Help Guide for Microsoft Power Automate and Automation for Microsoft 365 Users

What Is Power Automate?

Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is Microsoft's workflow automation platform. It connects your apps and services to create automated workflows—similar to Zapier or Make, but integrated deeply with the Microsoft ecosystem.

The crucial point for many small businesses: Power Automate is included with most Microsoft 365 business subscriptions. If you're paying for Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, or Premium, you already have access.

According to Microsoft, over 10 million organisations use Power Automate, making it one of the most widely deployed automation platforms by sheer numbers.

Why Power Automate Matters for Microsoft 365 Users

It's Already Included

Microsoft 365 Business Basic (£4.50/user/month) and above include Power Automate capabilities:

• Cloud flows (automated workflows)
• Instant flows (button-triggered)
• Scheduled flows (time-based)
• AI Builder credits (for AI features)

You're paying for it. You might as well use it.

Deep Microsoft Integration

Power Automate's integration with Microsoft products is seamless:

• Outlook: Email triggers, automatic responses, attachment handling
• SharePoint: Document workflows, approvals, notifications
• Teams: Message posting, channel management, notifications
• Excel: Data operations, automatic updates, calculations
• Forms: Response processing, data routing
• OneDrive: File management, sync triggers
• Dynamics 365: Business process automation

These integrations are richer than what Zapier or Make can offer for Microsoft products.

Enterprise-Grade Security

Power Automate inherits Microsoft 365's security:

• Data stays within Microsoft's cloud
• Enterprise compliance certifications
• Admin controls and governance
• Audit logging and monitoring

For businesses already trusting Microsoft with their data, extending to automation involves no additional security evaluation.

Copilot Integration

Power Automate is part of Microsoft's AI strategy:

• Describe workflows in natural language
• AI suggests and builds flows
• Intelligent recommendations
• Integration with Microsoft 365 Copilot

As Microsoft expands Copilot, Power Automate benefits automatically.

Understanding Power Automate Editions

What's Included with Microsoft 365

Standard connectors with your subscription:

• Microsoft apps (Office, SharePoint, Teams)
• Popular services (Twitter, Dropbox, Gmail)
• Basic cloud flows
• Up to 6,000 API calls per day

Premium Connectors (Additional Cost)

Some connectors require Power Automate Premium (£12.30/user/month):

• Salesforce
• ServiceNow
• SAP
• SQL Server
• HTTP with Azure AD
• Many enterprise applications

For pure Microsoft environments, the included version often suffices. Mixed environments may need premium.

Process Mining and RPA

Advanced capabilities for larger businesses:

• Process Mining: Analyse business processes from data
• Desktop Flows: Automate legacy applications via RPA
• Separate licensing (typically enterprise)

Most small businesses won't need these.

Getting Started with Power Automate

Accessing Power Automate

From Microsoft 365:

1. Go to office.com

2. Click the app launcher (9 dots)

3. Select Power Automate

Or directly: flow.microsoft.com

Understanding Flow Types

Automated cloud flows: Triggered by events

• New email arrives
• File uploaded to SharePoint
• Form submitted

Instant cloud flows: Triggered manually

• Button press in Power Automate app
• Selected item in SharePoint
• Triggered from Teams

Scheduled cloud flows: Triggered by time

• Every day at 9am
• Every Monday
• First of every month

Building Your First Flow

Example: Email notification for new SharePoint files

1. Click 'Create' > 'Automated cloud flow'

2. Name your flow

3. Search for 'SharePoint' triggers

4. Select 'When a file is created (properties only)'

5. Choose your SharePoint site and library

6. Click 'New step'

7. Search for 'Send an email'

8. Select 'Send an email (V2)' - Outlook

9. Configure: To, Subject, Body

10. Use dynamic content to insert file name, link

11. Click 'Save'

12. Test by uploading a file

Time: 10 minutes. Result: Never miss a new document again.

