Power Automate Flows for Dynamics 365 - Short and Precise

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.

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
  

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.

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:

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'

  
  

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)

  
  

  
  

  
  

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.

  
  

  
  

In this lesson, we move beyond basic "Update" triggers. We will configure a flow that only wakes up when a specific piece of data changes—such as an Account Status or a Credit Limit. This ensures your automation is efficient and only runs when it's actually needed.

Step-by-Step Configuration

1. Select the Trigger: Search for the Microsoft Dataverse connector and select the trigger: "When a row is added, modified or deleted".

2. Set the Change Type: Set the Change type to Update. (Note: Column filtering isn't applicable to "Added" because all columns are technically new).

3. Choose the Table: Select your target table (e.g., Accounts or Contacts).

4. Define the Scope: Usually, for business processes, you’ll set this to Organization to ensure it runs for all users.

5. Select Columns (The "Secret Sauce"): Click on Show advanced options. Look for the field labeled Select columns.

   • Crucial Tip: You must use the Logical Name of the column (e.g., telephone1 instead of Business Phone). You can find this in the Power Apps Maker portal under the column properties.

   • If you want multiple columns to trigger the flow, separate them with commas: address1_city, address1_stateorprovince.

This video provide more details about the trigger when a row is added, changed or deleted.

In this video, we break down the difference between Dynamic Content and Expressions in Microsoft Power Automate, and when to use each approach when building flows with Microsoft Dynamics 365.

You’ll learn:

• What Dynamic Content is and how it allows you to quickly insert values from triggers and actions (like fields from Dynamics 365 records)

• What Expressions are and how they provide advanced logic and data manipulation capabilities

• Key differences in flexibility, usability, and performance

• Real-world examples of when Dynamic Content is not enough—and Expressions are required

In this video, we delve into the Scope control in Power Automate, a powerful feature that enhances flow organization and error handling. By grouping related actions within a Scope, you can streamline complex workflows, making them more manageable and readable.

This video provides practical examples and best practices to help you effectively incorporate Scopes into your Power Automate solutions.

In this video, we dive into variables in Power Automate — what they are, how to use them, and when to choose variables over other actions like Compose.

• What is a variable in Power Automate?

• The difference between Initialize variable, Set variable, and Increment/Append actions

• When to use variables vs. Compose

• Real-life examples using:

  • Text variables for dynamic messages

  • Integer variables for counters

  • Array variables for storing lists of data

The Condition control functions similarly to an "if-then-else" statement in programming. It assesses a given expression and, depending on whether the result is true or false, executes different sets of actions.

In Power Automate, the Switch control is a powerful tool that allows you to execute different sets of actions based on the value of a single variable or expression. It's particularly useful when you have multiple possible values that require distinct processing, offering a cleaner and more organized alternative to multiple nested Condition actions.

In this video, we’ll explore one of the most useful tools in Power Automate — the Compose action.

You'll learn what the Compose action does, when to use it, and why it's a powerful building block for creating cleaner, more efficient flows.

• Use Compose to:

  • Store and format text

  • Run expressions and calculations

  • Simplify complex flows by avoiding unnecessary variables

• Real-world examples: formatting dates, creating dynamic strings, and calculating values without initializing variables

• Best practices for naming and organizing Compose actions in larger flows

Why Use Compose?

• No need to declare and manage variables

• Makes your flow faster and easier to read

• Perfect for debugging and expression testing

Whether you're looping through rows from Dataverse, SharePoint, Excel, or an array you've built yourself, Apply to Each is your go-to action for handling multiple items dynamically.

• What the Apply to Each action does

• How to loop through arrays, tables, and list records

• How to access and use the current item in the loop with items() or dynamic content

• Best practices for working with nested loops and avoiding infinite runs

Whether you're looping through rows from Dataverse, SharePoint, Excel, or an array you've built yourself, Apply to Each is your go-to action for handling multiple items dynamically.

• What the Apply to Each action does

• How to loop through arrays, tables, and list records

• How to access and use the current item in the loop with items() or dynamic content

• Best practices for working with nested loops and avoiding infinite runs

Video Description:

In this video, you'll learn how to create a Power Automate condition that checks whether a List Rows (Dataverse or SharePoint) query returned any records. This is essential for building flows that react only when data is found.

We’ll walk through using the length() expression to count the number of records returned, and how to set up a Condition action to proceed only if at least one row exists.

What You’ll Learn:

• How the List Rows action outputs data as an array.

• How to use the length() function to check the count of records.

• The exact condition expression:

  plaintext

  outputs('List_Rows')?['body']['value']) > 0

  
  

• How to use this inside a Condition action to avoid empty-loop errors or unnecessary processing.

• Real-world use cases (like skipping an email step if no rows are found).

In this video, you'll learn how to create new records in Power Automate using the Add a new row (Dataverse)

The "Get a row by ID" action in Power Automate allows you to retrieve a specific record from Microsoft Dataverse using its unique identifier (GUID). This is particularly useful when you need to access detailed information about a record within your automated workflows.

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.

​In this video:

1. Understanding Lookup Fields: An overview of lookup fields in Dataverse and their role in establishing relationships between tables.​

2. Identifying Entity Set Names: Guidance on determining the correct entity set names, which are essential for accurately referencing tables in Power Automate.​Matthew Devaney

3. Formatting the Lookup Reference: A step-by-step demonstration of constructing the proper syntax to update a lookup field, specifically using the format:​

   
   

   /entitysetname(guid)

   
   

For example, to set a lookup to a contact record, the syntax would be:

bash

/contacts(12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef)

Summary Power Automate for Dynamics 365: Main Triggers & Actions

In this lecture, you review the key triggers and actions available in Power Automate for Microsoft Dynamics 365, enabling seamless automation of business processes.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Main Triggers:

• When a record is created, updated, or deleted

• When a record is manually selected

• Attribute change triggers

• Scheduled (recurring) triggers

✅ Main Actions:

• Create, update, delete, or retrieve records

• List records with filtering options

• Execute workflows and send emails