Automating Business Processes
Power Automate is Microsoft's workflow automation platform with access to 1,000+ pre-built connectors spanning Microsoft services, third-party SaaS, and custom APIs. Cloud flows are the most common flow type — event-driven automations that run in the Microsoft cloud.
Flow Anatomy
| Component | Role | Example |
|---|
| Trigger | The event that starts the flow | "When a new email arrives", "When a Dataverse row is created", "On a schedule" |
| Actions | Steps the flow performs after triggering | "Send an email", "Create a Dataverse row", "Post to Teams" |
| Conditions | Branching logic based on data values | "If priority equals High, notify manager" |
| Loops | Iterate over arrays of data | "For each item in the SharePoint list, send a reminder" |
| Error Handling | Graceful failure management | "Run after failure" configuration, try-catch-finally patterns |
Connector Tiers
| Tier | License Required | Examples |
|---|
| Standard | Included with M365 | SharePoint, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Excel Online |
| Premium | Power Automate Premium license | Dataverse, SQL Server, HTTP, Azure services, Salesforce |
| Custom | Premium license | Your own REST APIs wrapped as connectors |
Error Handling Best Practices
- Configure 'Run After': Set actions to run after failure, timeout, or skip — not just success
- Try-Catch Pattern: Use parallel branches with 'Run After: Failed' to catch and handle errors
- Retry Policies: Configure automatic retries with exponential backoff for transient API failures
- Alerts: Send Teams/email notifications when critical flows fail
Flow Types
- Automated (Cloud) Flows: Triggered by events (email, form submission, Dataverse change)
- Instant (Button) Flows: Triggered manually by a user clicking a button
- Scheduled Flows: Run on a recurring schedule (daily, weekly, hourly)
- Desktop Flows (RPA): Automate legacy desktop applications using UI automation
- Agent Flows (2026): AI-powered flows that combine reasoning with structured execution
💡 Key Insight: Always implement error handling in production flows. The #1 cause of flow failures is unhandled API timeouts and transient errors. Use retry policies and 'Run After: Failed' branches to build resilient automations.