Learn Power Automate Desktop: A Complete Beginner’s Course

For the 'Applications' lessons, we're using the demo application, Contoso Invoicing App from Microsoft.

In this lesson you will read data from an Excel timesheet.

The data will be loaded into Power Automate Desktop so it can be processed and analyzed.

You will learn how to:

• launch Excel and open a workbook

• read data from a worksheet into a data table

• ensure the correct worksheet is selected

• work with column headers in Excel data

• store and inspect Excel data in variables

This creates the foundation for processing and validating Excel data in your flow.

In this lesson you will identify unique employees from the Excel data.

The data will be processed to remove duplicates so each employee is only handled once.

You will learn how to:

• extract a column from a data table into a list

• work with lists in Power Automate Desktop

• remove duplicate items from a list

• prepare data for looping and further processing

This ensures efficient processing by avoiding duplicate work in your flow.

In this lesson you will create a structured Excel report for the processed data.

The report will contain separate sheets for valid data and error records.

You will learn how to:

• create a new Excel workbook

• rename worksheets dynamically

• add new worksheets to a workbook

• write headers to Excel sheets

• structure data across multiple sheets

This creates a clear and organized report for both valid results and errors.

In this lesson you will begin handling errors in the Excel data.

The data will be validated to identify missing or incorrect values.

You will learn how to:

• loop through data using nested loops

• filter a data table based on specific values

• work with individual rows in a data table

• create and use helper variables

• detect missing values in Excel data

This allows you to identify problematic records before processing the data further.

In this lesson you will complete the error handling logic for the Excel data.

The data will be validated and categorized based on different types of errors.

You will learn how to:

• extend conditional logic with multiple error checks

• validate numeric values against business rules

• handle missing and incorrect data inputs

• assign meaningful error messages

• write error records to a dedicated Excel sheet

This ensures that all data issues are captured and clearly documented in your report.

In this lesson you will process the Excel data for each employee.

The data will be evaluated to separate valid entries from those containing errors.

You will learn how to:

• loop through grouped data per employee

• combine validation and processing logic

• use conditional statements to control the flow

• separate valid and invalid data during processing

• prepare data for both reporting and error handling

This ensures that all data is correctly processed before being added to the final report.

In this lesson you will create a dynamic file name for your Excel report.

The report will be saved with a unique name based on the current date and time.

You will learn how to:

• get the current date and time

• convert datetime values to text

• format datetime values for file naming

• build dynamic file paths using variables

• save Excel files with custom names

This ensures that each report is saved uniquely and avoids overwriting existing files.

In this lesson you will improve the visual appearance of your Excel report.

The report will be formatted to make it easier to read and understand.

You will learn how to:

• resize columns automatically in Excel

• apply autofit to improve layout

• enhance readability of generated reports

• refine the presentation of data

• improve the overall user experience

This makes your report more professional and easier to work with.

In this lesson you will enhance your Excel report using VBScript.

The report will be further formatted and enriched with features not available in standard Power Automate Desktop actions.

You will learn how to:

• run VBScript from Power Automate Desktop

• extend functionality beyond built-in actions

• create tables in Excel using scripting

• sort data programmatically

• generate charts based on report data

This allows you to take your automation to the next level with advanced Excel customization.