Microsoft Azure Logic Apps Reviews

I am a monitoring engineer and primarily use Logic Apps as part of the monitoring integration project. It is leveraged for orchestrating different tasks and recognizing Azure Monitor alerts to build data pipelines.

Microsoft Azure Logic Apps has saved us a significant amount of time and is straightforward to use due to its excellent documentation.

Its notable advantage is its user-friendly UI, which allows easy testing. It is cloud-agnostic and aids data engineers by facilitating the creation of data pipelines, including AI-related ones. The built-in connector feature is also valuable, enabling integration with services like Teams and email notifications.

The OpenAI components in Logic Apps could be more understandable, especially in training data or handling Azure Monitor alerts more simplistically, enhancing interpretability.

I have been using Logic Apps for one year.

Logic Apps is stable and reliable.

Logic Apps is easily scalable due to its use of the application service's auto-scaling capabilities.

I haven't had direct contact with Microsoft customer support as another colleague manages our support interactions.

Positive

Before Logic Apps, I worked with other cloud services like AWS and Azure Cloud for monitoring purposes.

The installation of Logic Apps is straightforward and easy, requiring minimum personnel effort.

Just one person is sufficient to handle the installation of Logic Apps.

Logic Apps offers around 30% savings in terms of cost and time, enhancing development flexibility.

Logic Apps is free to use, though there may be costs associated with additional data storage or overuse of emails, which could require additional services.

Previously, I worked with OpenShift in an on-premises environment and Azure Cloud services.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Microsoft Azure Logic Apps is a fantastic suggestion, especially for those who may not have extensive coding knowledge but understand the requirements well. It provides an easy way to create an auto-response solution. For instance, if you have services running in Azure and want to generate an alert, it allows you to integrate seamlessly. You can trigger tasks based on alerts, creating multi-layered tasks with loops, conditions, and more. It will enable you to perform multiple actions.

I have an example where I automated a business process using Logic Apps and even published an article on the same solution. The customer is required to monitor their NSGs. In the Logic App flow, I designed an alert system if any deny event occurred. It created an HTML-formatted alert identifying the request details, such as the user, specific server, and port that were denied. This alert was then sent to the respective admin users, allowing them to enable the request. If enabled, the request would go back to the system, triggering a script to enable it; otherwise, it would remain disabled.

In another experience, I created an internal application for the purchase order department using Power Apps and Microsoft Azure Logic Apps. I utilized it to gather data from an Azure SQL database and generate a PDF report. This report was then sent to the relevant stakeholders.

Using connectors in the product is quite straightforward and user-friendly. The platform provides a list of connectors, and users can easily search for the specific connectors they need. 

An area of improvement I've encountered is related to the number of connectors available in Logic Apps. While there are many connectors, I found that the "send email" connector may not work as expected, and one has to rely on Office 365 plugins or other alternatives. This could enhance user experience, especially when considering the additional overhead and licensing requirements associated with Office 365. It also needs to improve security features. 

I rate the solution's stability an eight out of ten. 

The tool's scalability is managed by the backend service itself, as it is a managed service.

The tool's tech support is good and customer-friendly. 

The tool's deployment is straightforward. The deployment time can vary and is not necessarily due to the complexity of the product itself. Instead, the time taken depends on the specific requirements of the integration. Factors such as the complexity of the requirement, the number of conditions, and the need for multiple tests can influence the deployment time. Correctly connecting the suitable connectors, using the appropriate syntax, and implementing loops, among other considerations, may contribute to the overall time spent on deployment. However, it's important to note that the solution, as a service, is not inherently complex.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten. For anyone looking to automate processes, tasks, configuration, application execution, script execution, or data extraction from databases without extensive coding knowledge, I would recommend using Microsoft Azure Logic Apps.

The solution can be integrated with many services. It can integrate with Azure Automation, Azure Defender, web apps, and essentially anything for which a connector is established.

For one of the projects that we used, this solution dealt with SharePoint and Power apps. So there, we have to do some kind of connectivity and calculations on the fly. It was related to reading a file and our heavy processing. That was one scenario. There have been a few others as well.

