Best practices for migrating from SharePoint Designer to Power Automate July 28, 2020. Presented live online at VladTalksTech.

1. Best Practices: Migrating your SharePoint Designer
Workflows to Power Automate
Andy Huneycutt

2. Andy Huneycutt
• Charlotte, NC
• Upskill Tech, Inc
• President
• Enterprise Collaboration Specialist
• ASPE instructor since 2011
• Sr. Trainer, Coach, Consultant
• SharePoint | Office 365 | Project Server
• IT Trainer
• Consultant
• Courseware Developer
• Charlotte Area SharePoint User Group
• Leader
• Charlotte SharePoint Saturday | SPSCLT
• Leader
@andyhuneycutt William Huneycutt

3. Top of mind
Service accounts Logic apps
PowerShell
Scanning for legacy workflows
Scanning for flows
Unlearn what you think you know
Power Automate data connections/gateways
Send an HTTP request SharePoint action
Content Type support
Document Sets
Run on column change with conditional triggers (J Lui)

4. • Customize the OOTB workflows
• Create custom workflows
• Import/export workflows

5. Future of SharePoint Designer | January 2014
SharePoint Designer 2013 is the last release of the desktop client.
SharePoint Designer 2013 client will be supported through 2026.
SharePoint Designer is not being re-released with SharePoint Server 2016,
although we will continue to support custom workflows built with SharePoint
Designer and hosted on SharePoint Server 2016 and Office 365.

6. Future of SharePoint Designer | July 2020
Microsoft announced the retirement of SharePoint 2010 mode workflows
SharePoint 2010 workflows will be retired starting August 1, 2020. This
applies to all environments, including Government Community Cloud
(GCC) High and Department of Defense.
SharePoint 2013 workflows will follow a similar retirement path in the
future, so it's highly recommended to use Power Automate or other
supported solutions.

7. Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not
they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

8. SharePoint Designer to
Power Automate

9. How does Microsoft Flow
compare to SharePoint Designer
2013?
• Microsoft Flow is the successor to SharePoint Designer for
many common business scenarios such as approvals,
document review, and onboarding/offboarding.
• It will be the default tool for building business automation
in SharePoint moving forward.

10. https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/

11. SharePoint
OneDrive for
Business
Office
Outlook
Yammer
OneNote
Video Portal
Flow
PowerApps
Delve
Skype for
Business
Planner
Power BI
SHAREPOINT
WORKFLOW
SharePoint
Online OneDrive
For Business
Office /
Office Online
Outlook
Skype
For Business
Yammer
Teams
StreamPower Automate
PowerApps
Power BI
Delve
Microsoft Forms
To-do
Planner
OneNote

12. 370+

13. List of connectors
• Standard connectors
• Premium connectors
• Preview connectors
• Production connectors
• Power Apps connectors
• Power Automate connectors
• Logic Apps connectors
• Microsoft published connectors
• Non-Microsoft published connectors

14. Microsoft Flow
• Microsoft Flow is a cloud-based
service that makes it practical
and simple for line-of-business
users to build workflows that
automate time-consuming
business tasks and processes
across applications and
services.

15. OOTB Workflow
Templates

17. Out-of-the-Box Workflow Templates

18. SharePoint Power Automate Integrations
No set up required
approval flow
Personal reminder
for a date column
Require approval for items
and docs in your flows
Require approval for
SharePoint pages
Require approval for hub
site associations
Create your own flow from
templates

19. Get started quickly
with over a
hundred useful
templates

20. Create a workflow

21. Creating a Workflow

22. • Automated flows are started
by an event on your data.
• For example when you create
or update a list item in
SharePoint your flow will
start.
• This is the most common
type of trigger used by most
of the connectors.
• Instant flows are
triggered by a person.
Typically pressing button
within an app, that would
make this flow start.
• This of course also
includes all the on
selected items triggers
that can for example be
found within the
SharePoint or Excel
connectors.
• Scheduled flows are not
triggered by an event on the
data, but they simply run
when a scheduled time
arrives.
• You can compare this with
running scheduled tasks on
your PC or servers.
• This could help you get rid of
those on-premises servers
that run that monthly or daily
task.
Record and automate the
playback of manual steps on
legacy software.
Desktop and Web
applications that do not
have APIs available for
automation.
Define a set of steps for
people to ensure that
people enter data
consistently to take them to
a desired outcome. These
steps provide a visual
indicator that tells people
where they are in the
business process.
Types of Flows

23. Settings

24. SPD Workflow Settings – List Workflow

27. Flows “owned by” SharePoint lists and libraries
• Flows that work with SharePoint lists and libraries
can be shared with those lists or libraries.
• So, instead of being shared with individuals or
groups, they’re shared with everyone who has
access to the list.
• As users are added or removed from the list or
library, their membership automatically changes
accordingly.

28. Triggers

29. Triggers
• Triggers are the events that start a Flow
process.
• Some triggers are events in your
connected web services, such as when a
certain user sends a tweet, or a file is
saved to your Dropbox account.
• Other triggers are built-in, such as running
a flow on a recurring schedule or running
a flow in response to a web request.
• Finally, there are manual triggers, such as
launching a flow by clicking a button in
Power Automate (Flow) or Microsoft
Power Apps. Triggers often pass
information about the event that
happened to actions in your flow.

