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Getting Started With Microsoft Flow
Published Date - 
Johnsi Jayasingh
Johnsi Jayasingh
August 9, 2018

Getting Started With Microsoft Flow

Started Microsoft Flow
Power Automate
Microsoft Power Platform

Microsoft flow is a cloud-based workflow engine, Using Flow end users can create cross application workflows (no code workflows).  Flow is a part of office 365 E3 suite. It is a successor of SharePoint designer workflows. Complex level Flows can be promoted to an Azure logic app.

Microsoft flow

Microsoft Flows Vs SharePoint Designer Workflows

Microsoft Flows

Anatomy of Microsoft Flow

  • Flow Designer
  • Connectors, Triggers & Actions
  • Variables & Data Flow
  • Expressions
  • Branching, Error Handling & Scopes

Flow Designer – Create a Flow from Browser or Mobile Application

Desktop Version

  • Go to https://flow.Microsoft.com
  • Sign-in with Office 365 Account
  • Start from existing template or import from disk or create from scratch (both in desktop & mobile browsers)
Create a Flow from Browser

Mobile Version

  • Install flow mobile app, sign in
  • Create new flow (template or from scratch).
Mobile Version

Connectors

Connectors Wrapper around an API that allows Flow to talk with other services.It exposes Triggers & Actions.

Standard Connectors – included as part of E3

  • Microsoft Connectors (SharePoint, Azure Blob storage, SQL Server.)
  • Non-Microsoft Connectors (Twitter, Slack.)
  • https://us.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/?filter=&category=standard

Premium Connectors – additional cost

  • Microsoft Connectors (HTTP with Azure AD.)
  • Other Connectors (Salesforce, MySQL.)
  • https://us.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/?filter=&category=premium

Custom Connectors – additional cost , development

  • ISV, System Integrators, End users can create custom connectors to integrate any system/application/service.
  • https://us.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/?filter=&category=custom

Triggers

Run based on user action or event

  • From other apps in office 365 – PowerApps, SharePoint, etc.
  • From SQL
  • From dedicated Flow button
Run based on user action or event

Run on a schedule

  • Flow also run based on time schedule, From every minute to 1 am on Days.
Run on a schedule

Run by HTTP GET/POST to URL generated by flow

  • Call another Flow
  • Call from any application/service/agent that can make HTTP calls

‍

Run by HTTP GET-POST to URL generated by flow

Scenarios & Types of Triggers

Triggers - Scenarios

  • Simple: Flows start with a Trigger.
  • Advanced: Flows can have more than 1 trigger (async actions)
  • Custom: Flows can have custom triggers

Types

Polling Trigger

  • Periodically checks the service
  • Checks count as executions

Push Triggers

  • Listen for data on an endpoint or wait for event.

Actions

  • Execute CRUD operations with workflow context
  • SharePoint: Create Item, Delete Item, Create File.
  • SQL: Insert Row, Update Row, Delete Row, Get Row.
SharePoint Create Item
  • Transform Data
  • Inline – using expressions (e.g. string operations, math operations.)
  • Other services – Html to text.
Other services
html to text

Send Notification

  • Send mobile notification, send email notification etc.

Call other Flow

  • Chain Flows to create complex Flows.

Variables

  • Use Variables connector*
  • Initialize & then set value
  • Supported value types (Boolean, String, Object, Array, Float).

Variables are NOT always necessary!

Variables

Why variables are not always necessary?

  • Data Flows from each step and is available for all later steps
  • ‘Add Dynamic Content’ allows us to select outputs from previous steps
  • Certain outputs show up based on the types of the inputs and outputs.
Flow

Expressions

  • Expressions can be used in most of the fields to transform data inline
  • IntelliSense available as you type
Expressions

Expression used in flow

Branching

  • If-then-else
Branching
  • Switch
Switch

For-Each

  • By default, parallel
  • Parallel (20 exec)
  • Supports sequential
For-Each

Do-Until

  • Emulate State machines
  • Help in approvals & more
Do-until
  • Parallel branches
Parallel branches

Error Handling

  • Actions can be set to run if previous action fails/times out.
Error Handling

Scopes

  • Logically group actions
  • Allow advanced error handling for a group of actions
  • Scope boxes are in brown boxes.
Scopes
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Consumer Electronics Template
Healthcare Template 2
Real-Estate Template 1
Real-Estate Template 4
Transport Template 1
Environment sustainability Template 1
Environment sustainability Template 4
Digital Media Template 3
Digital Media Template 4
Digital Media Template 2
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