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power-automate

How do we prevent a Power Automate Flow triggering a warning "Premium flows not running in context of a Power App but are using Power App licenses"?

The problem:

At Power Platform Admin centre > Billing > License > |Environments| tab > Select environment: {Your Environment} > Product: Power Automate > Right hand card: There's the following warning ...

https://admin.powerplatform.microsoft.com/billing/licenses#environmentview#powerautomate# [Environment GUID redacted]

Attention needed
Please note that it could take up to 48 hours for the flow to become compliant after any new license assignment. Consider utilizing License Auto-claim for automated license assignment.

Beneath that an issue given as a hyperlink ...

Premium flows not running in context of a Power App but are using Power App licenses

Clicking on the link lists the flows effected in a card underneath.

Warning message: Premium flows not running in context of a Power App but are using Power App licenses

The full force of the problem is that at a recent point Microsoft threatended to turn off the flows in X days, given the license problem. That threat has been removed by Microsoft; but they could well reinstate it. In any case one doesn't want a flow that "needs attention".

A second part of the problem is that's not clear:

  • Which licence to apply;
  • Whether to apply the licence to the primary owner of the flow; or also co-owners; and
  • When license changes are reflected in the Power Platform Admin centre, to remove the warning message.
Solution

  • Summary

    • The problem only applies to a flow that is: premium; and not associated with a Power App.

    • The primary owner of the flow needs either a "Power Automate premium plan" (we didn't test this) or "Power Automate per user plan" (we tested this).

    • Co-owner licenses don't matter.

    • Seeing the right licensing status for a flow in the admin centre - whether it "needs attention" or not - becomes visible only after some combination of:

      • Overnight, 48 hours, or up to a week; and
      • Possibly needing to edit then save the flow to expedite the flow recognizing the primary owner's licence change.

    Detail

    It turns out the a flow triggers this warning message when it:

    • Is a premium flow. A premium is a flow that uses a premium action. You can identify a premium flow by a diamond icon next to it's name. See the diamond icon below
    • Is not associated with a Power App. See "Associated apps and flows" below.
    • Has a primary owner without the right licence. See the location of the primary owner below.

    An example flow deatils

    To fix:

    • Purchase and assign a "Power Automate premium plan" (we didn't test this but Microsoft support advised this was an option) or "Power Automate per user plan" (we tested this) to the primary owner.

    • The co-owner's license doesn't matter.

    • Seeing the right licensing status for a flow - whether it "needs attention" or not - becomes visible (at Power Platform Admin centre > Billing > License > |Environments| tab > Select environment: {Your Environment} > Product: Power Automate > Right hand card) only after some combination of:

      • Overnight, 48 hours, or (on Microsoft support's advice) up to a week; and
      • Possibly needing to edit then save the flow (you only need to go into the edit screen then press save) to expedite the flow recognizing the primary owner's licence change. In our latest case this took at least overnight before the licence change was observed; after the edit/save (and it may have appearred without the edit/save). Microsoft support recommended this edit then save technique.