Boost Excel Speed by 5X with Power Automate Tips
Power Automate
Dec 28, 2023 12:00 PM

Boost Excel Speed by 5X with Power Automate Tips

by HubSite 365 about Tyler Kolota

Software Development & Process Improvement

Citizen DeveloperExcelPower AutomateLearning Selection

Accelerate Excel Data Handling with Power Automate - No Premium Required!

Key insights

 

Enhance your Power Automate experience with faster Excel operations using a specialized method described in a user-created template. This improved approach enables the reading of over 100,000 Excel rows more than 5 times faster than the standard 'List rows present in table' Excel action, all without the need for premium connectors.

Find this speed-boosting solution on the Power Automate community thread where the download page is provided. Follow detailed step-by-step import instructions to integrate the package into your Power Automate suite, complete with how to select and import the solution, then configure connections for optimum performance.

Once integrated, the template requires you to remove placeholder actions and create new connections for each Excel action, ensuring that your flows read Excel files efficiently. Thereafter, you can edit and deploy the flow for faster data processing in automation scenarios.

  • Use the HTTP with Azure AD to invoke HTTP requests for quicker data access.
  • Employ the "GET method" to fetch all rows in an Excel table, bypassing limitations of the default connector.
  • Parse the JSON response for a structured format with Data Operations.
  • Identify and extract column names for accurate data access within the table.
  • Adapt the approach using dynamic content that integrates column names and table data into your workflow actions.

By applying these methods, users can improve the efficiency of reading large Excel files in Power Automate, significantly outperforming the standard connector and enhancing their productivity within automated workflows. Your feedback on this process is much appreciated!

Alternate Way Excel File Processing in Power Automate

Power Automate users often seek ways to expedite data processing, particularly when working with extensive Excel files. The standard connectors provided by Power Automate can sometimes prove to be inadequate for handling larger datasets efficiently. This can be critical for businesses that rely on timely data analysis and processing.Fortunately, the wider Power Automate community actively contributes solutions that address such bottlenecks, sharing templates that can drastically improve performance. For example, a template offering a way to read Excel files over five times faster than conventional methods signifies a leap forward in automation efficiency.

This innovation does not rely on the typical 'List rows present in table' Excel action but introduces a more direct method via the Microsoft Graph API. Leveraging this power, the template can process data rapidly, facilitating quicker turnarounds for data-driven tasks. Such enhancements are not just technical improvements; they can translate into substantial productivity gains for organizations.The integration of such templates into one's Power Automate suite requires careful setup, including the configuration of connections and removal of placeholder actions to ensure the automation flows run smoothly. Once set up, the improvements in performance have significant positive impacts on workflow execution, empowering users to handle large volumes of Excel data with unprecedented speed.

In summary, tapping into community-created templates and optimizing connectors can turn Power Automate into an even more powerful tool for Excel data processing. This contributes to an ecosystem where efficiency and productivity are continuously pushed forward by the community's innovative spirit.Looking to speed up reading Excel files in Power Automate? If the usual 'List rows present in a table' isn't cutting it for you due to speed or limitations, there's a method that can greatly help. This advanced technique can process over 100,000 rows in Excel over five times quicker than the conventional method and it doesn't require any extra cost.

 To utilize this enhanced method, first download the necessary package from the designated community thread. After acquiring the package, navigate to the Power Apps site, go through the Solutions section, and proceed with the 'Import solution' option. Follow the prompts to integrate the solution into your environment.

Post-import, assign the right connections to each input, making sure to use distinct connections for every Excel table you're automating. Once that's done, you'll need to eliminate any placeholder actions included during the import process. This will gear up each Excel action in your flow to connect with your specific data table smoothly.

An alternative strategy to speed up reading large Excel files in automation services like Power Automate is to use a more efficient connector. Choosing a different approach could lead to a fivefold increase in speed over traditional methods. The following steps can guide you to achieve this more rapid Excel file processing:

  • Employ the 'HTTP with Azure AD – Invoke An HTTP Request action' to utilize Microsoft Graph API for quick data retrieval.
  • Opt for the 'GET' method to fetch all table rows, enabling direct data access across the entire table.
  • Make use of 'Data Operations – Parse JSON' action to parse the JSON format response into a user-friendly structure.
  • Identify and extract the column names from the parsed data to facilitate precise data handling.
  • Implement dynamic content to seamlessly integrate these column names and data into subsequent parts of your workflow.

By leveraging these steps, you can vastly improve your ability to read and process Excel files efficiently in Power Automate. This enhancement can transform the performance of your workflows, especially when dealing with substantial amounts of Excel data.

Enhancing Your Power Automate Workflows

Speeding up data processing tasks in Power Automate can be crucial for maintaining efficiency in complex workflows. Utilizing optimized methods to read Excel files is an example of how Power Automate can be modified to work more effectively. With these advanced techniques, users can ensure that their workflows are not only more responsive but also more cost-effective, bypassing the need for premium connectors and enhancing the utility of Power Automate in handling bulk Excel data with ease.

By using an alternative connector, the time to read Excel files can be cut down substantially.

  • Use Azure AD's Invoke HTTP Request action: It's faster than the standard connector, particularly for large files.
  • GET method: Fetch all rows from an Excel table instead of the limited List rows option.
  • Parse JSON: Convert the HTTP request's JSON response to structured data.
  • Extract column names: Identify the array with column names from the parsed JSON.
  • Dynamic content: Use extracted data for subsequent actions in your workflow.

These steps will help you to enhance reading Excel files with Power Automate. It's an efficient method for dealing with extensive Excel data and improving your automations.

Your feedback is appreciated!

Enhance Your Automation with Faster Excel Reading

Incorporating these techniques in Power Automate can markedly up the processing speed for Excel files. Users can expect to see a performance boost by avoiding conventional methods and opting for this specialized approach.

These improvements can significantly cut down time spent on workflows, allowing for more efficient data handling. By eliminating the dependency on premium connectors, users also save on additional costs. This approach emphasizes efficiency and cost-effectiveness in automating Excel tasks.

Overall, for users dealing with bulky Excel files and striving for quicker data processing in their workflows, adapting this method can yield substantial advantages.

People also ask

How do I read an Excel file in Power Automate?

To read an Excel file in Power Automate, you can follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to your Power Automate and log in with your Microsoft account.
  2. Select 'My flows' from the left-hand menu and then 'New flow' to create an automation.
  3. Choose an appropriate trigger for your flow, depending on when you want the reading of the Excel file to take place.
  4. Add a new step and look for the 'Excel Online (Business)' connector if you're using Excel for Business, or 'Excel Online (OneDrive)' connector for personal use.
  5. Select the 'List rows present in a table' action if you want to read data from a table within your Excel file.
  6. Specify the location of the Excel file within your OneDrive or SharePoint, and choose the file and table you want to read from.
  7. Once the file is selected, you can add additional actions to work with the data retrieved from the Excel file, such as sending it via email, inserting it into a database, or processing it in various other ways.
  8. Save your flow and test it to ensure it's working as expected before fully deploying it.

Note that Power Automate integration with Excel assumes that the Excel file is stored in a cloud service that Power Automate supports, such as OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online, and that your tables are properly formatted. Additionally, you might need appropriate permissions to access the files and data sources you're trying to connect with Power Automate.

 

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