Power Automate Flow for Dynamics 365

Understanding Triggers in Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn about triggers in Power Automate and their crucial role in automating workflows. Triggers define when a flow starts and can be based on real-time events, scheduled intervals, or manual actions.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ What is a trigger? The starting point of any Power Automate flow
✅ Types of triggers:

• Automated triggers (event-based, e.g., when a record is created)

• Scheduled triggers (time-based, e.g., run every day at 9 AM)

• Manual triggers (on-demand, e.g., button click in Power Apps)
  ✅ How to configure and use trigger conditions
  ✅ Common use cases: Automating approvals, notifications, data updates, and more

By the end of this lecture, you will understand how to effectively use triggers to automate workflows efficiently in Power Automate.

Automated Trigger: When a Row is Created or Updated in Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn how to configure and use the “When a row is added, modified, or deleted” trigger in Power Automate, specifically focusing on the "Created" and "Updated" events. This trigger is essential for automating workflows in Microsoft Dataverse (Common Data Service - CDS) and Dynamics 365, ensuring real-time data updates and business process automation.

? Key Topics Covered:

✅ Understanding the "When a row is added or modified" Trigger

• The trigger is used to automatically start a flow when a record is created (added) or updated (modified) in a Dataverse table (entity).

• This eliminates the need for manual intervention and ensures that processes are triggered in real-time.

✅ Configuring the Trigger in Power Automate

1. Selecting the correct table (entity):

   • Choose the Dataverse table where the event should occur (e.g., Contacts, Opportunities, Accounts).

2. Choosing the trigger type:

   • "Added" → The flow runs only when a new record is created.

   • "Modified" → The flow runs only when an existing record is updated.

   • "Added or Modified" → The flow runs on both events.

✅ Filtering the Trigger to Run Only for Specific Records

To improve efficiency and avoid unnecessary flow runs, you can filter which records trigger the flow by using:

1️⃣ Filtering Using “Filter Rows” (OData Query)

• The Filter Rows parameter allows you to specify a condition, ensuring the trigger fires only when certain criteria are met.

• Example: Trigger the flow only when the "Status" field is set to "Approved".

  statuscode eq 100000000

  
  

• Example: Trigger only for records where the "Priority" is High (Option Set Value = 1):

  prioritycode eq 1

  
  

• Example: Trigger only when a specific field changes, such as "Approval Status":

  approval_status eq 'Approved'

  
  

2️⃣ Filtering Using “Trigger Conditions” (Expression-based Filtering)

• If "Filter Rows" is not enough, Trigger Conditions in the "Settings" of the trigger allow advanced filtering using expressions.

• Example: Trigger only if "Estimated Revenue" is greater than $10,000:

  @greater(triggerOutputs()?['body/estimatedvalue'], 10000)

  
  

• Example: Trigger only if a field is NOT empty:

  @not(empty(triggerOutputs()?['body/emailaddress1']))

  
  

✅ Common Use Cases for This Trigger

• Sales & CRM Automation: Notify sales managers when an opportunity reaches a specific stage.

• Approval Processes: Trigger a flow when a record’s approval status changes.

• Data Synchronization: Automatically update related records when a primary record is modified.

• Real-time Alerts: Send notifications when a high-priority case is created in Dynamics 365.

? Summary & Key Takeaways:

• The "When a row is added or modified" trigger automatically starts a Power Automate flow when a record is created or updated.

• Use Filter Rows (OData Queries) to trigger flows only for specific records instead of all changes.

• Use Trigger Conditions for advanced filtering and better performance.

• Optimize workflows to ensure efficient and real-time automation in Microsoft Dynamics 365.

  
  

Updating an Existing Dynamics 365 Record with Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn how to update an existing record in Microsoft Dynamics 365 using Power Automate. This is a crucial action for automating business processes

Key Topics Covered:

✅ How to use the "Update a record" action in Power Automate
✅ Selecting the correct Dataverse (Common Data Service) table
✅ Identifying and referencing the record ID
✅ Updating specific fields dynamically based on conditions
✅ Common use cases: Status updates, automatic field changes, and more

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to seamlessly update records in Dynamics 365 using Power Automate, optimizing workflows and improving data management.

Updating an Option Set Attribute in Dynamics 365 with Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn how to update an Option Set (Choice) attribute in Microsoft Dynamics 365 using Power Automate. Option Sets are commonly used for predefined values, such as status fields, categories, or priority levels, making it essential to update them dynamically in automated workflows.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Understanding Option Set (Choice) attributes in Dynamics 365
✅ Using the "Update a record" action in Power Automate
✅ Finding and setting the correct Option Set value (integer value)
✅ Dynamic updates based on conditions or triggers
✅ Common use cases: Status changes, category updates, and more

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to confidently update Option Set attributes using Power Automate, enabling smoother automation and data consistency in Dynamics 365.

Updating a Lookup Attribute in Dynamics 365 with Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn how to update a Lookup (Relationship) attribute in Microsoft Dynamics 365 using Power Automate. Lookups are used to link records across tables (entities), making them essential for maintaining relationships within your data model.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Understanding Lookup attributes in Dynamics 365
✅ Using the "Update a record" action in Power Automate
✅ Setting a Lookup value using the entity name, record ID, and OData reference format
✅ Dynamically updating Lookups based on conditions
✅ Common use cases: Assigning records, linking related entities, and ownership updates

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to confidently update Lookup attributes in Power Automate, ensuring seamless record relationships within Dynamics 365.

Retrieving a Specific Record by Record ID in Dynamics 365 with Power Automate

In this lecture, you will learn how to retrieve a specific record from Microsoft Dynamics 365 using Power Automate by leveraging the Record ID. This action is essential when you need to fetch details of a single record for further processing in an automated workflow.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Using the "Get a row by ID" action in Power Automate
✅ Selecting the correct Dataverse (Common Data Service) table
✅ Providing the unique Record ID dynamically or manually
✅ Retrieving specific fields for further use in automation
✅ Common use cases: Fetching customer details, order status, or related records

By the end of this lecture, you will be able to efficiently retrieve specific records in Dynamics 365 using Power Automate, enabling dynamic and data-driven automation.