30. Triggers

31. Run on a schedule

32. Trigger Conditions

33. Filter array

34. Push button
flows
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

35. Actions

37. SharePoint Connector
• Triggers and actions for lists and document
libraries
• SharePoint templates available to get you started
• Use actions in your flows to interact with
SharePoint lists and libraries
• A total of 46 actions and 10 triggers

38. SharePoint Actions
Add attachment Adds a new attachment to the specified list item.
Approve hub site join
request Approve hub site join request. This will return an approval token that can be used to complete the join request using the join hub site action.
Cancel hub site join request Cancel hub join request. If applicable, you should specify the same Approval Correlation Id as used in the "Set hub site join status to pending" action.
Check in file Check in a checked out file in a document library, which makes the version of the document available to others.
Check out file Check out a file in a document library to prevent others from editing the document, and your changes from being visible until the documented is checked in.
Copy file Copies a file. Works in a similar way to the "Copy to" command in SharePoint libraries. Returns information about the new file after copy.
Copy file (deprecated) Copies a file to a SharePoint site.
Copy folder Copies a folder. Works in a similar way to the "Copy to" command in SharePoint libraries. Returns information about the new folder after copy.
Create file Uploads a file to a SharePoint site. Make sure to pick an existing library.
Create item Creates a new item in a SharePoint list.
Create new folder Creates a new folder or folder path.
Create sharing link for a file
or folder Create sharing link for a file or folder.
Delete attachment Deletes the specified attachment.
Delete file Deletes the file specified by the file identifier.
Delete item Deletes an item from a SharePoint list.
Discard check out
If you check out a file and don’t make changes to it, or you make changes that you don’t want to keep, you can simply discard the checkout, rather than saving the file. If your organization tracks versions, a new version is
created each time you check a file back into the library. By discarding the checkout, you can avoid making new versions when you haven’t made any changes to the file.
Extract folder Extracts an archive file into a SharePoint folder (example: .zip).
Get all lists and libraries Get all lists and libraries.
Get attachment content Returns file contents using the file identifier. The contents can be copied somewhere else, or be used as an attachment.
Get attachments Returns the list of attachments for the specified list item. You can add a "Get attachment content" step and use the "File identifier" property returned by this action to get to the contents of the file.
Get file content Gets file contents using the file identifier. The contents can be copied somewhere else, or be used as an attachment.
Get file content using path Gets file contents using the file path.

39. SharePoint Actions
Get file metadata Gets information about the file such as size, etag, created date, etc. Uses a file identifier to pick the file. Use "Get file properties" action to get to the values stored in the columns in the library.
Get file metadata using path Gets information about the file such as size, etag, created date, etc. Uses a file path to pick the file. Use "Get file properties" action to get to the values stored in the columns in the library.
Get file properties Gets the properties saved in the columns in the library for the item specified by the item id.
Get files (properties only) Gets the properties saved in the columns in the library for all folders and files stored in the library.
Get folder metadata Gets information about the folder. Uses a file identifier to pick the folder.
Get folder metadata using path Gets information about the folder. Uses a folder path to pick the folder.
Get item Gets a single item by its id from a SharePoint list.
Get items Gets items from a SharePoint list.
Get list views Gets views from a SharePoint list.
Get lists Gets SharePoint lists from a site.
Grant access to an item or a
folder Grant access to an item or a folder in SharePoint to specific people.
Join hub site Join the requested site to the hub site. An Approval Token is required to complete the join successfully if that hub requires approval. If applicable, you should specify the same Approval Correlation Id as used in the "Set hub site join status to pending" action.
List folder Returns files contained in a SharePoint folder.
List root folder Returns files in the root SharePoint folder.
Move file Moves a file. Works in a similar way to the "Move to" command in SharePoint libraries. Returns information about the new file after move.
Move folder Moves a folder. Works in a similar way to the "Move to" command in SharePoint libraries. Returns information about the new folder after move.
Resolve person Returns a single matching user value so it can be assigned to a column of type person. If there are no matches, or multiple matches, this action will error out.
Send an HTTP request to
SharePoint Construct a SharePoint REST API to invoke. Note – This action may execute any SharePoint REST API you have access to. Please proceed with caution.
Set content approval status
Sets the content approval status for an item in a list or library that has content approval turned on. You must provide an ETag for pages and files. You can get the ETag using the Get File Metadata action. This action is only available for SharePoint Online and
SharePoint 2019.
Set hub site join status to
pending Set the requested site's hub join request status to pending. The Approval Correlation Id is an optional parameter that helps SharePoint identify a particular hub join request. The requesting site can only have one pending request at a given time.
Stop sharing an item or a folder Delete all links giving access to an item or a folder and remove all people with direct access except for owners.
Update file Updates the contents of the file specified by the file identifier.
Update file properties Updates the properties stored in columns in a library for the item specified by the item id. Use "Update file" action to update file contents.
Update item Updates an item in a SharePoint list.

