How do you use Microsoft Power Automate in your work?

[JonL]

Hey Power Automate Community!

We are wondering, Do you use Power Automate at work? In production? 

If so, tell us a bit about it! Tell us how you use the flows, what they help achieve, and if they help make life easier!

Thanks!

- Jon

[Anonymous]

At Discovery, I use Flow primarily to augment my PowerApps. For example, converting time between UTC and a channel’s local time zone.

I also use it to monitor a shared mailbox for in and outgoing emails. Based on specific criteria, I update SharePoint lists which we can then use for reporting/metrics. For example, when did we send “Email A” and how many people read the email (via read receipts) and then how long did it take a user to read the email.

Other uses include updating a sharepoint list with the datauri string conversion of an image so that it can be displayed in PowerApps on a mobile device (SO to Paul Culmsee for his video: https://youtu.be/hWvfiqHNAeo)

[ThomasFoster]

Hi Jon,

I tend to use it to enable and enhance interaction between ms services such as Power BI, teams, and sharepoint. This generally works well, the only improvement would be more features in the power bi API but that isn't managed by the flow team.

I also use it to get SalesForce data into systems such as Powerapps via sharepoint, this process is my least favourite as the fact that flow and powerapps have very little overlap in terms of what data in sharepoint they can access. Plus the SalesForce object connector is a pain to paginated. If either the SalesForce api managed the pagination or if both powerapps and flow could access csvs and xlsx in libraries it would help a lot.

Both these scenarios are in production right now with more in dev.

Tom

[aadil-gl]

Hey Jon,

We're using multiple flows for replicating SharePoint copy item from one list to another scanerions with attachments.

We're also using it to monitor a dedicated shared mailbox that PowerApps sends a pen input/signature image to. Once the image is received in the mailbox, flow grabs it and attaches it to the same Item so it can be used later.

[chris_cochrun]

We've been using flow to build a system that automates forms filled out on our website to our sharepoint list and notifying the team in teams.

It's extremely handy so now everyone can see the forms of people applying for trips and not just the website admin.

[ryanr-pw]

In my work, the only thing I use Flow for is when I flag an email it adds it to a Planner board so that I get all my tasks in one place. Someday that will be fixed with complete two-way sync, I'm sure. We'll also likely do some more automation soon in terms of connections between Teams, SharePoint, and Dynamics, e.g. when a new project is created in Dynamics, create a corresponding Team, then log the link to that Team back into Dynamics in some way.

Outside of my work, I also use Flow with SharePoint to organize and automate a lot of the process for a podcast with a lot of guests. They do things like:

• Track and automatically update the status of the planning process based on other columns.
• When the finished file is uploaded, copy it by FTP over to the hosting location and start a WordPress post about it.
• When the YouTube video is published, log the link back into the list on SharePoint.
• Send out tweets at staggered times over the next couple weeks after the publishing date.

[Anonymous]

Hello,

My stack looks like this:
MS infopath -> Sharepoint -> 1st MS FLOW (triggers on newly submitted form of Kaizen idea -> starts an approval flow -> sets up a new item in Sharepoint list for this form) + 2nd MS FLOW (triggers on modification of form of Kaizen idea -> starts an approval flow) -> MS Outlook mailings

1st & 2nd MS Flow are complimentary to each other, so employee may resubmit te ammended form and there will be always appropriate scenario for it (ignoring, starting a resubmission workflow from last negative step and notifying approvers at previous steps about scope of modyfication).

[Michelangelo]

I work on a dev team, but I am not developer. I am the company's SPO Admin, but with the MS Suite being our dev's team primary tool-set for dev-related work, we find ourselves using PowerBI, PowerApps, Flow, SQL, and SharePoint for most of our solutions.

Our biggest/most successful Flow-heavy solution has been Invoice Approvals. Our company sends out 50-100 invoices monthly, and all of them have different approvers; however, all of them are generated/owned by a small group of individuals on our Accounts Receivable team. We gave them a PowerApp for maintaining/manipulating the "Approver List" (which is a SP List housing all the various Invoice's approvers and respective order - up to 5 approvers per invoice) - a PowerApp, because honestly, who likes dealing with SP Lists?!

We use Flow and a back-end (hidden) SP List to track invoice progress as they are approved/rejected and that hidden list populates a PowerBI report for management to have insight on all the on-going invoice's statuses with PowerBI updating hourly during business hours, so relatively near-time reporting. 

Another use-case of Flow has been PTO Requests. A lightweight PowerAPP for the input of the request. Flow sends out approval to manager, if manager approves, then Flow alerts requestor stating approved AND updates our Team's calendar on SharePoint by creating item on calendar showing that person off. If manager rejects request, then email alert send to requestor and no calendar item is created. 

The last use-case I wish to highlight deals with our ticketing system. We use ServiceNow, however, because I am the only individual on my team that does support for end-users... when I am out of town someone has to fill my role. With the way ServiceNow works it is easy for someone to see what tickets are assigned to me (i.e. my replacement), BUT other people serving as ticket handlers commonly tag me in their tickets for assistance - which alert me via email, and ServiceNow has no way of notifying my replacement of these notifications - so other ticket handlers go without my assistance, and my backup has no clue.

The emails I receive where I am tagged in someone else's ticket always come in with the same subject line, so I have an Inbox rule setup to push those to a specific folder (based on "Contains" in subject line), and then FLOW drags all of those emails into a SP List. So while out of town my replacement has a way of viewing those tickets I am mentioned in by reviewing the SP List that Flow automatically populates.

