Microsoft Flow : what you need to know before starting a real project
1. aOS Luxembourg
4 décembre 2017
Microsoft Flow Advanced : what you need to
know…Serge Luca , Isabelle Van Campenhoudt
@sergeluca ,@thesqlgrrrl
2. aOS Luxembourg
4 décembre 2017
Serge Luca
11 x SharePoint MVP, Brussels
SharePoint since 2002
SP & O365 Architect (Admin, Dev, governance)
Managing partner of www.shareql.com
Worked for the MS workflow team
Blog: http://sergeluca.wordpress.com/
sergeluca@shareql.com
@sergeluca
5. aOS Luxembourg
4 décembre 2017
Environment + Data Loss prevention
Creating Flows
Introduction : the concept
Flows and on premises
Extensibility : communication with the outside world
Price & roadmap
Conclusions
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4 décembre 2017
Personal productivity
Collaboration : Approval & Review,…
Quickly create (0 code) Business Processes apps “Citizen
development”
4 main benefits :
Bridge between Applications
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4 décembre 2017
The context : business Apps
Empower power users
Connect data across apps
More efficient developers
App Services
Service Fabric
Azure Functions
…
Logic Apps
API Management
BizTalk
…
SQL Server BI
Data analytics
Internet of Things (IoT)
…
Build modern business app fast
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4 décembre 2017
Creating and managing Flows
Microsoft Account (free) or Office 365 or Dynamics 365 or Flow (paid) or
PowerApps (or free new PowerApps Community Plan)
Flow.microsoft.com
Powerapps.microsoft.com
A modern SharePoint Online list
Mobile app (iOS-Android-Windows Mobile)
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4 décembre 2017
Approval problems…
• What do we do if the item (to be approved) is deleted ?
• What if the flow is cancelled
• No approval reassignment(->roadmap)
• Limitation of Flow :
• flow duration = max 30 days
• Approval duration = max 30 days
->What if Approval 1 = 20 days & Approval 2 = 15 days ?
• However (great) Approval history is perpetual
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4 décembre 2017
Limitations
• 250 actions/flow ->create nested flows
• SharePoint
• Limitation when more than 5000 items in a SharePoint list?
• The flow cannot run with the security context of the user ->roadmap
• No OOB site level actions ->roadmap
• Cannot OOB change item security ->roadmap
• No content publishing ->soon
• Lookup field pointing to another web ?
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4 décembre 2017
Limitations
• No out of the box send for review ->soon
• No custom input forms for approvers->roadmap
• Flow duration : 30 days ; loops : max 5000 iteration->???
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4 décembre 2017
Flow and data on premises
• Install the « on Premises data gateway »
(shared between PowerBI, PowerApps and Azure Logic
Apps) Not just databases, but also
Powershell scripts, files and
(recently) : REST API web
services
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4 décembre 2017
Environments & compliance
• Isolated spaces where Flows/Data are
running/stored
– Ex HR, Marketing, Operations, Legal, DEV, TEST,
UAT, PROD…
• Different rules (DLP)
– Ex marketing can use twitter, Legal and Production
cannot
• Different regions if needed
[Plan 2 for creating Env]
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4 décembre 2017
ENVIRONMENTSDEV MARKETING
TEST MARKETING
UAT MARKETING
PROD MARKETING
DEV OPERATIONS
US
TEST OPERATIONS
US
UAT OPERATIONS
US
PROD OPERATIONS
US
US
DLP
DEV OPERATIONS
EUROPE
TEST OPERATIONS
EUROPE
UAT OPERATIONS
EUROPE
PROD OPERATIONS
EUROPE
E
U
DLP
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4 décembre 2017
Attention
• We can export-import Flows from Env1 to Env2
• We have to recreate the connections (fixed in roadmap)
• SharePoint lists based on GUID (! From SharePoint test site to SharePoint prod
site !)
• On premise data gateway :
• Gateways only in the default environment
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4 décembre 2017
Action Request
Action Http
Custom Connector (REST API described in a Swagger/Open
API )
PowerApps calls Flow
A custom app calls Flow (« Flow as a service »)
PowerBI calls Flow (Data Alerts)
Flow calls the outside world
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4 décembre 2017
PowerBI & Flow
FLOW
DATA ALERTS
DATA SOURCES
POWER BI
SCHEDULED REFRESH
STREAMING DATA
LIVE
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4 décembre 2017
Positive
• Easy tool
• Not just SharePoint (it replaces SPD)
• Connections to hundreds of services
• Including on prem!
