cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Reply
tomh
Resolver I
Resolver I

Delay Until 2am

Hello All:

 

I have a simple Approval flow that triggers upon recurrence every 3 days. It gets file properties and if file approval=pending it sends email to approver for approval. Our biggest challenge is that users are often in the files needing to be approved. Therefor when the the approver approves and the flow tries to update the file properties to 'Approve' it cannot do so because the file is locked for editing. The flow continues and errors but the approver is not aware of the fact that the file properties have not been updated. Then again on the third day they receive an email for approval of the same file because the properties are still=pending becuase the file was locked for editing and the metadata could not be updated on previous attempt. I have worked with this flow for months now and have tried just about everything. The only thing I have left is to try to add some kind of delay function into the flow to update the file properties at a specific time when the least amount of users are potentially in the file, say 2am. 

 

I am open to options here. I have not been able to successfully implement a delay in such a way that would only update at 2am. The closest I have been able to get is to delay updating for a given amount of hours say 10 hours. This presents a problem as well as hours of business are roughly between 6am and 6pm. So even if an approver approves at 6am sharp the metadata would then be updated at 4pm, which still falls between our business hours thus potentially leaving the file locked for editing. 

 

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks all!

 

Tom

 

 

 

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
tom_riha
Most Valuable Professional
Most Valuable Professional

Hello @tomh ,

to delay until 2am the next day you can use the following expression inside 'Delay until' action.

addHours(utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd'),26,'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ')

utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd') will give you today's date at 00:00, to which you use the addHours() expression to add 26 hours to get tomorrow 2am and format it as 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ' to fit the requirements of the 'Delay until' action.

image.png

 



[ If I have answered your question, please Accept the post as a solution. ]
[ If you like my response, please give it a Thumbs Up. ]

[ I also blog about Power Automate solutions even for non-IT people. ]

View solution in original post

22 REPLIES 22
Anonymous
Not applicable

@tomh ,

 

You could calculate how many hours are between utcNow() and 2am tomorrow and have the flow delay for that amount of time:

 

the flow in the below screenshot does the following:

 

1. Converts the current time in UTC (Universal Coordinated Time) to local timezone and returns only the Hours number (from a 24-hour format, so 1:00PM=13).

 

2. subtracts the current hour from 26 and returns that figure. 26 is the number of hours there are from 00:00 on day one to 0200 (2:00AM) the following day. this calculation determines how many hour there are from right now to 0200 tomorrow morning.

 

3. delays the flow for that many hours

DelayFlow.png

 

the expressions that you need are in the action block comments in the screenshot.

 

 

I hope this helps!

 

thanks,

Kyle

Paulie78
Super User
Super User

Is there a reason that I am not understand that you cannot just use the delay until action?

 

DelayUntil;.PNG

tom_riha
Most Valuable Professional
Most Valuable Professional

Hello @tomh ,

to delay until 2am the next day you can use the following expression inside 'Delay until' action.

addHours(utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd'),26,'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ')

utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd') will give you today's date at 00:00, to which you use the addHours() expression to add 26 hours to get tomorrow 2am and format it as 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ' to fit the requirements of the 'Delay until' action.

image.png

 



[ If I have answered your question, please Accept the post as a solution. ]
[ If you like my response, please give it a Thumbs Up. ]

[ I also blog about Power Automate solutions even for non-IT people. ]
Anonymous
Not applicable

It looks like I like doing things the hard way... @Paulie78  and @tom_riha 's solutions are much more simple and elegant.

Paulie78
Super User
Super User

@Anonymous don't feel too bad about it. I came up with an elaborate solution also, which I think is quite neat! That is when I noticed delay until 😥

@tom_riha 

Thank you for this. Are you saying that utcNow always returns time of 00:00? So, adding any hours to that figure will always update at set time regardless of whether the approval occurs at 7am or 3pm?

 

tom_riha
Most Valuable Professional
Most Valuable Professional

@tomh 

Expression utcNow() without parameter returns date and time when the action was executed = now. But you if you add a format parameter where you ignore the time part utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd') it'll give you 00:00 time.



