow record.
    • Is there any specific audit configuration required?
      For Dataverse visibility, auditing must be enabled for the environment and relevant tables such as Workflows and Connection reference. No additional documented setting is provided that specifically guarantees a Dataverse audit record for delete.
    • Is delete logged under a different type or entity?
      Yes. The documented supported location for cloud flow delete auditing is Microsoft Purview Audit as a Deleted flow activity.
    • Is this a known limitation or expected behavior?
      The provided documentation supports treating this as expected behavior: cloud flow lifecycle delete events are documented in Purview activity logs, while Dataverse auditing is described separately and does not explicitly guarantee a retained Dataverse audit record for deleted cloud flows.
    • Is there a supported way to retrieve audit information for a deleted Cloud Flow?
      Yes. Use Microsoft Purview Audit and search for the Deleted flow activity.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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  2. Ana Le 2,600 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-08T04:30:29.1433333+00:00

    Hi Sujith,

    As the forum’s AI recommended, Microsoft Purview Audit is a supported place to look for the Deleted flow activity. However, I would clarify the conclusion that a missing Dataverse audit record is necessarily expected behavior.

    Microsoft documents create, update, and delete operations as supported Dataverse audit operations. Therefore, the missing record alone does not establish that cloud flow deletion is excluded from auditing. You can see Manage Dataverse auditing - Power Platform | Microsoft Learn

    There is also a documentation inconsistency relevant to your question: the Use auditing in Microsoft Dataverse and Microsoft Purview - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn says Dataverse auditing applies to cloud flows created in solutions and recommends enabling auditing on the Workflows and Connection reference tables. However, the general Dataverse auditing article lists Workflow among tables that cannot be audited. Given this discrepancy, I would not promise that enabling the Workflows table will capture deletion, or label your observation a confirmed limitation.

    To investigate further:

    1. Please confirm where the “delete activity” is visible and where you are checking for the corresponding audit record. For example, Microsoft Purview, Dataverse Audit Summary, or a custom table/report.
    2. Confirm whether the tested flow was created in a solution, and which table contains the create/update audit records you can already see.
    3. If you are checking Dataverse, review the environment’s Audit Summary view. Microsoft documents this as the view for all audited operations in an environment and notes that audit records can appear with a delay. Existing audit data can also be retrieved using the supported Retrieve the history of audited data changes - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn.

    For the documented Power Automate deletion event, ask an administrator with the appropriate audit permissions to:

    1. Open Microsoft Purview and select Solutions > Audit.
    2. Search a date range covering your test, selecting the Power Automate Deleted flow activity.
    3. Open any matching result to inspect its details.

    Microsoft lists Deleted flow explicitly and also supports retrieving these activity logs through the Office 365 Management API. Check the auditing, licensing, and permission prerequisites in View Power Automate activity logs in Microsoft Purview - Power Platform | Microsoft Learn.

    One correction to the earlier answer: Purview Audit (Standard) currently has a default retention period of 180 days, rather than 90 days. Applicable licensing and retention policies should also be checked. See Manage audit log retention policies | Microsoft Learn.

    Please confirm which page shows the delete activity, which page or tool you use to look for the audit record, and the name of the table containing the create/update audit records. Please share only the page/tool and table names, without any account details, environment URLs, IDs, or log contents.

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