---
title: "Copilot: What the Admin Center Shows"
source: https://bitvaria.com/en/was-das-admin-center-zeigt
---

12\. Sept. 2026 · [AI](https://bitvaria.com/category/ai/)  · 9 min read

# Copilot: What the Admin Center Shows

Prompts, active days, and estimated hours can inform a license decision. Each number needs context: what was recorded, and what was calculated from a formula?

![Prompts, active days, and estimated hours can inform a license decision. Each number needs context: what was recorded, and what was calculated from a formula?](https://bitvaria.com/_astro/was-das-admin-center-zeigt.aQisU7K1.jpg)

> **The Copilot usage report in the admin center records prompts and activity.** The Copilot Dashboard in Viva Insights adds usage patterns and estimated hours. To use a number in a license decision, you need to know how it was produced. Usage data is available for small pilots too. Actual time savings need evidence from your own work.

One person sends a prompt, another uses Copilot every day. The report counts both as active. That number alone does not tell us whether the license is worth the money.

It is worth taking a closer look before the next bill. How often is Copilot used? What for? And what work does it save? Microsoft provides several reports. You need to know what their numbers tell you.

**In this post:** [Usage data](#prompts-and-active-days-in-the-admin-center) · [Estimated hours](#how-activity-becomes-estimated-hours) · [Small pilots](#what-is-available-with-fewer-than-50-licenses) · [Business data](#which-data-the-decision-still-needs) · [Works council agreement](#agree-on-access-and-use-before-rollout)

## Prompts and active days in the admin center

The usage report sits under Reports → Usage → Microsoft Copilot in the Microsoft 365 admin center. It offers periods of 7, 28, 90, or 180 days. Microsoft says data for a given day is typically available within 48 hours.

The user table shows prompts across the apps covered, separate counts for Copilot Chat, and the last activity in each app. Active Days has a narrower definition: it counts days when a person submitted prompts to Copilot Chat. Other Copilot actions do not automatically add an active day to that column.

The definition of active matters too. Opening the Copilot pane does not count; submitting a prompt does. In Loop, viewing documents created by the Facilitator in a Teams meeting also counts. The active user rate alone therefore cannot establish heavy use.

To compare two reports, match the period, population, and metric. Microsoft checks the past three days for gaps and fills in missing data. An earlier export can therefore differ from a later one. The [usage report documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/activity-reports/microsoft-365-copilot-usage?view=o365-worldwide) explains these limits.

## What the Copilot Dashboard adds

The Copilot Dashboard is a separate interface in Viva Insights. It groups Copilot Chat prompts into categories including Ask and find, Catch up, and Draft and brainstorm. Other metrics count specific actions, such as drafting documents in Word.

This helps narrow down [your task mix](https://bitvaria.com/en/anteil-ki-aufgaben-teuerstes-modell). A category does not yet describe a completed business task. Producing one sales quote may take several drafts and follow-up prompts. The [Viva Insights metric reference](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/advanced/reference/metrics) defines what each metric counts.

## How activity becomes estimated hours

The dashboard also shows Copilot assisted hours. Microsoft calculates these from recorded actions and fixed time allowances. Each search, summary, or creation action is assigned six minutes. Ten such actions produce one estimated hour of assistance. That calculation does not measure how long the work took with and without Copilot in your company.

For meetings, the figure depends on when the feature was used. A summary requested half an hour into a meeting initially counts for half an hour. If the same person accesses the recap after the hour-long meeting ends, it counts for one full hour. Multiple uses are combined per person per meeting.

Copilot assisted value multiplies these hours by an hourly rate. The default is 72 US dollars. Both the rate and currency can be changed in the dashboard calculator. The time allowances come from Microsoft studies, including a search task with 163 participants and a writing task with 147 participants. They are not measurements from your workplace.

Microsoft explicitly describes the figures as estimates and shows the calculation in the dashboard. Some of these metrics also depend on optional diagnostic data. Without it, fewer activities may be captured. The [dashboard documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/org-team-insights/copilot-dashboard) explains the formula and data coverage; the [underlying studies](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/copilots-earliest-users-teach-us-about-generative-ai-at-work) describe the tasks tested.

For your own business outcomes, there is the Copilot Business Impact Report, a Power BI template. The company uploads monthly metrics for each person. Microsoft recommends including at least 65 users with Copilot and 65 without. The report compares usage and outcomes. It does not test differences for statistical significance or establish causation. A better sales close rate may have other causes. The [Business Impact Report guide](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/advanced/analyst/templates/copilot-business-impact) states these limits.

## What is available with fewer than 50 licenses

A pilot with 30 Copilot licenses already has access to Adoption and Impact in the dashboard. This includes company and group metrics plus HR filters.

