Summary
Details
[What and Why:]
Microsoft is updating how the Is Active filter works in Viva Insights Advanced Insights. Today, the filter is automatically applied to certain new Custom Query – Person queries. Beginning in August 2026, Is Active will no longer be selected by default. Instead, analysts must explicitly choose it when they want to limit results to active users.
This change improves transparency and predictability in analytics by preventing users from unintentionally excluding populations from query results. It is particularly valuable when analyzing Copilot metrics, where default filtering could lead to misunderstandings about adoption and usage. Existing queries and Power BI templates remain unchanged, protecting current reporting and business processes.
[Rollout Schedule:]
- General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in early August 2026; expected to complete by mid-August 2026.
[Impact on Your Organization:]
Who is affected:
- Viva Insights Advanced Insights users.
- Analysts and report authors creating new Custom Query – Person queries.
- Organizations using Copilot metrics and/or behavioral data.
- A Microsoft 365 Copilot (Premium) license is required to use this feature.
Platforms/Services:
- Microsoft Viva Insights
- Advanced Insights
- Power BI templates
- Copilot metrics reporting
- Behavioral analytics reporting
What will happen:
-
New queries:
-
Copilot-only Queries (no behavioral data):
- The Is Active option will be disabled in the query builder.
- Users will receive an informational message: "Is Active filtering is not applicable to Copilot-metrics and isActive filter will not be applied to overall report "
- This prevents confusion because the filter does not have a meaningful impact without behavioral data.
-
Copilot + behavioral Queries
- If a query has both Copilot and behavioral metrics, the Is Active filter will be disabled in the query builder with the message: "Is Active filtering is not applicable to Copilot metrics and will not be applied to the overall report."
- For behavioral metrics only, the Is Active filter will be visible, but users must explicitly select it.
-
Copilot-only Queries (no behavioral data):
-
Existing queries and Power BI templates:
- Existing recurring queries that contain Copilot or Copilot and behavioral metrics will be disabled and will stop running. Users will be asked to move to a new template.
- A banner will be displayed on existing queries indicating that a new version of the template is available. Users should run reports based on the latest template.
- No automatic updates or modifications will be made to current reports.
-
Other query types:
- No changes are being made to query types where Is Active is not currently seeded by default (for example, Meeting and Network queries).
[Action Required/Recommendations:]
Re-run existing recurring queries using the new templates.
Recommended actions:
- Review internal guidance and training materials for Advanced Insights analysts.
- Inform report authors that Is Active is no longer automatically applied to new Custom Query – Person queries
- Inform report authors that the Is Active filter will not be applicable for Copilot-only scenarios and scenarios that include both Copilot and behavioral metrics, and will only apply to behavioral metrics when explicitly selected.
- Communicate this change to help desk and analytics support teams to avoid confusion regarding changes in query results after rollout.
- Update internal documentation that describes default query behavior.
Learn more: Filters in advanced analysis queries | Microsoft Learn (will be updated before rollout)
[Compliance considerations:]
No compliance considerations identified, review as appropriate for your organization.
Change History
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