Process and Task Mining in Power Automate: Licenses and Add-on Explained

When you think about automation in Power Automate, the conversation usually jumps straight to individual flows: a trigger, a few actions, done. But before you decide what to automate, it's worth asking a more fundamental question: how does your process actually run in practice, and where does the biggest friction occur? This is exactly where the two analysis features Process Mining and Task Mining come in, which Microsoft has built directly into Power Automate.

Both features give you solid data instead of gut feeling, but they differ clearly in approach and target audience. Anyone planning a larger automation should, according to the official documentation, know both tools and above all know which license is needed for which use case, because that is often where the biggest pitfall lies in practice. In this article we look at the difference between Process Mining and Task Mining, the relevant licensing models, and when the separate Process Mining add-on is really worth it. That way you stay in control of your budget from the start, instead of being surprised by a license bill later.

Process Mining or Task Mining: which one fits your question?

According to the overview of process and task mining on Microsoft Learn, both features pursue different goals, even though they are often mentioned in the same breath:

• Process Mining is suited for analyzing company-wide processes. The feature works with event log files from your system of record, meaning the apps you actually use in your processes, and builds process maps with data and metrics from them. Typical examples from the documentation are accounts receivable or a complete order-to-cash process.
• Task Mining instead zooms into the desktop level. The feature records real user actions, such as mouse clicks, keyboard input, and application switches, and shows you how a task is actually carried out, not how it's described in the manual.

As a rule of thumb: Process Mining answers the question of where the bottlenecks lie in a larger workflow. Task Mining answers the question of what a person actually does on screen to complete a single task. In practice, the two often complement each other, because a process mining analysis shows you which sub-step is taking noticeably long, and task mining then shows you exactly why that is.

The licenses that matter for process and task mining

According to Microsoft, Process Mining is licensed as part of Power Automate, not as a separate product. Specifically, the documentation distinguishes three license tiers with different capacity:

• Power Automate trial license: For 90 days you get both task mining and process mining features, though limited to 100 MB of process mining capacity per process.
• Power Automate Premium: This per-user license includes full task and process mining functionality. Each Premium license contributes 50 MB to a tenant-wide capacity pool, capped at a total of 100 GB. Each license also adds 250 MB of Dataverse database capacity and 2 GB of Dataverse file capacity.
• Power Automate Process Mining add-on: A tenant-wide add-on package that requires the Premium license and extends the capacity pool by another 100 GB, plus 2 GB additional Dataverse database and 1 TB additional file capacity.

To customize your process reports in Power BI, you also need a paid Power BI license, since this is not automatically included in the Power Automate plans mentioned.

When do you really need the Process Mining add-on?

For most small and medium teams, the capacity that already accumulates in the capacity pool through the individual users' Premium licenses is completely sufficient to get started. The add-on only becomes relevant if your company either runs a very large number of Premium licenses at once and still hits the pool's 100 GB limit, or if you specifically import very large, detailed event logs, for example from an ERP system with high transaction volume over a longer period.

Before buying the add-on, it's worth taking a look at the Power Platform admin center to check the capacity actually being used. Often you can reduce the storage requirement by deleting completed processes or more deliberately limiting the amount of imported historical data before investing in additional capacity.

Prerequisites you should clarify beforehand

To get started at all, according to Microsoft Learn you need a Power Platform environment with a Microsoft Dataverse database as well as the right role: the Environment Maker role is required to create, share, and collaborate on processes. For desktop analysis with advanced features, you also install the Process Mining desktop app, and for task mining you need an installation of Power Automate for desktop.

Sorting these basics out properly upfront saves a lot of frustration later: mismatched licenses or a missing role are, according to the documentation, one of the most common causes when a process can suddenly no longer be opened. If you're unsure which combination of licenses actually fits your team, our Power Automate licensing consulting helps you realistically assess capacity, number of users, and add-on needs before you sign a contract.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a different license for Task Mining than for Process Mining?

No. According to Microsoft Learn, both the Power Automate trial license and the Power Automate Premium license include both features together. There is no separate standalone license just for Task Mining; the feature is tied to the same plans as Process Mining.

What happens if my organization exceeds the 100 GB limit?

Once the tenant-wide capacity pool from the Premium licenses is exhausted, no further process can be filled with new data until either storage space is freed up or the Process Mining add-on provides additional capacity. Both are, according to the documentation, a deliberate, separate step and do not happen automatically.

Is the free trial license enough for an initial test?

Yes, for a first impression. The 90-day trial license offers the same task mining features as the Premium license and allows process mining with up to 100 MB of capacity per process, which is usually enough for a manageable example process. For ongoing production use, a Premium license is required afterward.

Do I necessarily need Power BI to use Process Mining?

No, the standard analysis reports can also be viewed on the web and in the desktop app without your own Power BI license. Only if you want to customize your process report with your own Power BI workspace do you additionally need a paid Power BI license.

Which role do I need to create a process in my environment at all?

You need the Environment Maker security role in the respective Power Platform environment. Without this role you may be able to view shared processes under certain circumstances, but you cannot create your own processes, import data, or manage sharing.