The full set of features requires at least 50 assigned Copilot licenses or at least 50 assigned Viva Insights licenses. The Viva Insights option applies regardless of the Copilot count. This also unlocks benchmarks, agent insights in the dashboard, weekly and monthly trendlines, and dedicated manager views. Check the specific feature you need. The current [dashboard feature availability table](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/viva/insights/org-team-insights/copilot-dashboard#feature-availability-based-on-licenses) lists its requirements. You do not need 50 Copilot licenses for a basic assessment of a pilot.

## Which data the decision still needs

**Completed tasks and costs.** Prompt counts show activity. To calculate [cost per completed task](https://bitvaria.com/en/bezahlt-pro-lizenz-genutzt-pro-aufgabe), you also need the number of usable results and the effort required to produce them. Include review and rework. Comparing another billing model also requires its prices and operating costs.

**Quality on the same tasks.** Copilot Chat offers Auto, Quick response, and Think deeper. Microsoft describes these in its [model selection overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/overview#model-selection-in-copilot-chat). A usage report still cannot replace a comparison. Whether [a cheaper model can do the same job well enough](https://bitvaria.com/en/qualitaetsluecke-offener-modelle) can be tested using your own examples and agreed quality criteria.

**Processing location and contractual terms.** The usage reports described here do not identify a processing region for each request. Microsoft states that EU traffic remains within the EU Data Boundary. Anthropic models provided as a subprocessor are currently excluded, according to its [privacy documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/microsoft-365-copilot-privacy#microsoft-copilot-and-the-eu-data-boundary). Check which commitments and exceptions apply to the service in use. Their implications for [residency and jurisdiction](https://bitvaria.com/en/residenz-ist-nicht-jurisdiktion) need a separate assessment.

## Agree on access and use before rollout

Microsoft hides user details in reports by default. Authorized admins can reveal them; the change is recorded in the Purview audit log. Microsoft describes this in its [usage reports overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/activity-reports/activity-reports?view=o365-worldwide#show-user-group-or-site-details-in-usage-reports).

Where a German works council exists, its co-determination rights apply to introducing and using systems capable of monitoring employees. The Federal Labour Court holds that objective suitability for monitoring behavior or performance is enough. The employer does not need to intend monitoring. Person-level usage data is directly relevant here.

Early involvement and a promise to report only on groups do not replace agreement on the actual use. The legal basis is [Section 87(1)(6) and Section 87(2) of the German Works Constitution Act](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/betrvg/__87.html). The [Federal Labour Court explains its interpretation in case 1 ABR 16/23, paragraph 25](https://www.bundesarbeitsgericht.de/entscheidung/1-abr-16-23/).

## Put a renewal figure in context

In Microsoft’s calculation, ten search requests add up to one hour. To find out whether the team saves that time, look at the work. Does it finish faster? How much does it need to check or redo?

Two things help with the next renewal: how the hours were estimated and what the team got done. The next step is to look at [the tasks behind that usage](https://bitvaria.com/en/anteil-ki-aufgaben-teuerstes-modell).

## Frequently asked questions

**Is the Copilot usage report enough for a license decision?** It shows recorded usage: prompts, days with Copilot Chat prompts, and the last activity in each app. An economic assessment also needs evidence from your own work, such as completion time and rework. Estimated hours in the Copilot Dashboard do not replace that assessment.

**How does Microsoft calculate Copilot assisted hours?** Microsoft assigns six minutes to each recorded search, summary, or creation action. For ongoing meetings, it counts the elapsed meeting time when summarized. A recap after the meeting ends counts for the full duration. Each meeting counts once per person. The result is an estimate. The monetary value uses a default hourly rate of 72 US dollars. Both the rate and currency can be changed.

**What does the Copilot Dashboard show with fewer than 50 licenses?** With 1 to 49 assigned Copilot licenses, Adoption and Impact already include company and group metrics plus HR filters. The license requirement for all dashboard features is met with at least 50 assigned Copilot licenses. Alternatively, at least 50 assigned Viva Insights licenses qualify, regardless of the Copilot count. A small pilot can be assessed without these additional features.

*Sources checked on September 12, 2026.*

* * *

*Related: [What Share of AI Tasks Needs the Most Expensive Model](https://bitvaria.com/en/anteil-ki-aufgaben-teuerstes-modell), [Paid Per Seat, Used Per Task](https://bitvaria.com/en/bezahlt-pro-lizenz-genutzt-pro-aufgabe), [The Quality Gap in Open AI Models](https://bitvaria.com/en/qualitaetsluecke-offener-modelle), and [Residency Is Not Jurisdiction](https://bitvaria.com/en/residenz-ist-nicht-jurisdiktion).*

-   [ki](https://bitvaria.com/tag/ki/)
-   [mittelstand](https://bitvaria.com/tag/mittelstand/)
-   [copilot](https://bitvaria.com/tag/copilot/)

Share:

[Back to Blog](https://bitvaria.com/blog/)