[sstephens81]

I need help with all of this Microsoft stuff!  Is there anyone that I can contact that would be able to tell me where to start and which apps would help our office the best in our daily routines?  I am pretty computer savy I just need some direction on where to begin!  PLEASE HELP if anyone can!

[jlawrence]

@sstephens81 , I feel you on this one. Your best bet is to start listing out your daily routines. Based on the routine, we may be able to point you in the right direction!

[leyburn19]

I am using flow so much for so many things I can't list.  Suffice to say I am regarded as a single point of failure if I get  hit by a bus.  Nice! Secret is only  handful in my company understand the power and how simple it is to use

[Brad_Groux]

First, everything I do can be learned from these free training tracks -

1. Intro to Flow - (3 hours and 11 minutes)

2. Intro to PowerApps - (2 hours and 16 minutes)

3. Advanced PowerApps - (1 hour and 40 minutes)

4. Intro to Power BI - (1 hour and 42 minutes)

My workload on the Power Platform can be summed up as - gathering, aggregating, and extending my customer's data (files) and their data sources (APIs) utilizing the Power Platform and Office 365. 

• Example 1: Customer has a hand-generated XLS, CSV, or XML file that they provide us. They could provide this via FTP, email, SharePoint, etc. We then use Microsoft Flow to automatically migrate that file, to a SharePoint list. Then, using SharePoint's built in REST API and/or PowerApps, and Power BI's SharePoint integrations, we can pull that data in to be aggregated, normalized, viewed, and even updated in a more user-friendly manner. These flows can be scheduled to run at a certain time or date or to be run once changes are made to the original data source. 

• Example 2: Customer has a web API that produces JSON data. Using Microsoft Flow, we can pull that data into a SharePoint list, so that it may be modified and/or manipulated per client needs using Flow, PowerApps or Power BI. Or, we can also extend the API/JSON data directly to PowerApps or Power BI for data normalization, review and/or reporting. Using Power BI, we also build out custom dashboards that allow for a single pane of glass for all project related data and resources. 

• Example 3: Using SharePoint, Flow and PowerApps we can create a more user-friendly document submittal, and/or document review process. Our PowerApps are usually a simplified and streamlined user interface that uses both Flow and SharePoint on the back-end, to perform the heavy lifting. 

I've done many other things as well, but they all pretty much follow the same process. Automate whatever we can utilizing Microsoft Flow, then create a simplified, and streamlined experience for the customer for viewing data (Power BI) and/or editing and maintaining data (PowerApps) while providing and/or creating a centralized, API accessible data store (SharePoint). I've recently begun dabbling in Cosmos DB, but for the most part SharePoint can handle the overwhelming majority of my workload.

TL;DR - In my workload, Flow is used primarily as a data gathering tool. However, I have begun to build deep integrations into and across the various Office 365 platforms, especially Microsoft Teams and Planner. 

[Eddierthomas]

Digitising paper (invoice) processes, invoice approval, holiday requestor, managing user access lists, routine email requests to name a few. 

I gave recently taken a career break but I'm free to help people with any questions they may have. Most flows I created used sharepoint which I no longer have access to but I'm happy to share the process.

@

[sstephens81]

@Anonymous  On your shared mailbox......do you know if there's a way to create a flow to save attachments to those emails?  Or is it not allowed?  I even tried to forward them to a sharepoint email inbox and cannot figure out the flow. 

[Anonymous]

@sstephens81  , just to clarify: you want to save attachments sent to your shared inbox?

If so, you should be able to use the Apply to Each, then Get Attachment, then you're preferred storage solution. In my example I used 'Create File' for One Drive for Business:

[sstephens81]

Yes, thank you!   Also, is there a way to send them directly to my SharePoint Site?   Instead of me having to add them from the folder each time?  Does that make sense? 

I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot but I've watched SOOOO many videos and have SOOO many questions.  I guess I just need someone to sit with me at my computer and show me how to do this!  I have wasted so much time looking for one thing (but still learning another)  then just going down a rabbit hole!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ANSWER AND TIME 🙂  VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

[Anonymous]

@sstephens81,

I'm assuming you're saving them to an existing SharePoint document library. In my example, I've selected the default document library (Shared Documents).   Note that the File Content of the SharePoint Create File action is the output of the Outlook Get Attachment action. 

[leyburn19]

This attaches multiple email attachments to a SP list

[sstephens81]

Is there a specific way to list the shared mailbox?   Should there be a certain setting turned on/off?

It shows up when I type in the email for the shared mailbox but then gives me an error and will not process through.

[JonL]

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@sstephens81 wrote:

@Anonymous  On your shared mailbox......do you know if there's a way to create a flow to save attachments to those emails?  Or is it not allowed?  I even tried to forward them to a sharepoint email inbox and cannot figure out the flow. 

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Hey guys, this thread isnt a help thread, please remove that discussion and start another thread for this.

[ajax2000]

I have just found flow!!, I am setting up gmail calenders to outlook syn. My question is does flow work with Microsoft Access Databases? I have a special calender inside my access database, I share data from the database to MS word for all of my automated documents with mail merge, works great! I have never been able to share the data from the database to Outlook calender, is this something that flow can do? I would be pulling from a simple access database table only a few fields from the table <name> <date> <time>  <person assigned>. There is many ways to push the requested fields out, a form, report, excel, word but no option to have them talk to each other on any level inside microsoft access 😞 is flow the way to go? if so please direct me to the answer, thanks