[ If I have answered your question, please Accept the post as a solution. ]
[ If you like my response, please give it a Thumbs Up. ]

[ I also blog about Power Automate solutions even for non-IT people. ]

Does this look correct?

Rhia.JPG

tom_riha
Most Valuable Professional
Most Valuable Professional

Yes, that looks just fine. 🙂



[ If I have answered your question, please Accept the post as a solution. ]
[ If you like my response, please give it a Thumbs Up. ]

[ I also blog about Power Automate solutions even for non-IT people. ]

@tom_riha 

Thank you again for this. I will test now and report back the success. 

 

Tom

tomh
Resolver I
Resolver I

@tom_riha 

Hello.

 

The flow did not work as expected.

The flow was manually triggered at 1:09pm on 11/6 as a test on four files added to SharePoint. The flow proceeded to update the file properties at 9:00pm on the same day. The intended result was to update file properties at precisely 2:00am. The delay until input value shown on the successful run shows 'Delay Until 2020-11-07T02:00:002.

 

Any thoughts on why the flow updated the file properties at 9:00pm instead of at 2:00am?

 

Thanks!


Tom

 

Anonymous
Not applicable

@tomh ,

 

my first thought would be to check the TimeZone.

 

In your screenshot above, you're adding the number of hours required to get from utcNow() (when the flow was triggered) to 2:00AM UTC.

 

If you're in Eastern Time, that means the flow is going to wait until 9:00PM EST.

 

You can either manually adjust your expression to account for the timezone difference (note that this will not account for DST next spring), or you can use the Convert TimeZone action block and pass in your addHours() expression.

 

thanks,

Kyle

@Anonymous 

Thank you for this. Yes we are on EST and want the flow to execute the 'Update File Properties' at precisely 2:00am the following day. Can you provide the formula for this by chance?

Thanks!


Tom

tom_riha
Most Valuable Professional
Most Valuable Professional

Hello @tomh ,

that could be a difference in a timezone. What account is running the flow? What timezone it has configured? I'm not sure but it could be user specific.

Edit: I just did a few tests and it expects time in UTC timezone, so you'll need to adjust the time as @Anonymous already suggested.



[ If I have answered your question, please Accept the post as a solution. ]
[ If you like my response, please give it a Thumbs Up. ]

[ I also blog about Power Automate solutions even for non-IT people. ]
Anonymous
Not applicable

@tomh ,

 

I would suggest attempting one of the solutions that I suggested, and then request assistance if you're unable to get either (or both) to work.

 

You've been given the expression that will get you want you want, you just need to adjust it to meet your specific needs.

 

thanks,

Kyle

Hello @Anonymous 

 

Maybe I'm misunderstanding what has been provided as the initial expression. I have control over when the flow is triggered but do not have control over when the approval is completed. The 'Update File Properties' action is the step that I believe I need to address here and that is dependent on when the actual approval is executed. I have no control over when the approval action is executed and so simply adding hours in the form of a delay will not achieve what I need if I apply it to when the approval is executed. I need a set value I believe irrelevant of when the approval is executed to update file properties at 2:00am EST only.

Does that make sense?

 

Or is it as simple as adding 6 hours to the 26 hour value to get to 2:00am? 

Anonymous
Not applicable

@tomh ,

 

Yes, that does make sense; and I understand where you're coming from and that it seems counter-intuitive to be adding a set number of hours when you don't know WHEN the approval will be executed (i.e. you don't know the value of "utcNow()" [ remember that utcNow() returns the current time in UTC timezone] ).

 

what @tom_riha's solution does is help you calculate how many hours are between:

 

1. The time that the flow runs AKA the "current" time AKA the value of the expression utcNow()

 

and 

 

2. the next occurence of 2:00AM (let's agree to call it 2:00AM tomorrow morning since we'll assume that the flow is executing "today")

 

To calculate that time gap we need to know both of those points in time.

