Update Item - Remove Data

[tbrock_troc]

Hi.

I am trying to improve upon a recently built flow which updates a Team List with an asset tag # from an Asset Management List when a team member is assigned to the asset on the Asset Management List. In addition to updating the Team List with the asset tag #, I would like the flow to also remove the asset tag # from the Team List when a team member is unassigned from an asset on the Asset Management List.

I am using Microsoft Lists, if that matters.

• Asset Management List
  • Contains look-up columns to bring in Title, Team Member Name and Team Member Email from Team List
• Team List

Here is the flow as it stands which appears to have worked in terms of updating Team List with asset tag # when a team member is assigned to the asset on the Asset Management List:

• Trigger - item on Asset Management List is created or modified
• Get Info - Team List
  • ODATA Filter - Title eq 'Owner Position' (Owner Position is dynamic content from Asset Management List)
• Condition - length(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']) = 0
  • If yes, do nothing
  • If no, update iPad Asset Tag column on Team List with Asset Tag # value from Asset Management List

Since the iPad Asset Tag column in the Team List is a single line text-type column, I was under the impression that I could use the Null Expression to effectively remove existing data. Perhaps I am over-simplifying it, but I figured we would need to update the "If Yes" condition to update the field with the Null expression:

• Condition - length(outputs('Get_items')?['body/value']) = 0
  • If yes, update iPad Asset Tag column on the Team List with null value (blank)
  • If no, update iPad Asset Tag column on Team List with Asset Tag # value from Asset Management List

When I remove a team member from the Asset Management List, the flow successfully executes through the "Yes" condition path however nothing appears to happen on the Team List and the field remains populated:

Any assistance is appreciated!

[tbrock_troc]

As a test, I changed the "yes" condition update item to just say "No Device" (without quotation marks) to see if the issue is with the null expression or a larger issue with the "yes" condition path. 

The flow successfully completed but, again, no update made to the record on the Team List suggesting it is a larger issue having to do with the "yes" condition path.

One thought - the link that the initial flow uses is:

• Title
• Owner Position (aka lookup column from Team List bringing in Title)

So, as I understand it, the flow is using the 'Title' from Team List to match to the 'Owner Position' (aka Title) which helps identify the correct line/record on the Team List to update with the asset tag # when a team member is assigned.

If I remove the team member, the 'Owner Position' is now blank on the Asset Management List. Since the flow is set up to use Title-Owner Position to link the lists together, does the blank Owner Position field cause this issue?

On the other hand, I thought the "length" expression, when equals 0 (Yes), would clear data from everyone on the Team List who is not assigned to an asset on the Asset Management List.

[takolota]

The problem isn’t with the null value or even the Update item action, it’s your Get items.

When an action is greyed out like that in a loop, it means the array of items sent to the loop was empty. In other words your Get items isn’t returning any records matching your filter in these scenarios.

[tbrock_troc]

Thanks for the response.

This would explain why when I add an employee, there is a record which matches the Title-Owner Position and the flow updates the Team List appropriately but when I remove an employee, there is no longer a record for the flow to find.

I guess a basic question - does the item you use as your filter (i.e. Title-Owner Position) need to match between the lists?

Both lists have a unique "ID" column however when I updated the filter to "ID eq 'ID'", it updates the wrong record in the Team List (i.e. asset #1 assigned to employee #5 but employee #1 line is updated).

Is there a solution to this or have I effectively built a one-directional flow that can update the Team List when someone is assigned but not when someone is unassigned?

[takolota]

Can I see the output of the Get items in a flow run where you are trying to remove the tag?

It may be that there is no data if you delete the record. In that case there may still be a way to achieve what you want with a separate flow & the “When an item is deleted” trigger. But that trigger is often restricted by your IT admin.

[takolota]

Unless you aren’t actually deleting the item & the filter query column just somehow relies on the assigned person column.

[tbrock_troc]

Thanks again for the response!

Apologies for using unclear language - we would not be deleting an item entirely off the Asset Management List. Rather, I would clearing data from a single field (which in turn clears 3 other fields) - essentially removing the title of person assigned to an asset and not removing the asset itself from the list entirely.

Here is the screenshot of the 'Get Items' portion of a completed flow where I had unassigned a person from an asset on the Asset Management List:

Some details in case you find them helpful:

• 36 total items in Asset Management List
• 2 items were assigned to 2 different people (flow successfully updated Team List)
• 1 person unassigned from 1 item - screenshot above is flow triggered from this action

Since my filter operates on Title-Owner Position, when I clear Owner Position from the Asset Management List, does this mean there is nothing for the flow to use to update the corresponding column related to the Title on the Team List?

[tbrock_troc]

Also, if it helps, here is the 'Get Info' from a successfully completed flow after assigning an asset to someone on the Asset Management List:

EDIT:

"Unless you aren’t actually deleting the item & the filter query column just somehow relies on the assigned person column."

I think this is true - I am using Owner Position on the trigger side which is a lookup column bringing in Title from the Team List. This field is blank until I assign the asset to someone and the field is cleared when we un-assign an asset to someone. So, my flow is unable to identify which record in Team List to update since we have removed the Owner Position data used in the filter query?

[tbrock_troc]

Is it possible to have the flow to identify which 'Titles' from the Team List are missing from the 'Owner Position' column on Asset Management List and then clear the 'iPad Asset Tag' column on the Team List for the 'Titles' not found in the 'Owner Position' column on the Asset Management List?