Practical Microsoft 365 Automations

Email Management

Auto-save attachments to OneDrive:

1. Trigger: When new email arrives with attachment

2. Condition: From specific sender or subject contains keyword

3. Action: Save attachment to OneDrive folder

4. Action: Send confirmation

Out-of-office auto-response with extra logic:

1. Trigger: New email received

2. Condition: I'm out of office (from calendar)

3. Condition: Email is from external sender

4. Action: Send custom response

5. Action: Forward to colleague

Document Approval Workflows

SharePoint document approval:

1. Trigger: New file in 'Pending Approval' folder

2. Action: Start approval (built-in action)

3. Assign approvers

4. Wait for response

5. If approved: Move to 'Approved' folder

6. If rejected: Notify creator with comments

7. Update document properties

Expense approval with Teams:

1. Trigger: New expense form submitted

2. Condition: Over £100?

3. Yes: Post approval card to manager in Teams

4. Wait for response in Teams

5. Update spreadsheet with decision

6. Notify submitter

Teams Automations

Welcome new team members:

1. Trigger: New member joins Team

2. Action: Post welcome message to General

3. Action: Send DM with onboarding resources

4. Action: Add to onboarding checklist

Weekly summary posts:

1. Trigger: Schedule (Friday 4pm)

2. Action: Get data from SharePoint list

3. Action: Format as summary

4. Action: Post to Team channel

Form Processing

Customer feedback to spreadsheet and Slack:

1. Trigger: New Microsoft Forms response

2. Action: Add row to Excel

3. Condition: Rating below 3?

4. Yes: Send urgent Teams message

5. Action: Send thank you email to customer

Power Automate Features

Approvals

Built-in approval workflows:

• Single approver
• Everyone must approve
• First response wins
• Custom approval flows

Approvers respond via email, Teams, or Power Automate app.

Conditions and Switches

Logic control:

• If/else conditions
• Switch statements for multiple branches
• Nested conditions

Apply to Each (Loops)

Process multiple items:

• For each email attachment
• For each row in a table
• For each file in a folder

Variables

Store and manipulate data:

• Initialize variables
• Increment counters
• Build strings
• Store intermediate results

Error Handling

Configure run after:

• Run only if previous succeeded
• Run even if previous failed
• Run only if previous failed

Timeout settings: Prevent flows from running forever.

Parallel Branches

Run actions simultaneously:

• Send email AND post to Teams at same time
• Process multiple items in parallel

Tips for Effective Power Automate Use

Start with Templates

Microsoft provides hundreds of templates:

• Browse by app or scenario
• Clone and modify
• Learn from proven patterns

Use Expressions Wisely

Power Automate includes expression functions:

• Text manipulation: concat(), substring(), replace()
• Date functions: addDays(), formatDateTime()
• Logic: if(), and(), or()

Expressions add power but increase complexity. Use sparingly.

Mind the Limits

Microsoft 365 included flows have limits:

• 6,000 API calls per day per user
• Some connectors throttle heavily
• Complex flows may hit limits faster

Monitor in the Power Automate admin center.

Test Thoroughly

Use 'Test' button with recent data:

• See exactly what happens at each step
• Identify failures before production
• Verify data mappings are correct

Document Your Flows

• Use descriptive names
• Add comments to complex logic
• Maintain a list of active flows
• Note dependencies

Power Automate vs Other Platforms

Choose Power Automate if:

• You're already on Microsoft 365
• Most automation involves Microsoft apps
• Enterprise security matters
• You want desktop/on-premises automation

Choose alternatives if:

• Heavy non-Microsoft app integration
• Simpler visual interface preferred
• Microsoft-independent infrastructure

Common Challenges and Solutions

'Premium connector required'

Some connectors need Power Automate Premium. Workarounds:

• Use HTTP connector (technical)
• Find alternative connectors
• Evaluate if premium license is worth it

Flow keeps failing

Troubleshooting steps:

1. Check flow run history for errors

2. Verify all connections are authenticated

3. Test with simple data

4. Check for throttling/limits

5. Review Microsoft service status

Too complicated

Simplify:

• Break large flows into smaller ones
• Use child flows (call one flow from another)
• Remove unnecessary steps
• Use templates instead of building from scratch

The Bottom Line

Power Automate occupies a unique position: it's the automation tool Microsoft 365 users are already paying for but often don't realise they have.

For workflows within the Microsoft ecosystem—email, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, Forms—Power Automate offers deeper integration than any competitor. The approval workflows, in particular, are excellent.

For heavy integration with non-Microsoft services, Zapier or Make may be more practical. But for Microsoft-centric businesses, Power Automate should be your starting point.

Check your Microsoft 365 subscription. Access Power Automate. Build one flow that automates a manual task. See what you've been missing.

You're already paying for it.