Power Automate Desktop - For Advanced Users

Name: Power Automate Desktop - For Advanced Users
Rating: 4.8 (36 reviews)

Including Logging, Error Handling and Custom C# Actions

Created byAnders Jensen

Last updated 4/2026

English

English [Auto],

What you'll learn

Create and manage real-world automation workflows by building 10 hands-on projects from start to finish using Microsoft Power Automate Desktop
Develop advanced error-handling and data validation skills to ensure reliable and accurate automation processes in any business environment
Design custom actions using C# and implement advanced techniques such as logging, reporting, and workflow optimization
Apply the Dispatcher/Performer architecture and human approval flows to create efficient, scalable, and flexible automation solutions

Course content

10 sections • 72 lectures • 6h 36m total length

Welcome0:31
Join this Power Automate Desktop course for advanced users and learn by following along with exercises, copying what I do, pausing or rewinding the video, and asking questions.
Download your lesson files0:05
Download the advanced lesson files used in this course to follow along and build more powerful Power Automate Desktop solutions.

Install Microsoft Power Automate Desktop2:33
Install Power Automate Desktop on Windows 11 using the official MSI installer, then enable browser extensions and connect the machine to the cloud portal for scheduling and desktop flows.
Connect to the cloud portal (Machine Runtime)1:14
Connect Power Automate Desktop to the cloud portal via the machine runtime to enable cloud runs, environment registration, and access the Power Automate Cloud Portal.
Intro to SQL Server Management Studio17:32
Install SQL Server and SQL Server Management Studio, connect to the server, and create a burger bar database with employees and orders tables connected by a foreign key.
Install Visual Studio1:03
Install Visual Studio by downloading the executable from the official site, running the installer, selecting dotnet desktop development, and completing the setup, then launch Visual Studio from the start menu.

Intro0:24
Prepare data3:25
Build the initial part5:29
Create a new flow and a Momondo launch and login subflow, then close and reopen the browser for a fresh instance using a project path and URL variables.
Page state validation 15:14
Page state validation 22:54
Validate page state in Power Automate Desktop by detecting the United States English flag, building a stable selector, and testing language-specific actions.
Read Excel4:09
Launch Excel, set the active worksheet, and read data from Excel into a data table in Power Automate Desktop. Iterate rows to log status within a structured region.
For each and business exception check2:05
Ensuring UI stability6:36
Demonstrates automating a Momondo flight search with Power Automate Desktop by creating subflows, looping to adjust bag counts, and ensuring UI stability while handling errors.
Prepare web search8:13
Do the web search and reset4:48
Action-based error-handling3:45
Explore action-based error handling in Power Automate Desktop by routing errors to a label named checktransactionstatus, setting a business exception, and continuing the flow across iterations.
Data extraction & Wait for web page content10:38
Write to Excel including transaction status8:49
Error handling on block of actions3:32
Learn to handle application exceptions in a desktop flow by setting the transaction status to application exception, continuing execution, and logging errors to Excel for validation on Momondo.
Flow recovering3:08
Notify different users (separate desktop flow)11:34

Intro0:28
Start solving the case8:02
Predict and prevent flow errors with input validation, UI validation, and dynamic weights while building a bulletproof Power Automate Desktop automation that reads Excel data into a data table.
Reset and launch system5:29
Master Power Automate Desktop advanced techniques to reset and relaunch systems by checking for existing windows, attaching to running browsers, handling URLs, and orchestrating subflows for reliable automation.
UI validation and retries9:10
Input validation4:00
Input validation (zip code)5:00
Learn to validate zip code input in Power Automate Desktop by building a subflow, converting text to number, checking length, and handling errors.
Input validation (email)6:45
Input validation (name)3:17
Type and dynamic waits7:29
Write the status to Excel3:37

Intro0:27
Build the basics19:34
Learn to implement two kinds of logs—status and developer logs—in Power Automate Desktop, read Excel data, automate the calculator with dynamic selectors, and write results back using subflows.
Status and result log8:47
An advanced flow run log15:30
Log message to Power Automate Cloud3:40
Log a message from a desktop flow to Power Automate Cloud, adjust the log level, then inspect the cloud log and the JSON input details.