If we are working with a service-oriented architecture, as an architect as a baseline, it supports us very well in terms of expandability, and the kind of robustness it brings, especially with its serverless nature is fabulous. That's not a problem. So that's how we view it. It allows us to focus on a particular functionality within this context, and that's great. 

However, the challenge lies in the fact that it's often difficult for most developers to integrate it into their daily activities seamlessly. That's where it becomes problematic. 

There are two challenges. First, it's a bit costly at the end of the day. It's difficult to calculate pricing, and that affects the business. That's one challenge. 

Second, it's asynchronous. So, getting a development team to work on it, making it function properly, is a challenge. Salespeople often have this new notion of sequential programming, so they don't fully understand how it can be used in a disconnected or asynchronous mode. It's difficult for them. It's challenging. In terms of analytics and navigation, using all these modern architectures, it's there, and it works nicely. But if somebody is using a legacy application or needs to make an extension, then it becomes difficult because those applications don't really support asynchronous processes, especially building applications this way. It's challenging to sell those things.

So, pricing and handling asynchronous processes are the two main areas that need improvement.

The primary challenge is handling the costs, especially the difficulty in providing precise, concrete numbers to the business. This becomes a significant issue because we can't predict what kind of processes will be required. Once you invest, there are various variables in the market, such as manufacturing, and once you get connected, you need a connector, which often comes at an additional premium cost. Every business is sensitive to this aspect. 

Sorting out the licensing is very complex, particularly when using multiple services. For example, if you want to use Power Apps, Logic Apps, SharePoint, and other services, things become complex and confusing. You can't go to the business and provide a clear budget because businesses prefer a specific number they can allocate. However, it's challenging to provide precise, point-to-point cost estimates because there isn't much detailed information available online. The cost estimates are often high-level.

Here is an example. We are building a chatbot, and one part of it is based on the number of requests. We're a company with 7,000 employees. If the chatbot becomes successful, we could have 100 questions or even 20 to 30 interactions per day per user. However, if it's not successful, it might drop down to just 1 to 2 interactions per day from 20 to 30. The cost variation is so significant that it's challenging to present a consistent cost to the business. It could range from ten thousand dollars per month to maybe just one thousand dollars. The range is hard to explain, and in reality, we don't know. And then there are hidden costs. When you try to connect to something, you suddenly realize it's also license-based, user-based, like seven engineers not using it. The price can increase unexpectedly from a couple of hundred dollars to maybe a few thousand dollars per month or even more. This complexity is causing people to avoid using it.

I have been working with Azure Logic Apps for a couple of years. We did a few projects here and there. Normally, for Azure Logic Apps, we worked in patches, with a few clients agreeing to use it for specific functionality. Most of them are related to SharePoint or Office. They're on the cloud directly. But we haven't come across a situation where the entire application is built around Azure Logic or all these modern services, purely Azure. Generally, it's whether Azure databases may be slow. They use Power Apps and SharePoint in the backend, which is the most popular approach. It's a double operation.

The stability is more the way we develop it. It is not a problem with the apps.

It is scalable. I have never seen a situation where there are scalability issues.

We work with enterprise and medium customers.

The customer service and support are very tricky. They will promptly come to help. Most of the time, they are able to help. But if things get complex, it is difficult to get the information from them. Generally, if you have a paid service, they are good.

Neutral

It is a service, so we don’t need to install it.

Deployment is okay once you set up the process correctly. Normally, it doesn't work in isolation. So whenever we update, there will be two or three of these. PowerApp and other things will be updated. The update is okay. It's not a problem. If you have to move between environments, then it's something we need to think about. There's no particular standard for people to have different things, and in some cases, we do have. It can be resolved.  

We used this solution for one or two projects, but it cost a lot. Very expensive.

Overall, I would rate Microsoft Azure Logic Apps an eight out of ten. It is a good product but not the best.

I would advise that you should know how service architecture works. You should know where the service is going to be adjusted in their application. It's not that you'll start putting everything. You need to understand the nature when you go with service architecture. If you don't understand, then there is a problem. 

Otherwise, it is okay. It's a good solution. You may have a few challenges, but it will be okay. It's a nice solution.

