This document summarizes Serge Luca's presentation on using Microsoft Flow for real world projects and citizen developers. It discusses how Flow can be used to solve problems closer to where users work, provides examples of apps built by TransAlta using Flow and PowerApps, and highlights how 60 ideas for improvements were generated from a Flow workshop. It also provides an overview of new Flow features, patterns for complex workflows, and concludes that Flow is still in its early stages with great potential when used to complement other tools like PowerShell.

2. Using Microsoft Flow in real world projects :
2.5 years later
Serge Luca
ShareQL

3. Conclusions
Top 5 new
features
Patterns &
Limitations
Citizen
Developer
Agenda
SharePoint
Flow

4. Office Apps & services MVP
Business Applications MVP
O365 Architect
@sergeluca
ShareQL Brussels
Office365
Flow
Dev
Architecture
Bullshit
Serge Luca aka “Doctor Flow”

5. Microsoft Flow &
Citizen Developers

7. It occurs closer
to where the
problem exists.
Where the
people solving
the problem, are
closer to the
problem.

8. Icing Forecast app

9. • Microsoft Flow team participated a 3
hour workshop
• 80+ attendees from Energy Trading, HR,
Operations, Supply Chain,
Transformation Office and IT were in
attendance
• Microsoft spent 45 minutes introducing
PowerApps
• TransAlta then spent 15 minutes
demonstrating some of the PowerApps
that have been built.
• Microsoft spent 45 minutes introducing
Microsoft Flow
• TransAlta then spent 15 minutes
demonstrating some of the flows that
have been built.
• The attendees were split into cross-
functional groups to generate ideas

10. The Results?
 60+ ideas were identified as opportunities
 15 ideas were added as transformation initiatives with owners and
milestones defined
 Within 2 months, of meeting SCM Contract process re-factored using
Microsoft Flow as workflow engine.

11. Demo
Excel & Flow
Approval escalation
Approval analytics
Machine learning approvals

12. SharePoint Flow

13. SharePoint
Connector
updates
Support for multi value
columns New and improved file copy/move
actions
Create shareable links for files
Send HTTP Request to SharePointLimit columns by view when working
with lists and libraries
Hub join actions

14. 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
SharePoint
Flow
Integration

15. Request Sign-off

16. Content
Approval

17. Page Approval
Site owners create page
approval flows
Authors submit page for
approval
Seamless experience in
SharePoint to approve and
reject pages

18. Set a reminder

19. Join approval

20. SharePoint
permissions

21. SharePoint
Designer
workflows
Flow officially
replaces SharePoint
Designer workflows

22. Site associated workflows
Folder creation, doc set, draft/versioning management, check-
in/check-out
Mobile app support

26. Patterns & Limitations

27. State machine controller patternNo State Machine
No custom task
forms
Max 5,000 iterations in Do until
Max 5,000 iterations in For each (100,000 in Plan
1)
Loops
Create nested flows250 actions/flow
Flow Approval
duration : 30 days
Flow duration : 30
days
No guest access
No flow provisioning
in SharePoint sites
Each approval in a dedicated nested flow that
calls itself after 29 days (see controller pattern)

28. Why State
Machine ?

29. State Machine
and > 30 days
Approval controller
Launcher flow
Level 2 approval flowLevel 1 approval flow Level 3 approval flow
escalate
timeout
approved
rejected
timeout
approved
rejected
redirect
timeout
approved
rejected
escalate
Normal flow
Service flow

30. Demo
State Machine Pattern

31. For more
patterns…

32. Top 5 new Flow features

33. PowerQuery Flow
Analytics
Solutions Visio BPF

34. PowerQuery
action

35. Flow analytics

36. Solutions

37. Flow and Visio

38. Business process
Flow

39. Features in Flow not in Logic Apps
Flow
Mobile App
Buttons
Modern Approvals
Environments
Run as user
Select a row
Buit-in analytics
Resource (SP list) owns the flow

40. CONCLUSIONS

41. Keep your
forms Simple
Trigger
properties
Accounts Management Environments
Business
logic in Flow
In variables Owners :
ADD Groups
Connectors :
Services
Accounts
(except
personal
flows)
PowerShell
Flow
Management
connector
Use several
DLP

42. Flow can
complement
PowerShell
Manage
Office 365
…Or run
Powershell via
Azure
Automation
runbooks/hybrid
Webhooks in
O365
compliance &
audit logs
And much
much more…
This is just the
beginning !