[takolota]

@tbrock_troc @Yes that is possible if you want to routinely run a scheduled flow to check that.

Alternatively, you could create an extra text column for the Owner Position column & have the flow also update that text column whenever someone is assigned/tagged.

That way you can reference that column in your filter query after they are unassigned and when a new person is assigned, the flow will replace the last person in the text column.

[tbrock_troc]

Thanks!

Logically, that makes sense to me.

Do you have a recommendation on where I would add this added flow step to copy Owner Position into a text column? Is this a parallel branch after the trigger or an added action in line with the flow?

Do I need to set a condition to prevent the flow copying Owner Position to the text column from triggering the "When Item Is Modified" trigger on a loop?

[tbrock_troc]

Here is my first attempt:

• Same "When Item Created/Modified" trigger
• Update Item -> fill 'Owner Position2' column with 'Owner Position Value' dynamic content

• Get Info
  • ODATA Filter - Title eq 'Owner Position2'

• Condition - assume 'length = 0' expression is no longer useful since solution should result on a non-empty array so I updated it to "if Owner Position = null"
  • If yes, update iPad Asset Tag column on Team List to null
  • If no, update iPad Asset Tag column on Team List to asset tag #

The flow checker is warning me of a endless loop potential, so would I need to create some sort of condition for the first update item which copies the Owner Position value to Owner Position2?

[tbrock_troc]

Update - been messing around I think I may have gotten it. Will post screenshots up shortly.

[takolota]

@tbrock_troc 

I think I was a little confused because of all the blacked out list names, so it was hard to tell what is what on the original post. You should be able to set some trigger conditions on that second flow for the Owner Position 2 update.
If you go to the settings on the trigger action you should be able to add something like...

@not(equals(triggerOutputs()?['Owner_Position'], null))

And in another trigger condition

@not(equals(triggerOutputs()?['Owner_Position'], triggerOutputs()?['Owner_Position2']))

Just double check that is the exact wording & format for the column names. You can hover over the dynamic content for those on any action to see their back-end names.
But that should prevent the update flow from triggering if the duplicate column is already equal to the original or if the original column doesn't have a value.

[tbrock_troc]

Spoke a little prematurely - I am definitely close. Having assigned someone to an asset and then unassigned them from the asset, the only issue I see is that the flow appears to have been triggered 3x when I assigned them before I un-assigned them.

Here is the flow:

• Trigger - Item on Asset Management List is created/modified
• Condition - Owner Position = Null
  • If yes, do nothing - do not want Owner Position2 overwritten with null
  • If no, add Owner Position Value to Owner Position2 column

• Get Info
  • ODATA Filter - Title eq 'Owner Position2' (dynamic content)
• Condition - Owner Position (from Update Item 3) = Null
  • If yes, update iPad Asset Tag column with null
  • If no, update iPad Asset Tag column with Asset Tag # (dynamic content)

Having assigned 1 person to an asset and then un-assigning them, the flow updated the iPad Asset Tag field for that person with the asset tag # and then removed it.

As I mentioned earlier, the only issue appears to have been that the flow ran 3x when I had assigned the person to an asset and am curious whether un-assigning the person is what stopped the flow from looping continuously.

What would I need to do to stop the flow from continuously triggering itself?

[takolota]

@tbrock_troc  see my reply from moments ago on the trigger conditions.

[tbrock_troc]

Thanks for response. I think I missed your last response while taking screenshots of the current flow as I have it.

Let me look into applying the changes you suggested. I assume this would be in place of the condition I have set right after the trigger?

[takolota]

Exactly. And I do sometimes include an extra condition action that double checks the trigger conditions just incase.

[tbrock_troc]

Ok - so here are the updates:

Owner Position back-end column name

Owner Position2 back-end column name

Trigger Settings - Conditions

• Trigger 1: @not(equals(triggerOutputs()?['CurrentOwner'], null))
• Trigger 2: @not(equals(triggerOutputs()?['CurrentOwner'], triggerOutputs()?['OwnerPosition_x0028_Text_x0029_']))

I have also removed the condition after the trigger for now.

I attempted to test it by assigning someone to an asset, however it does not look like my flow is now triggering. Also, I tried re-submitting the flows from my last update where I almost had it but those are not re-triggering either.

So, I am guessing I messed up the trigger conditions somehow.

EDIT - I just noticed that I am missing the 0 from the "CurrentOwner" backend name for Owner Position. I have updated the trigger conditions but it is still not re-triggering the previous flows.

EDIT 2 - added "body/" to the column references in trigger conditions and was able to re-trigger the flow and it successfully ran.

[tbrock_troc]

Here are some updates from testing:

Initial Assignment - Owner Position & Owner Position2 both null

• Flow triggers and successfully runs updating Owner Position2 column on Asset Management List and updates iPad Asset Tag column on Team List
• However, the flow appears to trigger itself in a loop

Removing Assignment - Owner Position is null but Owner Position2 still has data

• Flow does not appear to trigger at all

Not Initial Assignment - Owner Position assigned when Owner Position2 has data already

• Flow triggers and successfully runs updating Owner Position2 column on Asset Management List and updates iPad Asset Tag column on Team List
• However, the flow appears to trigger itself in a loop