Use Intune reporting tools to identify and resolve performance issues
Microsoft Intune provides a comprehensive reporting framework that transforms raw device and application data into actionable intelligence. While individual app status pages and Endpoint Analytics provide focused insights, Intune's broader reporting capabilities help you understand trends, correlations, and organizational patterns that inform strategic decisions about application performance.
The Intune reporting framework
Intune organizes reports into four categories based on their purpose and audience.
| Report category | Purpose | Example use case |
|---|---|---|
| Operational | Timely, targeted data for immediate action | Identifying devices with app failures right now |
| Organizational | Broader summaries for managers and planners | Overall app deployment success rates across the organization |
| Historical | Patterns over time for trend analysis | Evaluating whether to upgrade aging devices |
| Specialist | Custom analyses using raw data exports | Investigating complex correlations between failures and other variables |
This categorization helps you quickly find the right report for your current need. When the help desk receives a ticket about app problems, start with operational reports. When planning quarterly reviews with leadership, use organizational reports. When evaluating whether to upgrade aging devices, consult historical reports. When investigating complex correlations, leverage specialist reporting capabilities.
Application reports in the Intune framework
The App Install Status report exemplifies an operational report. It provides current installation status across all applications, supporting quick identification of problems requiring immediate attention. You can filter by app name, platform, or status, then drill into specific failures to see device details and error codes.
The Managed Apps report, accessible from individual device pages, shows which applications are installed on specific devices. This report proves valuable when troubleshooting user-reported issues. If a user says an application isn't working, you can verify whether it's even installed, check the installed version, and view installation history including any failed attempts.
These reports support common operations like searching, sorting, filtering, and pagination. You're not limited to viewing data in predefined formats—you can adapt the view to answer your specific questions. Sort by last check-in to find devices that haven't communicated recently. Filter by failure status to focus on problems. Search for specific device or user names to quickly locate relevant records.
Export data for advanced analysis
Every Intune report includes export capabilities that allow you to download data for analysis outside the Intune admin center. Exported data includes all columns from the report plus additional fields not displayed in the console interface. You can export to CSV format, which opens easily in Excel, Power BI, or other analytics tools.
Exporting proves valuable when you need to correlate Intune data with information from other systems. For example, you might export application failure data, then join it with your configuration management database to see whether failures correlate with specific hardware models or purchase cohorts. You could merge exported data with network monitoring logs to identify whether app problems concentrate in specific physical locations indicating network issues.
Intune maintains your report filters and search criteria during export. If you filter the device install status report to show only Windows 11 devices with failed installations, the export contains just those filtered records. This behavior allows precise data extraction without manually filtering large exports afterward.
Understand report refresh and data currency
Intune reports display data based on the last device check-in cycle. Devices don't continuously stream telemetry—they check in on schedules controlled by Intune policies and device platform capabilities. Typical check-in intervals range from every 8 hours to once daily depending on device type and configuration.
Reports include timestamps showing when data was last collected or when a specific report was generated. These timestamps help you assess data currency. If you see an installation failure but the device hasn't checked in for three days, the problem might already be resolved. Conversely, if a device checks in hour and continues reporting failures, that indicates a persistent issue.
Some reports support manual refresh with "Generate Report" buttons. Selecting this option re-queries current data from Intune's database, ensuring you see the latest information available. The system displays when the report was last generated, helping you decide whether a refresh is necessary.
Device and user status perspectives
Many Intune reports can display data from device or user perspectives, and choosing the right perspective affects how you interpret information. Device-focused reports show what's happening on individual machines—useful for troubleshooting hardware or configuration issues. User-focused reports show what's happening across all devices a user accesses—useful for understanding user experience.
For application monitoring, both perspectives provide value. If you're investigating why a specific device shows poor app performance, device-focused reports reveal whether problems concentrate on that machine. If you're investigating a user's complaint about app reliability, user-focused reports show whether problems follow that user across multiple devices or concentrate on one device they use.
Integrate with Azure Monitor for advanced scenarios
Organizations with Azure subscriptions can enhance Intune reporting through Azure Monitor integration. This integration enables custom queries using Log Analytics, long-term data retention, and correlation with other Azure services. You send Intune diagnostic data to Azure Monitor's Log Analytics workspace, then query that data using Kusto Query Language.
Azure Monitor integration supports scenarios beyond Intune's built-in reports. You can create custom queries that correlate application performance with compliance status, device configuration, or enrollment history. You can set up automated alerts that notify you when metrics exceed thresholds—like app failure rates spiking above normal baselines.
Workbooks in Azure Monitor provide customizable dashboards combining data from multiple sources. You might create a workbook showing Intune app failures alongside Azure networking metrics and Conditional Access logs, revealing correlations invisible when viewing each data source separately.
Set up diagnostic settings for Azure integration
To send Intune data to Azure Monitor, configure diagnostic settings in the Intune admin center. Select Reports > Diagnostic settings, then add a new diagnostic setting. You specify which Intune data categories to send and select your Log Analytics workspace as the destination.
Once configured, Intune continuously sends operational data to your workspace. You can then access this data through the Azure portal's Log Analytics interface or programmatically through APIs. This raw data access enables deep analysis not possible through Intune's predefined reports.
Important
Exporting data to Azure Monitor requires an Azure subscription and Log Analytics workspace, which incur costs based on data volume and retention period. Review Azure Monitor pricing before enabling this integration.
For more information, see Kusto Query Language (KQL) overview and Azure Monitor Workbooks.
Build reporting workflows
Effective use of Intune's reporting tools involves establishing workflows tailored to your organizational needs. You might schedule weekly reviews of the App Install Status report to identify emerging problems. You could create monthly exports of application reliability data for trend analysis. You might configure automated alerts through Azure Monitor that trigger investigations when failures exceed thresholds.
The key is moving from reactive troubleshooting to proactive management. Rather than only investigating app performance when users complain, regular report reviews help you identify and resolve problems before users notice. This proactive approach reduces helpdesk tickets, improves user satisfaction, and prevents small issues from escalating into major incidents.
Correlate app performance with other factors
Application performance doesn't exist in isolation. Poor performance often correlates with device configuration, network conditions, compliance status, or deployment timing. Intune's reporting capabilities, especially when augmented with Azure Monitor, allow you to explore these correlations.
For example, you might discover that app crashes concentrate on devices running specific Windows builds, suggesting compatibility issues. You could find that installation failures spike during certain hours, pointing to network congestion. You might notice that non-compliant devices show higher app failure rates, indicating that compliance policies protect app performance by enforcing necessary prerequisites.
These correlations inform more effective remediation strategies. Rather than treating each app failure independently, you address root causes affecting multiple applications or devices simultaneously.