cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Reply
AnnaChu
Employee
Employee

Power Automate Designer - Low Code, Novice and Citizen Developer Feedback

The Power Automate Designer team would love to hear feedback from the perspective of novice Power Automate users, citizen developers and low coders on their experience with Power Automate Designer. When designing flows, what do they struggle most with? If this sounds like something you’ve heard someone mention, please forward them this pre-screening survey to complete: https://aka.ms/MPA_DesignerFeedback

 

@kishbuy238 and team are interested in hosting a screen-sharing session to identify opportunities to improve the experience. This survey will be open through to August.

34 REPLIES 34
RogerG_TRADOC
New Member

Hi Anna, I work for the US Army as a government civilian and am new to Power Automate and Power Apps. I have a macro-enabled Excel file that I can no longer use due to Army policy as a result of upgrading from Office 365 to Microsoft 365. We are no longer authorized to run macro-enabled files on our shared networks or our desktops. The Excel file has a worksheet with a form that users in my Army enterprise fill out on their desktops, with other worksheets used to auto populate the main form when the user choose when they click on a cell in one or two worksheets containing the data that auto populates the form. There are also pop-up windows that guide the user through filling out the form. VBA code was used to open and close pop-up windows,  open and close the worksheets the user will click on to select the record with the data used to auto populate the main form, and auto  populate the form with the select data. I do not have Power Automate Desktop. I only have the App. Can I replicate the Excel file using Power Automate or other Microsoft 365 Apps without using macros? I will search this Community, but if you can help point me in the right direction, I am available on Teams at https://dod.teams.microsoft.us/l/chat/0/0?users=roger.s.grayson.civ@army.mil. Thanks in advance for whatever help you can provide. Sincerely, Roger 

 

 

 

RogerG_TRADOC
New Member

Correction on the second statement. We upgraded from Office 2016, not Office 365, to Microsoft 365.

David-
Solution Sage
Solution Sage

Sending e-mails to a SharePoint group is a struggle and should be as easy as it is with SharePoint Designer workflows. However, Power Automate requires you to go through what is outlined in this video to achieve the same result: (1) Power Automate get SharePoint Group Members & flow... - Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)

Shuvam-rpa
Super User
Super User

It will be better if owner of the flow can lock specific flows with the password or pin.

AnnaChu
Employee
Employee

Hi @RogerG_TRADOC I'm trying to find the right person to help you at Microsoft - stand by!

MarrinerDev
Advocate IV
Advocate IV

Fix your f*cking ALM. We are so sick of it. It has cost us tens of thousands fighting this crap. No-one is assisting and we are about to abandon the Power Platform because of your disgraceful ALM.

Promoting the most basic of connections from Dev to Test to Prod environments DOES NOT WORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For SharePoint, SQL, etc it is so fragile as to be useless. Error after error after error..............

David-
Solution Sage
Solution Sage

The documentation Microsoft provides for Power Automate is often confusing and does not provide enough details or give examples of how various settings or connectors should be used. For example, there is an action named Get Connector, it's description on docs.microsoft.com is, "Get the given connector in an environment." The scant information provided is of no use to a beginner and forces them to do a lot of web searching just to find out the exact purpose of a function, action or connector.

David_0-1657108407717.png

 

David-
Solution Sage
Solution Sage

Dealing with Time Zones

A Bing search of "dealing with time zones in Power Automate" returns over 2.3 billion results. 

David_0-1657388791917.png

The first result describes how to deal with this issue on an individual basis, which is great if you are creating a flow just for yourself. But it is not helpful for a problem I have, which I will describe. 

 

I am developing a solution for our sales people to book appointments in our virtual design centers. The sales people, as well as our customers are located around the world. We have virtual design centers in multiple countries. All this leads to dealing with multiple times zones for one request. We might have a salesperson in California who needs to book a session in the Chicago design center for a customer in Hawaii, and the credentials of the person in IT who developed the Power Automate solution is in Germany. Four time zones for one request.

 

When a request is submitted the sales person chooses the date and time for the virtual meeting. The flow kicks off and checks the shared calendar of the specified design center for conflicts. If there are no conflicts, it adds the meeting to the shared calendar, and then sends a notification to the salesperson, the design center and the customer that the meeting has been booked. How do we send an e-mail so each person sees the date and time of the meeting in their time zone? And what time zone should be specified in the create event action?

 

Digital computers have been around since 1945, so it is time for big tech to come up with a solution for dealing with a global economy where people interact with one another from around the world. My suggestion would be that all dates are saved behind the scenes in UCT (Universal Coordinated Time) but are displayed everywhere (e.g, Word, Excel, Outlook, Edge, etc.) in the time zone of the user based on the time zone of their device. We shouldn't have to do any conversions of time zones, it should be seamless and automatic.

As a total Power Automate novice, I wholeheartedly agree.

 

  • Please do a better job of explaining in simple, non-programmer English about the differences between Power Automate Desktop, Power Automate when accessed through MS Teams, and Power Automate when accessed from Office.com.
  • Please give clearer examples of what types of projects each is appropriate for.
  • Please more clearly identify which of these ... versions?  applications? ... is being discussed.  I try following steps but find the material doesn't apply to what I have open.  (This problem isn't limited to MS resources; most other sources don't make it clear which flavor they're discussing.)

I've written command procedures, Excel macros, rudimentary PowerShell scripts, but I can't get off Square One with this application.  I haven't found a reference yet that matches what I see on the screen.

