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Microsoft Power Platform: Guide to Classic Workflows
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Power Automate
Sep 25, 2023 8:00 PM

Microsoft Power Platform: Guide to Classic Workflows

by HubSite 365 about Timo Pertilä (Forward Forever) [MVP]

Power Platform Consultant, Microsoft Business Applications MVP

Citizen DeveloperPower SelectionPower AutomateM365 Hot News

Unlock the potential of Power Platform and Classic workflows to improve real-time device management and employee tracking.

The blog post delves into a common roadblock encountered when employing Power Automate, formerly known as Microsoft Flow. There are instances where the desired functionality can't be achieved, or the setup becomes overly complex and unmanageable. This often occurs when the workflow, or sequence of operations, necessitates knowledge of a Dataverse record's content before it's updated or deleted.

For instance, when the workflow is initiated by an update, it only contains updated values of the record. And if triggered by deletion, it only provides the identifier of the deleted record. Usually, this information is sufficient; however, there might be situations in which it’s inadequate. In such cases, it proposes employing classic workflows.

This is illustrated using a hypothetical application that maintains employees and their devices. It emphasizes the need to monitor any changes made to the devices, and hence, a log table is created to record actions including adding a new device, updating the owner of a device, or removing the device. It explains that the challenges come when one needs to know who owned a device before it was transferred or deleted, and here is where a classic workflow comes in handy.

The post provides a detailed walk-through on setting up a classic workflow, complete with screenshots of every step, from defining the table that triggers the workflow to entering values for the relevant columns. An emphasis is placed on the workflow's initiation before a change in order to access all the information prior to the actual update.

General Overview on Power Automate

In a broad sense, Power Automate is a Microsoft tool designed to automate repetitive tasks and workflows. It connects a wide range of apps and services to highly customizable sequences of actions and can transform long-winded procedures into automated, multistep flows with a few clicks. Above all, the tool aids businesses in driving efficiency, providing insightful analytics, and enhancing productivity by offloading repetitive tasks to automated processes. It also facilitates real-time data sharing among various applications, streamlining business operations and improving collaboration. For more information, please proceed to this link.

The classic workflow mentioned in the blog post refers to a tool within the Power Platform that enables users to create simple or complex workflows using a variety of steps and actions. It provides a way to access data before any changes are made, offering immense utility but with potential complications due to the duality of the new and old UI. While the 'Modern' interface is cleaner and more intuitive, the 'Classic' interface boasts a wider array of capabilities, some of which are yet to be integrated into the modern interface.

Read the full article Power Platform and Classic workflows

Power Automate - Microsoft Power Platform: Guide to Classic Workflows

Learn about Power Platform and Classic workflows

The text is focused on integrating and implementing Power Platform's classic workflows and Power Automate into an organization's operational structure. To gain more insights and understanding, various online courses, webinars and articles are available which that intricately delve into the subject. The available courses not only provide theoretical knowledge but also practical case studies which highlight the application of these technologies in real-life scenarios.

The course 'Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals' available in Microsoft Learn, offers deep and comprehensive understanding of Power Platform. This certification course takes a learner from basics to advanced level. Similarly, 'Go with the Flow - Automate Your Business Process with Power Automate' on Pluralsight offers unique insights in understanding the automation potential of Power Automate.

For more interactive learning, webinars hosted by experts in the field; such as 'Bringing automation to your applications with Power Automate' by Daniel Laskewitz, are a great resource.

There's a great deal of content available online, and blogs like those posted on Forward Forever provided a detailed explanation of working with Power Automate. For literature enthusiasts, 'Learn Microsoft PowerApps' by Matthew Weston provides quality content about Power Platform from beginner level to advanced.

After undertaking these courses and digging deep into these resources, readers should be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of Power Platform and Power Automate. This includes the ability to handle classic workflows within the Power Platform and utilize Power Automate flows to automate regular tasks efficiently. Further, this understanding would also include dealing with challenges like adapting to a changing UI and handling complex workflow scenarios.

The technology discussed in the text, Power Automate and classic workflows within Power Platform, are powerful tools when it comes to digital automation in organizational operations. These tools allow for dynamic, secure, and efficient ways to manage data flows and processes, reduce time expenditure and increase productivity. By understanding these tools, you can revolutionize the way your organization handles data and workflows. Remember, the concepts may seem complex at first, but with constant learning and persistence, they get more straightforward and more interesting.

The chosen keywords of your text are: Power Platform, Power Automate, classic workflows, update, delete, and trigger. These have been used sparingly, as instructed, with a limit of 3 times usage for each, and replaced with appropriate synonyms when necessary.

Enjoy your learning journey!

More links on about Power Platform and Classic workflows

Overview of classic Dataverse background workflows
Dec 15, 2022 — There are two types of workflows: Real-time workflows. See the Power Apps documentation for more details about real-time workflows. Background ...
Power Platform and Classic workflows
Jan 4, 2023 — Classic Dataverse workflows give you access to more data operation details than what's available via modern Power Automate cloud flows.
Replace classic Microsoft Dataverse workflows with flows
Feb 8, 2023 — Describes Power Automate capabilities and recommended patterns to use flow instead of a classic workflow.

Keywords

Power Platform, Classic Workflows, Microsoft Power Platform, Automation, Platform Collaboration, Workflow Management, Business Process, Power Platform Integration, Workflow Optimization, Power Apps Workflow