With Microsoft Azure Logic Apps, we can orchestrate and pull event-based triggers. We can use the solution to schedule a workflow based on any new record inserted into our database.

The solution's best feature is that it is compatible with the cloud and has many connectors and third-party adapters. You can connect it with almost every system.

We have lots of other systems. When we raised a complaint with Microsoft, they asked us not to use the solution for a particular purpose. We wanted to use Microsoft Azure Logic Apps, but we faced a timeout. We had a call with Microsoft regarding one of the issues. The support person with whom I was discussing was also not very comfortable with that question.

I have been using Microsoft Azure Logic Apps for the last one year.

We are working on the same technology in our company. Approximately 40 to 50 people on our team use Microsoft Azure Logic Apps.

The solution's customer support depends on the type of partner you are. If you are a gold partner, they will reply immediately. However, if you have a lower level of collaboration with Microsoft, they will take some time. The technical support team does fix issues, but they take time.

The initial setup of the solution would be a bit difficult if you are using CI/CD. CI/CD, container integration, and container deployment are one-time processes. Setting them up once makes the rest of the deployment easier. If you don't do it initially, you have to copy and paste, which will take time. I suggest you invest time in creating a CI/CD to avoid the later dependencies or consequences of not using CI/CD.

You will be charged too much if you are unaware of the solution's cost. Initially, when I was doing my development and POCs, one day, I forgot to close the connection or the artifact I created. The next morning, I learned that INR 40,000 had been deducted from my credit card.

Some companies use the solution for monetary benefits. Other companies upgrade their technology to compete with other technologies. In my current organization, everything is working fine, but they must also upgrade their technology. They were not saving money with the tool but had to upgrade themselves in technology.

You should be aware of the solution's configuration. You don't have to write any code, even for your basic work needs. However, you do have to configure some things and be aware of the triggers and actions. There is also a lot of help available on Google and YouTube to do it.

We have to write the code in such a manner that the next person who is using it or visiting that particular code should be aware. If you don't write properly what type of work you are doing inside a particular code, it'll be very difficult to identify what you have done. If I pick one particular action, the action should be very clear about what I'm doing in that action.

Otherwise, it will be very messy. If you use the default naming structure, it will be like one, two, or three variables. If you do not write the proper name of that variable, it'll be very difficult to identify what type of work you were doing inside that scope, function, or action.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

I've got a few use cases.

I have one use case where I read emails from an inbox, and then I process files in the attachments of that email.

I also read from a database on-premise with an on-premise integration. I'm not sure what it's called, however, it was really easy to set up, and I could access the on-premise database in my Azure Cloud and then talk to the Logic App from my Azure web application. 

There's another use case where I read from a database and create a file in a file storage account.

It is incredibly easy to use. You open it, and it's just like a designer. It asks: "Well, what step would you want to take?"

There are good integrations available. 

If there's something that isn't possible, you can write some code and call that code from a Logic App.

It is stable. 

It has a lot of integrations, which are quite easy to understand mostly. However, especially when using a function or a parameter, that could be easier as that's not very well-documented, and it's not very clear from the tool itself how to use it. When using parameters or functions, it gets a bit tricky.

I've used the solution in the last 12 months. 

For the most part, it's pretty stable. If I do have some problems with an integration, that sometimes fails me. The stability there kind of depends on the step of the integration, however, Logic Apps itself is very stable. I'd rate the stability at an eight or nine out of ten. 

Nobody else in my organization is using the solution at the moment.

I've never contacted technical support. 

How easy or hard the setup is depends on if you already have already an Azure account or not. If you do, it's very easy as it's simply creating a Logic App, and it's using it. It couldn't be easier. If you don't have an Azure account, it's a bit more complicated and is more like setting up an Azure account, which is complicated.

In terms of actual deployment time to get something up and running, you just build it, and it's running, so it is very fast. 

Typically, it is worth the money to adopt the solution. Even if it gets expensive, it's still worth it.

The solution is  serverless, so you only pay for what you use. It could be the case that the first 10,000 or so instances are free, so you only pay if you use it a lot. Then, if you do use it a lot, yeah, well, it depends on your use. If you're processing large files, and you're doing a million a day, you are going to pay quite a lot. If you are processing a hundred emails a month, you are paying nothing.