Intro0:26
Notify the developer8:05
Notify the business user3:12
Notify the management - Create a SQL database5:52
Prompts used:
I work with Power Automate Desktop, and I want to log the results of every processed case in a SQL Server database. I want to create a database, called ProcessedCasesDB, and two tables inside it:
- A table, called FlowDetails, that holds the name of the flow along with an ID that auto increments. - A table, called ProcessedCases, that holds the result of every processed case, along with the ID of the flow, a timestamp and an ID that auto increments. None of the fields must be null. Create the SQL to create database and these two tables.
Write it in one code block.
Notify the management - Add flow name to database7:52
Prompts used:
Create a SQL statement that inserts a row into the FlowDetails table.The row should only be inserted if there is not already a row in the table with the same FlowName.
Notify the management - Add case to database8:36
Prompts used:
Create a SQL statement that selects a FLOWID from FlowDetails, based on a given FlowName
Now create a SQL statement that inserts FlowID, Timestamp, and Result into ProcessedCases
Notify the management - Implement 2 x SQL flows4:54
Notify the management - Send email5:02
Create and automate a monthly management report email using Power Automate Desktop, including opening sql connections, executing statements, calculating a success percentage, and sending the result via outlook.

Intro0:27
Build the basics13:24
Create a Custom C# Action9:51
The C# code is found in the attached text.
Create and import certificate6:31
Learn to create and export a signing certificate, sign DLLs with the sign tool for a Power Automate Desktop flow, and import the certificate into trusted root certification authorities.
Signing the files4:48
Sign your DLL files with a trusted certificate using Sign Tool commands in the Visual Studio developer prompt, then ensure each DLL signs successfully.
Compress the files5:56
pack the dlls into a cabinet file (.cab) for Power Automate Cloud using a PowerShell script, sign with the sign tool, and prepare the cab for upload.
Upload to Power Automate cloud2:27
Upload a custom action to Power Automate cloud by selecting the cab file, naming it Excel to PDF, and trusting its certificate for use in Power Automate Desktop.
Use the Custom Action in Power Automate Desktop5:33
Set Execution policy to default0:36
Open PowerShell as administrator, run set-executionpolicy -executionpolicy default, confirm with y, and restore script protection.

Requirements

Learners should have a good understanding of Power Automate Desktop basics and feel confident building simple automation flows. Familiarity with basic flow actions, variables, and conditions is recommended to get the most out of this advanced course

Description

Here’s the updated version with five additional words:

This course is perfect for advanced Microsoft Power Automate Desktop users who want to improve their automation skills. You will follow step-by-step videos to create 10 real-world automation projects from start to finish.

You’ll learn how to set up automations, fix errors, and check data to ensure it’s correct. We’ll also cover advanced topics like logging, reporting, and making custom actions with C#. Plus, you’ll learn how to manage work queues, use dispatchers and performers, and create approval flows that need human decisions.

By the end of this course, you’ll know the best ways to build reliable and scalable automations for real-world business needs and future challenges.

What You’ll Learn:

Build 10 automation projects step-by-step
Make custom actions with C#
Set up logging and reporting
Use Power Automate Cloud for scheduling and approvals
Master error handling and data validation
Apply the Dispatcher/Performer model to make workflows more efficient

With our hands-on lessons, you’ll gain practical skills to automate tasks, connect systems, and improve business processes. This course will teach you how to use Microsoft Power Automate Desktop in your workplace confidently.

Note: The course is updated regularly to include new features and best practices for Microsoft Power Automate Desktop.

Who this course is for:

This course is ideal for advanced Microsoft Power Automate Desktop users who want to expand their automation skills and build scalable, real-world workflows. It’s perfect for professionals looking to optimize business processes, IT specialists aiming to streamline operations, and automation enthusiasts ready to tackle advanced topics like error handling, logging, and custom actions

Power Automate Desktop - For Advanced Users

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction2 lectures • 1min

Getting Ready4 lectures • 22min

A Reusable Configuration File7 lectures • 38min

Advanced Error Handling and Resilience16 lectures • 1hr 25min

Input Validation10 lectures • 53min

Create a Detailed Log5 lectures • 48min

Reporting with SQL8 lectures • 44min

Custom C# Actions9 lectures • 50min

Work Queues10 lectures • 55min

Best Practices1 lecture • 1min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: