Log Analytics workspace: definition

Classic Application Insights resources stopped ingesting on June 15, 2025, so every resource that still receives data writes it to a Log Analytics workspace. Resources Microsoft migrated automatically got a managed workspace named managed-<name>-ws in a new resource group.

The workspace is where the money and the rules live. It bills ingestion, so its pricing options, commitment tiers included, apply to Application Insights data. It holds retention: Application Insights tables keep 90 days at no charge, analytics retention goes up to two years, and total retention up to 12 years. And its daily cap applies alongside the resource’s own.

The same rows answer to two sets of names. Queries run from the Application Insights resource use the classic tables and columns (requests, timestamp, cloud_RoleName, itemCount); queries in the workspace use AppRequests, TimeGenerated, AppRoleName and ItemCount:

AppRequests
| where TimeGenerated > ago(1h)
| summarize requests = sum(ItemCount) by AppRoleName

Several apps can share one workspace, and one query then covers them all with no cross-resource syntax. For apps in different workspaces, workspace() reaches across, up to 100 resources per query. Billing per workspace also means VM logs and diagnostic settings that write to the same workspace share the bill, which is the first thing to check when the cost doesn’t match the Application Insights volume.

Where it comes up

Azure Monitor vs Application Insights vs Log Analytics

Guide · Azure Monitor is the platform, Log Analytics the workspace and its query tool, Application Insights the APM feature. Table names, storage, and what to query.

Query several Application Insights resources at once with KQL

Guide · Query many apps with KQL using one workspace, workspace() and app(); find a resource from its instrumentation key; join reference data; reuse dashboards.

Application Insights pricing: what you pay for, and how to cut the bill

Guide · Application Insights bills by the GB its Log Analytics workspace ingests. Current East US prices, the free allowance and retention, and what to change first.

Telemetry volume by table, in GB per day

KQL · One row per table with the billed gigabytes over the last 7 complete days, the stored rows, the items they stand for after sampling, and the average gigabytes per day, largest first.

Related terms

Daily cap

A limit on the GB a Log Analytics workspace or Application Insights resource ingests in a day; once it is reached, collection stops until the next daily reset.

itemCount

The column on every sampled Application Insights row that records how many original telemetry items the row stands for, so totals stay right after sampling.

Cloud role name and instance

The two fields that say which service (cloud_RoleName) and which machine, container or instance (cloud_RoleInstance) sent a telemetry item; Application Map draws one node per role name.

Where it comes up

Related terms

Sources, checked Oct 21, 2026