 

The first one is easy: the expression utcNow() returns that exact value. If the flow executes today at 12 noon UTC, the value of utcNow() will be 2020-11-09T12:00:00Z (utcNow() is a datetime value, hence why it has the date in it also). Keep in mind that UTC is five hours ahead of EST so when the value of utcNow() is 12pm (noon), it's actually 7:00AM EST.

 

The second point in time is a little more tricky to figure out, but it involves finding a concrete reference point from which we can calculate when (in how many hours) 2:00AM tomorrow morning will occur. @tom_riha's expression above does just that by using a starting point of 00:00 this morning, the beginning of the day, by taking utcNow() and removing the time component; this effectively reduces the time component to 00:00 as he explained above. So, now, it doesn't matter when utcNow() is; the above expression will always return 00:00 (i.e. midnight) this morning.

 

Since 2:00AM tomorrow morning will always be 26 hours after 00:00 this morning, we can add 26 hours to 00:00 this morning to get the datetime of 2:00AM tomorrow morning.

 

HOWEVER!

 

Remember that all of the numbers we just crunched are based on utcNow() which returns the datetime in the UTC time zone. With no adjustments, the above calculations will return datetimes five hours EARLIER for each of the calculated values. So, if the flow was run at noon today UTC, you'd get the following values in for the respective time zones:

UTC (desired):

utcNow() = 2020-11-09T12:00:00Z

utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd') = 2020-11-09T00:00:00Z

addHours(utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd'),26,'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ') = 2020-11-10T02:00:00Z

 

EST (actual):

utcNow() = 2020-11-09T07:00:00Z

utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd') = 2020-11-08T19:00:00Z

addHours(utcNow('yyyy-MM-dd'),26,'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mmZ') = 2020-11-09T21:00:00Z

 

 

If that makes sense, then it's clear now that an adjustment has to be made to the value that is being passed into the Delay Until action block.

 

Either you can add five hours to the "26" in the expression above, OR, you can pass that expression into a Convert Time Zone action block and pass the output of that into the Delay Until.

 

Does that makes sense?

 

thanks,
Kyle

@Anonymous , @tom_riha 

 

I'm still not sure we are on the right path...the GetUTCNow with the formatting applies to when the flow was triggered correct? I think I need to apply the Get UTCNow to when the approval occurs and set specific value vs setting in relation to when the flow was triggered. No? Because it could be 2 hour or two days before the approval step is completed and if the Get UTCNow applies to when the flow is triggered rather than when the approval occurs then the file update could happen prematurely, correct? If the GetUTCNow is nested below the Condition, would it pull the UTC of when the approval occurs or the UTC of when the flow initially triggers?

THx all!

 

Helpful resources

Announcements

Exclusive LIVE Community Event: Power Apps Copilot Coffee Chat with Copilot Studio Product Team

It's time for the SECOND Power Apps Copilot Coffee Chat featuring the Copilot Studio product team, which will be held LIVE on April 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).     This is an incredible opportunity to connect with members of the Copilot Studio product team and ask them anything about Copilot Studio. We'll share our special guests with you shortly--but we want to encourage to mark your calendars now because you will not want to miss the conversation.   This live event will give you the unique opportunity to learn more about Copilot Studio plans, where we’ll focus, and get insight into upcoming features. We’re looking forward to hearing from the community, so bring your questions!   TO GET ACCESS TO THIS EXCLUSIVE AMA: Kudo this post to reserve your spot! Reserve your spot now by kudoing this post.  Reservations will be prioritized on when your kudo for the post comes through, so don't wait! Click that "kudo button" today.   Invitations will be sent on April 2nd.Users posting Kudos after April 2nd at 9AM PDT may not receive an invitation but will be able to view the session online after conclusion of the event. Give your "kudo" today and mark your calendars for April 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM PDT and join us for an engaging and informative session!