I'm an end-user.

I've been using the latest version of the solution.

We chose the product as it was easy to connect to on-premise services, especially an on-premise SQL database, which is pretty easy using Logic Apps.

Companies should probably use it if they have the use case. It's an easy and cheap way to integrate with some on-premise services. Other ways are ultimately maybe easier, yet they are often very difficult to set up and a lot more expensive.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. If you are a bit tech-savvy, you can just use it. It can do a lot, and it can do it easily.

We mainly use Azure Data Factory, Azure Synapse, Synapse Analytics, Data Lake storage, and Azure Databricks.

I mainly use Microsoft Azure for services on the cloud. We're trying to create an Azure Data Transfer Layer (DTL) tool directly in the cloud environment.

We usually solve complex use cases with Azure Data Factory or notebooks. So, we haven't used Logic Apps extensively.

We used Logic Apps to return notifications and push them from Logic App to data lake storage. That's the kind of functionality we achieved through Logic Apps.

In Microsoft Azure, this orchestration tool is a data factory. It's simple to use and has good UI with most connectors available to connect with different source systems and databases and Azure Databricks. 

So, we use it as a data transformation tool. So, on a big volume of data, we can do it. I've been using Microsoft Azure for five or six years, so I'm quite comfortable with it.

Azure Logic Apps is an analytics tool that's pretty easy to use. Compared to AWS and GCP, it's quite comfortable. The UI is much improved.

Additional features or extensions could potentially be integrated with Logic Apps.  

I only used Logic Apps for a few months. But I have been using Microsoft products for ten years. For example, I have been using data engineering use cases I have been using Microsoft Azure for the last five years. 

Security and stability are quite good. I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It was a back-end application used by developers for development purposes. It was an automated pipeline that received notifications and pushed them to data lake storage. Once built, it was rarely touched, only for adding notifications.

Our cloud engineers dealt with it, they raised tickets with Microsoft team.

I have been using Microsoft products for the last ten years. On cloud services, we use Logic Apps and data lake storage. Logic Apps for SQL databases. I used it in a project for six months.

And Oracle-integrated tools are new in the market. The client asked us because one of our clients has already purchased an Oracle license, and he introduced us to this tool. To use this Oracle integrator, data integrator, we explore it okay. Because he already has a license to use this tool. He asked us to use those tools. 

That's why we went on the Internet to explore it and learn how to use it. But in the end, we found that we didn't have expertise in these tools because our team hadn't worked on these tools earlier. So then we drop a plan to use this.

It is quite easy to setup Logic Apps. I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, with ten being easy to set up.

We used Azure DevOps for deployment, but for private endpoint configuration in the private cloud, it required infra-team involvement.  

Logic Apps is cheap with its pay-as-you-go model. We only pay for usage time, no license fees. So Logic Apps is good in that aspect.

I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, where ten points mean a very expensive solution. 

Logic is okay. It's for a limited kind of application or short Apps. And, not for the complex applications.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

We use this solution for integration. It is deployed on cloud.

We have about 50 people using this solution.

Logic Apps is valuable because my team uses it for integrating SaaS tool sets.

It's a skill that must be learned. I find the current interface useful, but I could see how others would want the UI bits that are used for creating Logic Apps to be simplified.

I have been using this solution for two years.

The solution is stable.

It's decently scalable.

We have never had to use technical support. The solution is straightforward and documentation is decent.

Initial setup was straightforward. Maintenance is done in-house.

I would rate this solution 7 out of 10.

We use the solution for orchestration and workflow to execute all the processes manually.

The most important feature is integration by email.

The solution can integrate with different ETL tools. It can integrate with Azure Data Factory and a more open connecter.

I have been using Microsoft Azure Logic Apps for two years.

The product is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

Three users are using this solution in our organization.

I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.

Customer support is good but takes time to respond.

Positive

The initial setup can be done within an hour.

I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

The product is expensive. It has a pay-as-go model. If the consumption is high, it will cost more. The billing depends on consumption.

Logic Apps is a low-code development. One can easily do the development and save the workflow. It is user-friendly, offering different connectivity with different services. It should be leveraged as much as possible.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.