Careless
New Member

Hey, I'm super new to this, so pardon me if I am missing something, but I can't seem to find a way to skip the undeletable files when trying to delete files from a folder, here is a screenshot to understand better: 

Careless_0-1658371960692.png

 

These are the files I want to skip: 

Careless_1-1658372015562.png

 

Also, I called them undeletable files in the sense that they are running in the background. hence I can't delete them without disturbing my work, thanks! and sorry If I'm being super silly. 😛

Anonymous
Not applicable

Definitely will share this survey with colleagues of mine, I strongly believe that power automate needs to be improved to compete with other automation tools out there. Looking forward for the screen-sharing sessions

thepenguin
Frequent Visitor

Thanks for asking for feedback. I'm quite enjoying exploring the ecosystem. There are a few things that would make life easier, particularly with cloud flows...

 

The implementation of more complex data types like array and object seems a little underdeveloped when coming from scripting languages. You can't append an array to an array (even though Graph API endpoints often require 2D arrays in the request body) and you can't check if a key exists in an object, or even get a list of keys in an object.

 

Some properties are hard to get to. When looking at planner tasks, to get the name of the bucket that the task is in you have to get the buckets for that plan, make a lookup object with ids/names and then find the name by looking up the id. The situation gets worse with plans. To get the name of the plan that a task is in, you have to get the plan id from the task, look that up with a Graph call and then parse the JSON response. If you want to get the text that a task has been tagged with (not just the colour of the tag) it is similarly complicated.

 

It doesn't seem to be possible to access excel table cells by index - the data that gets returned in "get rows" is an un-iterable object. We can't add rows by index or to the start of a table, but again both of these are possible when using Graph.

 

It may be easier to do those things somehow, but I can't see how.

 

I hope that you are building more of the Graph API functionality into Flow as there are some very handy things in Graph that do not exist in flow. Making an HTTP request is not a big deal but it does add extra steps.

 

That's all I can think of for the moment. Thanks again for your work 🙂

CamiloLuque
Advocate II
Advocate II

Hi @AnnaChu, the clipboard actions usually doesn't work and a help (autocomplete or something like that) to build expressions.

Tks.

eyau
Helper II
Helper II

Hi Anna!

 

One of the biggest issues I face is using loops within loops. Accessing dynamic content within a loop within a loop is impossible without initializing a million variables or parsing through each string. I'm fairly new to Power Automate, so there may be workarounds for loops within loops, but I have to solve it on a per project basis. I also just don't know why I can't access dynamic content or compose strings from apply to each items inside of loops. 

QuintonR
Frequent Visitor

As a novice to the Power Apps, I would appreciate (in addition to the Learning Center program on this) an easy, simple video explaining when to use what Power app and the differences in purpose between the apps.

jacquimuller
Helper II
Helper II

I'm probably not part of the ideal target audience but I train people who are so I'm going to share some of the feedback that I've received:
- Knowing what the actions are called can become tricky. Some are really intuitive, others aren't (especially for novice users): Possible fix - possibly adding more training to MS learn to explain how the naming conventions work and what to search for when the user isn't sure what exactly the item is called (switch is a good example)

- Knowing where the data is stored and following what can be used from actions further up

- Understanding when to use scopes

- Understanding how to deal with errors - although the feedback is quite intuitive but connection errors are notoriously tough to fix, even for experienced developers.

- Not necessarily a designer specific item but it definitely relates... The biggest pain point with scaling solutions (sometimes created by citizen devs or novices) is the licensing impact because it is not the responsibility of beginners to know what standards and best practises are essential to reducing licensing costs. Licensing is unnecessarily complex and fixing that would fix a lot of problems and encourage more people to actually scale on this platform

drummer
Advocate II
Advocate II

Seems like just having a few examples for dynamics 365 users would be helpful. I am trying to create a simple manual flow that for selected leads to create a contact. I can do it in minutes with workflow but flows I don't even know which flow to start with?

I solved this so if you want a flow to add to your templates I now have a Create Contact from Lead.  Could you help me solve the null Source Campaign lookup though...bc it looks up logical name the "get row by id" doesn't help with that critical lead/contact field....sincerely...new D365/M365 poweruser!  Oh and give me automated emails with sequences for contacts pls.  

What is an ALM?

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! 💪 🌠  

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)

March User Group Update: New Groups and Upcoming Events!

  Welcome to this month’s celebration of our Community User Groups and exciting User Group events. We’re thrilled to introduce some brand-new user groups that have recently joined our vibrant community. Plus, we’ve got a lineup of engaging events you won’t want to miss. Let’s jump right in: New User Groups   Sacramento Power Platform GroupANZ Power Platform COE User GroupPower Platform MongoliaPower Platform User Group OmanPower Platform User Group Delta StateMid Michigan Power Platform Upcoming Events  DUG4MFG - Quarterly Meetup - Microsoft Demand PlanningDate: 19 Mar 2024 | 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM Central America Standard TimeDescription: Dive into the world of manufacturing with a focus on Demand Planning. Learn from industry experts and share your insights. Dynamics User Group HoustonDate: 07 Mar 2024 | 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM Central America Standard TimeDescription: Houston, get ready for an immersive session on Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Connect with fellow professionals and expand your knowledge. Reading Dynamics 365 & Power Platform User Group (Q1)Date: 05 Mar 2024 | 06:00 PM to 09:00 PM GMT Standard TimeDescription: Join our virtual meetup for insightful discussions, demos, and community updates. Let’s kick off Q1 with a bang! Leaders, Create Your Events!  Leaders of existing User Groups, don’t forget to create your events within the Community platform. By doing so, you’ll enable us to share them in future posts and newsletters. Let’s spread the word and make these gatherings even more impactful! Stay tuned for more updates, inspiring stories, and collaborative opportunities from and for our Community User Groups.   P.S. Have an event or success story to share? Reach out to us – we’d love to feature you!

Users online (6,204)