About Logic Apps Logging Options

Discover the best logging approach for your Azure Logic Apps integration scenarios. This guide compares Azure native options (Application Insights, Azure Monitor) with Nodinite approaches (Diagnostics Logging, Custom Logging)—helping you choose the right strategy for visibility, compliance, troubleshooting, and operational control.

Comparison: Azure Native vs Nodinite Logging

Key Nodinite Advantages

Reindexing: Extract Business Data from Historical Logs

Application Insights and Azure Monitor require you to define tracked properties before logging. If you need to search by a new business identifier (e.g., "Invoice Number" not tracked initially), historical data is unsearchable.

Nodinite stores full payloads and can retroactively extract Search Fields:

• Add new Search Field Expression for "Invoice Number"
• Run reindexing job on 6 months of historical logs
• Search all past events by Invoice Number instantly

Unlimited Retention with Message Type Control

Azure native options charge per GB and have workspace limits. Nodinite Log Databases enable:

• Message Type-based retention: Keep invoices 7 years, test messages 30 days
• Unlimited storage at database costs (not per-event Azure pricing)
• Archive and purge policies per compliance requirements

Cross-Platform Correlation

Application Insights tracks Logic Apps only. Nodinite correlates end-to-end:

• Salesforce → Logic App → BizTalk → SQL Database → MuleSoft → SAP
• Search by Order ID to see complete business transaction across all systems
• Business Process Modeling (BPM) visualizes workflows spanning platforms

Business User Self-Service

Azure Portal requires IT/DevOps credentials. Nodinite Log Views enable:

• Finance team searches invoices by amount, customer, date—no IT support
• Operations troubleshoots failed orders without Azure Portal access
• Support team downloads payloads for analysis with role-based permissions

Option 1: Application Insights (Azure Native)

Azure Application Insights provides built-in telemetry and diagnostics for Logic Apps with minimal configuration.

When to Use

• ✅ Azure-only environment with no cross-platform integration needs
• ✅ Budget allocated for per-GB Azure ingestion costs
• ✅ Tracked properties defined upfront and won't change
• ✅ Basic troubleshooting (not compliance audit trails)

Application Insights Pros

• Built into Azure—native integration with Azure Portal
• Real-time dashboards—Application Insights analytics and visualizations
• Automatic dependency tracking—maps Logic Apps calls to Azure services

Application Insights Cons

• Metadata only—tracked properties captured, but payloads not stored
• Upfront definitions required—must define tracked properties before logging; cannot search historical data by new fields
• Cost scales with volume—high-throughput Logic Apps generate expensive ingestion bills
• Azure-only correlation—cannot track transactions spanning BizTalk, databases, MuleSoft, SAP
• 90-day default retention—long-term retention expensive
• No business user access—requires Azure Portal credentials

Setup

Enable Application Insights in Logic App settings → Configure tracked properties in workflow actions → Query via Azure Portal or Log Analytics.

Option 2: Azure Monitor Logs (Azure Native)

Azure Monitor with Log Analytics workspace provides centralized logging across Azure services.

When Azure Monitor Makes Sense

• ✅ Centralized Azure logging strategy with existing Log Analytics workspace
• ✅ Multi-service Azure environment (Function Apps, App Services, Logic Apps)
• ✅ IT team has KQL (Kusto Query Language) expertise

Azure Monitor Pros

• Centralized Azure logging—consolidate Logic Apps with other Azure services
• Powerful querying—KQL for complex log analysis
• Alerting integration—Azure Monitor alerts and action groups

Azure Monitor Cons

• Metadata only—tracked properties captured, payloads not stored
• Cannot reindex—if you need to search by new business identifier, historical logs unsearchable
• Workspace costs—per-GB ingestion + workspace retention fees
• Azure-centric—difficult to correlate with non-Azure systems (BizTalk, on-premise databases)
• IT-focused—business users cannot self-serve without Azure Portal access

Azure Monitor Setup

Create Log Analytics workspace → Configure Logic Apps diagnostic settings → Send to workspace → Query via Log Analytics or Azure Monitor.

Option 3: Nodinite Diagnostics Logging

Nodinite's Diagnostics Logging provides plug-and-play logging for Logic Apps with full payload capture via regex-based filters and auto-discovery.

When Nodinite Diagnostics Excels

• ✅ Zero workflow changes—enable diagnostics without coding
• ✅ Full audit trails—compliance and forensic analysis requiring complete payloads
• ✅ Reindexing capability—extract new Search Fields from historical data
• ✅ Cross-platform correlation—track transactions spanning Logic Apps, BizTalk, databases, MuleSoft
• ✅ Business user self-service—finance, ops teams search by business identifiers without IT credentials

Great for IT-pros who want plug-and-play observability!