Tuesday Tip: Unlocking Community Achievements and Earning Badges

TUESDAY TIPS are our way of communicating helpful things we've learned or shared that have helped members of the Community. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, Tuesday Tips will help you know where to go, what to look for, and navigate your way through the ever-growing--and ever-changing--world of the Power Platform Community! We cover basics about the Community, provide a few "insider tips" to make your experience even better, and share best practices gleaned from our most active community members and Super Users.   With so many new Community members joining us each week, we'll also review a few of our "best practices" so you know just "how" the Community works, so make sure to watch the News & Announcements each week for the latest and greatest Tuesday Tips!     THIS WEEK'S TIP: Unlocking Achievements and Earning BadgesAcross the Communities, you'll see badges on users profile that recognize and reward their engagement and contributions. These badges each signify a different achievement--and all of those achievements are available to any Community member! If you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, you too can earn badges for the great work you do. Check out some details on Community badges below--and find out more in the detailed link at the end of the article!       A Diverse Range of Badges to Collect The badges you can earn in the Community cover a wide array of activities, including: Kudos Received: Acknowledges the number of times a user’s post has been appreciated with a “Kudo.”Kudos Given: Highlights the user’s generosity in recognizing others’ contributions.Topics Created: Tracks the number of discussions initiated by a user.Solutions Provided: Celebrates the instances where a user’s response is marked as the correct solution.Reply: Counts the number of times a user has engaged with community discussions.Blog Contributor: Honors those who contribute valuable content and are invited to write for the community blog.       A Community Evolving Together Badges are not only a great way to recognize outstanding contributions of our amazing Community members--they are also a way to continue fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. As you continue to share your knowledge and assist each other these badges serve as a visual representation of your valuable contributions.   Find out more about badges in these Community Support pages in each Community: All About Community Badges - Power Apps CommunityAll About Community Badges - Power Automate CommunityAll About Community Badges - Copilot Studio CommunityAll About Community Badges - Power Pages Community

Tuesday Tips: Powering Up Your Community Profile

TUESDAY TIPS are our way of communicating helpful things we've learned or shared that have helped members of the Community. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, Tuesday Tips will help you know where to go, what to look for, and navigate your way through the ever-growing--and ever-changing--world of the Power Platform Community! We cover basics about the Community, provide a few "insider tips" to make your experience even better, and share best practices gleaned from our most active community members and Super Users.   With so many new Community members joining us each week, we'll also review a few of our "best practices" so you know just "how" the Community works, so make sure to watch the News & Announcements each week for the latest and greatest Tuesday Tips!   This Week's Tip: Power Up Your Profile!  🚀 It's where every Community member gets their start, and it's essential that you keep it updated! Your Community User Profile is how you're able to get messages, post solutions, ask questions--and as you rank up, it's where your badges will appear and how you'll be known when you start blogging in the Community Blog. Your Community User Profile is how the Community knows you--so it's essential that it works the way you need it to! From changing your username to updating contact information, this Knowledge Base Article is your best resource for powering up your profile.     Password Puzzles? No Problem! Find out how to sync your Azure AD password with your community account, ensuring a seamless sign-in. No separate passwords to remember! Job Jumps & Email Swaps Changed jobs? Got a new email? Fear not! You'll find out how to link your shiny new email to your existing community account, keeping your contributions and connections intact. Username Uncertainties Unraveled Picking the perfect username is crucial--and sometimes the original choice you signed up with doesn't fit as well as you may have thought. There's a quick way to request an update here--but remember, your username is your community identity, so choose wisely. "Need Admin Approval" Warning Window? If you see this error message while using the community, don't worry. A simple process will help you get where you need to go. If you still need assistance, find out how to contact your Community Support team. Whatever you're looking for, when it comes to your profile, the Community Account Support Knowledge Base article is your treasure trove of tips as you navigate the nuances of your Community Profile. It’s the ultimate resource for keeping your digital identity in tip-top shape while engaging with the Power Platform Community. So, dive in and power up your profile today!  💪🚀   Community Account Support | Power Apps Community Account Support | Power AutomateCommunity Account Support | Copilot Studio  Community Account Support | Power Pages