• SharePoint Integration is getting better
• PowerApps, PowerBI integration
• Team Flow is very proactive & delivers
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4 décembre 2017
Negative
• Young, unknown reliability
• No state machines (but we have loops and tests)
• Collect feedback weak
• SharePoint integration still weak
• Flow duration : 30 days, Approval : 30 days
• Weak for long business processes
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4 décembre 2017
Advices
• Keep your forms as simple as possible
• Manage the business logic in the workflow
• Use environments
• Define system accounts for your connections
• Limitations
• Learn the Logic Apps Workflow Definition Language
(WDL)
– Read my blog post
https://sergeluca.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/using-the-azure-
logic-apps-workflow-definition-language-in-microsoft-flow-
part-1/
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SharePoint Designer Flow
Multiple connections to >150 data sources SQL, SP, ODBC & WSDL only ALWAYS
Out of box templates <5 100s
Workflow & approval history <365 days Perpetual
Approvals over mobile + mobile notifications NEVER iOS, Android, Windows Phone + in Outlook.
History coming imminently.
Loops, Do Until, Switch-case, parallels, variables Yes Yes
On-premises support Native Gateway support
Extended field types (people, choice, MMS, lookup) Yes People, choice, lookup – Yes new, MMS –
coming soon
Send email as user or system System only Yes
Attachments Yes Yes new
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4 décembre 2017
SharePoint Designer Flow
Out-of-box send for review Limited Q4CY2017
Reassignment of approvals Yes Q4CY2017
Approval reminders Yes Q4CY2017
Custom input forms for approvers Yes Q4CY2017
Document library CI-CO, approve Yes Future
Approver impersonation Via permission elevation Future
Site level actions Yes Future
Set permissions on an item Yes Future
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4 décembre 2017
Microsoft Flow roadmap - highlights
H2 Calendar 2017 Calendar 2018
oExport/import app packages across envs
oSPO – “In-the-box” review flows
oSPO – use flow for Content Publishing approvals
oSPO – people, choice, attachment and multi-values
oIn-context in Dynamics 365
oEmbedded Power BI analytics
oOffice 365 audit logs
oSupport for GDPR compliance
oUK deployment
oHTML rich text editor
oGuides for debugging actions and conditions
oGovernment and sovereign clouds deployment
oALM – Sandbox environments
oALM – Move or copy across environments
oLeverage device signals (e.g. Location)
oAppSource integration
oAzure functions integration
Editor's Notes
Jusqu’ici: 7 min
Duréee 8-10 min Demo scan Ondrive
If doesn’t work set filepath is the content parameter (send mail)
https://shareql.sharepoint.com/demosharepoint/nintext/
Show how to login
App launcher ?
SharePoint list online
Show services https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/services/ ( > 60 services)
Show templates
Type « SharePoint » to see sharepoint actions and « Office 365 »
Triggers ( show triggers)
Triggers in SharePoint
Show flow « ShareQL expense » When a new item is created in expenses, ask my manager approve it if it is > 500 euros
16’
Jusqu’ici: 7 min
Duréee 8-10 min Demo scan Ondrive
If doesn’t work set filepath is the content parameter (send mail)
https://shareql.sharepoint.com/demosharepoint/nintext/
Show how to login
App launcher ?
SharePoint list online
Show services https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/services/ ( > 60 services)
Show templates
Type « SharePoint » to see sharepoint actions and « Office 365 »
Triggers ( show triggers)
Triggers in SharePoint
Show flow « ShareQL expense » When a new item is created in expenses, ask my manager approve it if it is > 500 euros
Jusqu’ici: 7 min
Duréee 8-10 min Demo scan Ondrive
If doesn’t work set filepath is the content parameter (send mail)
https://shareql.sharepoint.com/demosharepoint/nintext/
Show how to login
App launcher ?
SharePoint list online
Show services https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/services/ ( > 60 services)
Show templates
Type « SharePoint » to see sharepoint actions and « Office 365 »
Triggers ( show triggers)
Triggers in SharePoint
Show flow « ShareQL expense » When a new item is created in expenses, ask my manager approve it if it is > 500 euros