Using Azure Logic Apps built-in diagnostics with Nodinite's intelligent payload filtering provides full visibility without workflow modifications.

Pros

Diagnostics Logging Considerations

While Diagnostics Logging is powerful, consider these trade-offs:

When Diagnostics Logging Shines

✅ Troubleshooting unknown failures—comprehensive event trail reveals exactly where workflows fail ✅ Compliance audits—forensic analysis with full payloads, even for fields not initially tracked ✅ Zero-touch auto-discovery—agent finds all Logic Apps across subscriptions automatically ✅ Reindexing for new requirements—extract "Invoice Number" from 6 months of historical payloads retroactively

Diagnostics Setup

Follow the Prerequisites guide to enable diagnostics for Azure Logic Apps with the Nodinite Azure Logic Apps Agent.

Further reading: Set up Azure Monitor logs and collect diagnostics data for Azure Logic Apps

Diagnostics Tips

Control naming with Tracked Properties using Context Options:

• Message Type name—Add ExtendedProperties/1.0#MessageTypeName with versioned value (e.g., Orders/1.0#Order, EDIFACT.DESADVD96A)
• Repair and Resubmit—Add Filename with full path to enable Log View resubmission operations

Warning

DO NOT enable these Azure diagnostic options—Nodinite doesn't need metrics or other categories, which only increase Azure costs. Nodinite does not need the metrics or other categories.

Option 4: Nodinite Custom Logging

Nodinite's Custom Logging provides total control over what, when, and how you log—ideal for selective high-value logging.

When Custom Logging Excels

• ✅ Selective logging—log only business-critical events (invoices, orders), skip test transactions
• ✅ Cost optimization—reduce event volume by 90%+ with strategic logging placement
• ✅ Advanced correlation—link transactions across systems with custom InterchangeId logic
• ✅ Business-specific metadata—enrich logs with calculated values, external lookups, user context

Great for business-driven logging strategy!

With Custom Logging, you add code to workflows to log only what matters. Initial effort pays off with high-quality, targeted observability.

Tip

For Azure Functions logging, check out the Nodinite Serilog feature.

Custom Logging Pros

Custom coding delivers precision logging with upfront engineering investment:

Custom Logging Considerations

Total control requires engineering investment:

Custom Logging Setup

Create Nodinite JSON Log Events and send to intermediate storage consumed by the Pickup Log Events Service.

This Nodinite JSON Log Event is persisted to an intermediate storage and is eventually consumed by the Nodinite Pickup Log Events Service Logging Agent making your logs available within the Nodinite Log Views.

Intermediate Storage Options (see Pickup Service for complete list):

• Service Bus queue
• Event Hub (requires blob container for checkpointing)

Implementation Steps:

1. Choose intermediate storage based on pricing, scaling, geo-redundancy requirements
2. Add Compose action to Logic App workflow to create JSON Log Event
3. Send JSON to intermediate storage (Service Bus Send Message, Event Hub Send Event)
4. Configure Pickup Service to consume from intermediate storage

Tip

Consult Nodinite Partners for Logging strategy design expertise.

Example JSON Log Event (add to Compose action, then send to intermediate storage):

{
  "Body": @{base64(body('INT001B.OrderIncomingSB'))},
  "EndPointDirection": 0,
  "EndPointName": "INT101: Receive Hello World Log Events",
  "EndPointTypeId": 60,
  "EndPointUri": "C:\\temp\\in",
  "LogAgentValueId": 5,
  "LogDateTime": @{utcNow()},
  "OriginalMessageTypeName": "OVERRIDDENBYTRACKEDPROPERTY"
}

See JSON Log Event documentation for all properties and customization options.

Which Logging Option Should I Choose?

Use this decision guide to select the best approach for your requirements:

Decision Flowchart

Key Differentiators Summary

Application Insights: Best for Azure-native shops with short retention needs and metadata-only requirements.

Azure Monitor Logs: Best for multi-service Azure logging with KQL expertise and centralized Azure observability.

Nodinite Diagnostics Logging: Best for compliance, long retention, cross-platform correlation, and reindexing without workflow changes.

Nodinite Custom Logging: Best for selective high-value logging, cost optimization, and total control over correlation logic.

Related Topics

• Azure Logic Apps Monitoring and Logging Overview
• Prerequisites for Diagnostics Logging
• JSON Log Event Format
• Pickup Log Events Service
• Message Type Retention Control
• Context Options for Tracked Properties
• Serilog for Azure Functions Logging