Super User of the Month | Chris Piasecki

In our 2nd installment of this new ongoing feature in the Community, we're thrilled to announce that Chris Piasecki is our Super User of the Month for March 2024. If you've been in the Community for a while, we're sure you've seen a comment or marked one of Chris' helpful tips as a solution--he's been a Super User for SEVEN consecutive seasons!   Since authoring his first reply in April 2020 to his most recent achievement organizing the Canadian Power Platform Summit this month, Chris has helped countless Community members with his insights and expertise. In addition to being a Super User, Chris is also a User Group leader, Microsoft MVP, and a featured speaker at the Microsoft Power Platform Conference. His contributions to the new SUIT program, along with his joyous personality and willingness to jump in and help so many members has made Chris a fixture in the Power Platform Community.   When Chris isn't authoring solutions or organizing events, he's actively leading Piasecki Consulting, specializing in solution architecture, integration, DevOps, and more--helping clients discover how to strategize and implement Microsoft's technology platforms. We are grateful for Chris' insightful help in the Community and look forward to even more amazing milestones as he continues to assist so many with his great tips, solutions--always with a smile and a great sense of humor.You can find Chris in the Community and on LinkedIn. Thanks for being such a SUPER user, Chris! 💪 🌠  

Tuesday Tips: Community Ranks and YOU

TUESDAY TIPS are our way of communicating helpful things we've learned or shared that have helped members of the Community. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, Tuesday Tips will help you know where to go, what to look for, and navigate your way through the ever-growing--and ever-changing--world of the Power Platform Community! We cover basics about the Community, provide a few "insider tips" to make your experience even better, and share best practices gleaned from our most active community members and Super Users.   With so many new Community members joining us each week, we'll also review a few of our "best practices" so you know just "how" the Community works, so make sure to watch the News & Announcements each week for the latest and greatest Tuesday Tips!This Week: Community Ranks--Moving from "Member" to "Community Champion"   Have you ever wondered how your fellow community members ascend the ranks within our community? What sets apart an Advocate from a Helper, or a Solution Sage from a Community Champion? In today’s #TuesdayTip, we’re unveiling the secrets and sharing tips to help YOU elevate your ranking—and why it matters to our vibrant communities. Community ranks serve as a window into a member’s role and activity. They celebrate your accomplishments and reveal whether someone has been actively contributing and assisting others. For instance, a Super User is someone who has been exceptionally helpful and engaged. Some ranks even come with special permissions, especially those related to community management. As you actively participate—whether by creating new topics, providing solutions, or earning kudos—your rank can climb. Each time you achieve a new rank, you’ll receive an email notification. Look out for the icon and rank name displayed next to your username—it’s a badge of honor! Fun fact: Your Community Engagement Team keeps an eye on these ranks, recognizing the most passionate and active community members. So shine brightly with valuable content, and you might just earn well-deserved recognition! Where can you see someone’s rank? When viewing a post, you’ll find a member’s rank to the left of their name.Click on a username to explore their profile, where their rank is prominently displayed. What about the ranks themselves? New members start as New Members, progressing to Regular Visitors, and then Frequent Visitors.Beyond that, we have a categorized system: Kudo Ranks: Earned through kudos (teal icons).Post Ranks: Based on your posts (purple icons).Solution Ranks: Reflecting your solutions (green icons).Combo Ranks: These orange icons combine kudos, solutions, and posts. The top ranks have unique names, making your journey even more exciting! So dive in, collect those kudos, share solutions, and let’s see how high you can rank!  🌟 🚀   Check out the Using the Community boards in each of the communities for more helpful information!  Power Apps, Power Automate, Copilot Studio & Power Pages

Find Out What Makes Super Users So Super

We know many of you visit the Power Platform Communities to ask questions and receive answers. But do you know that many of our best answers and solutions come from Community members who are super active, helping anyone who needs a little help getting unstuck with Business Applications products? We call these dedicated Community members Super Users because they are the real heroes in the Community, willing to jump in whenever they can to help! Maybe you've encountered them yourself and they've solved some of your biggest questions. Have you ever wondered, "Why?"We interviewed several of our Super Users to understand what drives them to help in the Community--and discover the difference it has made in their lives as well! Take a look in our gallery today: What Motivates a Super User? - Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)

Users online (4,509)