Get Ready for Advanced Analytics in M365 E3 and E5

Advanced Analytics moves into Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 from July 2026. Until now it sat behind the Intune Suite or a separate add on, so most tenants never switched it on. If you hold E3 or E5, you get it automatically once the rollout reaches your tenant, with a 30 day Message Center notice and no action required.

What it enables / Why this matters

Advanced Analytics extends Endpoint Analytics with Resource performance, Battery health, Anomalies, Device timeline, and Device query. The real win is Device query and Device query for multiple devices: near real time state and inventory across your fleet, run straight from the console.

In production this replaces a pile of custom scripts and slow Log Analytics lookups. You ask a device what it looks like right now, not what it reported during the last sync.

Take the classic ticket: a user says the machine is slow. Instead of a remote session, you run one query and see exactly what is running.

Process | top 10 by WorkingSetSizeBytes | project ProcessName, WorkingSetSizeBytes, ProcessorTimePercent, WindowsUserAccountProcess | top 10 by WorkingSetSizeBytes | project ProcessName, WorkingSetSizeBytes, ProcessorTimePercent, WindowsUserAccount

The top processes by memory come straight back, live, so you confirm the cause before you touch the device.

When to use it

Turn it on for fleet wide hardware insight. Battery health and Resource performance feed your hardware refresh planning, so you replace devices on data instead of ticket volume. Device query is strongest in live troubleshooting on Intune managed and Configuration Manager co managed Windows devices.

When NOT to use it

It is Windows only and needs devices onboarded to Endpoint Analytics. There is no value for your macOS, iOS, or Android estate here. Device query for multiple devices also needs a properties catalog policy deployed first, so collection is not instant. Treat this as opt in plumbing, not a switch that lights up everything on day one.

Example scenario

A user reports a laptop that dies by lunch. Instead of remote sessions and guesswork, you open Battery health, read cycle count and capacity, confirm the cell is worn, and drop it into the next refresh batch. The same data, fleet wide, drives the whole hardware budget conversation.

Recommendation

Do not wait for July. Create the properties catalog policy now so collection starts and you have history when the licence flips. Pick two use cases, battery age and resource pressure, prove the value, then expand. The feature is free once you hold E3 or E5, so the only real cost is ignoring it.

Creating the policy takes a minute:

• Assign it to a Windows device group and finish with Review + create.

• Go to Devices > Manage devices > Configuration > Create > New Policy.

• Set Platform to Windows 10 and later and Profile type to Properties catalog, then Create.

• Name the profile, then under Add properties pick your categories and add everyting.

• Assign it to you fleet and you will be ready to use the Multi Device Query feature once its activated in your tenant.

(Single Device Query will work without any collection policy)

References

🔗 Advanced Analytics overview 🔗 Device query for multiple devices 🔗 Intune Advanced Analytics market comparison

If you pay for E3 or E5 from July, Advanced Analytics is already yours. Set up collection now so the data is waiting, not starting.