40. Conditions

41. Conditions
• Conditions are the branching logic for flow
processes.
• Conditions specify that a flow performs one or
more tasks only if a condition is true, or which
actions to take if a condition is false.
• Conditions in basic mode allow you to quickly
compare a single value with another value.
• Using logical expressions in your conditions allows
you to compare multiple values.

42. Edit in advanced mode - deprecated

43. Advanced condition builder
• The advanced condition builder
is available for all new conditions
that you add to your flows.
• It will not be enabled for existing
conditions, so if you would like to
use it with existing flows you will
need to add a new step and drag
the actions from the old condition
to the new condition.

44. Advanced
condition builder
• Supports IntelliSense
• Add row – Each individual
condition you check for (such as
the value is greater than 10, or the
list does not contain Test) creates a
new row in the condition builder.
• Add group – You can combine one
or more rows together in
a group — each group is combined
by either an And or an Or. If you
select And then all the rows must
be true. On the other hand, if you
select Or, then only one of the
rows needs to be true.

45. Approvals

46. Assign a To-do Item

47. Custom Task Process

49. Power Automate Approvals
Create approvals in your workflow, and view sent and received requests in a unified Actions center.

50. Peek Code
Understand exactly what will be sent to the
Connector from your flow.

51. SharePoint Send HTTP Request
• In Power Automate, the
SharePoint Send HTTP Request
flow action lets you construct and
execute SharePoint REST API
queries.
• This action is particularly useful in
cases where the existing
SharePoint flow actions do not
handle your requirements, or the
action you are looking for is not
yet available in the SharePoint
connector.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/business-apps/power-automate/guidance/working-with-send-sp-http-request

52. Power Automate environments
• An environment to host the flow and the resources the flow uses. You can use separate environments for different scenarios.
• An environment is a space to store, manage, and share your organization's business data, apps, and flows. It also serves as a
container to separate apps that might have different roles, security requirements, or target audiences.
• Isolation boundary for all resources: Any flows, gateways, connections, custom connectors, and so on reside in a specific
environment. They don't exist in any other environments.
• Environments have two built-in roles that provide access to permissions within an environment:
• Environment Admin
• Environment Maker
• Environment makers can also distribute the apps they build in an environment to other users in your organization by sharing the
app with individual users, security groups, or all users in the organization.
• Limitations
• The fact that environments are an isolation boundary means that you can never have resources that reference
resources across environments.
• For example, you may not create a custom connector in one environment and then create a flow that uses that custom connector in a different
environment.
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/environments-overview-maker
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/environments-overview-admin

53. Microsoft Power Apps
and Power Automate
Licensing Guide
• Power Apps/Power Automate capabilities
for Microsoft 365 enable users to extend
and customize the Office experience with
Power Apps and Power Automate.
• Users can create applications and flows
based on Microsoft 365 data.
• These productivity apps can also utilize
data outside of Microsoft 365 by
connecting to common services including
Box.com, Facebook, and many more via
the use of standard connectors. Power Apps and Microsoft Flow Licensing Guide | October 2019
Microsoft Power Apps,
Microsoft Power Automate and
Microsoft Power Virtual Agents
Licensing Guide
July 2020
https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2085130

54. Overview of capabilities included with Power
Apps for Microsoft 365 plan
Functionalities Power Apps for Microsoft 365
Create, run and share apps Yes
Run canvas apps in context of Microsoft
365
Yes
Connect to Microsoft 365 data Yes
Connect to cloud services using standard
connectors
Yes
Run apps in a browser or Power Apps
mobile for iOS and Android
Yes
Run Canvas apps offline Yes
Support for data policies established by the
Microsoft 365 administrator
Yes
Access on-premises data or use premium
or custom connectors
-
Access to Common Data Service Yes* (see note below)

55. Power
Automate
use rights
included
with Office
365 licenses
• Power Automate use rights included with Office 365 licenses Office 365 licenses include Power
Automate use rights for the purpose of customizing and extending Office 365 applications.
• Power Automate use within Office 365 is limited to the context of the embedding Office 365
application.
• For both triggers and actions, flows included within the Office 365 application can connect to:
• Any data source within the use rights of the Office 365 application
• Directly with the Office 365 application (via built in trigger/action)
• If the embedded flow is not within the context of the Office 365 application or if the embedded
flow needs to connect to a premium on-premises or custom data source standalone Power
Automate licenses will need to be purchased.

56. Requests limits and
allocations
• What is a Microsoft Power Platform
request?
• Microsoft Power Automate – all Power
Automate step actions
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-
platform/admin/api-request-limits-
allocations
User licenses Number of API
requests / 24 hours
Dynamics 365 Enterprise
applications
1
20,000
Dynamics 365 Professional
2
10,000
Dynamics 365 Team
Member
5,000
Power Apps per user plan 5,000
Power Automate per user
plan
5,000
Office licenses (that include
Power Apps/Power
Automate)
3
2,000

57. Power Automate
limitations
Flow’s run history
is only stored for
28 days
Power Automate -
30 days

58. Summary

59. • Guidance: Migrate from classic workflows to Power Automate flows
in SharePoint

60. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform
Fundamentals
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-
us/learn/certifications/power-
platform-fundamentals