🔄 Types of Power Automate Flows
Power Automate offers several flow types to cater to various automation needs:
-
Automated Flows 🤖
- Triggered by an event in a connected app or service.
- Example:
- 📧 Trigger: "When a new email arrives" in Outlook.
- 🔔 Action: Send a notification to a Teams channel.
- 📁 Action: Save the email attachments to a SharePoint library.
- This automates the process of notifying your team and saving important attachments.
-
Instant Flows ⚡
- Triggered manually (e.g., by clicking a button in a mobile app or Power Automate).
- Example:
- 📱 Trigger: Button press in the Power Automate mobile app.
- 🗺️ Action: Record your current location in a SharePoint list.
- 📝 Action: Create a note in OneNote with the location and a timestamp.
- This helps quickly capture location data for travel logs or field reports.
-
Scheduled Flows ⏰
- Run on a recurring schedule (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly).
- Example:
- 📅 Trigger: Runs every Monday at 9:00 AM.
- 📊 Action: Generate a report from a database.
- 📧 Action: Email the report to a distribution list.
- This automates routine reporting processes.
-
Desktop Flows (RPA - Robotic Process Automation) 🖥️
- Automate tasks on your desktop, including interacting with applications and websites.
- Example:
- 📂 Trigger: A new file is added to a specific folder on your PC.
- 🖱️ Action: Open a legacy application.
- 📄 Action: Extract data from the file and input it into the application.
- 💾 Action: Save the updated information.
- This bridges the gap between modern automation and older software.
-
Business Process Flows (BPF) 💼
- Guide users through a multi-step process within Dynamics 365 or Power Apps.
- Example:
- 📈 Process: Lead qualification process in Dynamics 365.
- ✅ Steps: Qualify, Develop, Propose, Close.
- This ensures consistent and structured workflows for sales or customer service.