Overview
Power Automate and Power Apps work together to create advanced automation scenarios that enhance app functionality. While Power Apps provides a user-friendly interface for data entry and interactions, Power Automate handles backend automation, complex workflows, and integrations with external systems.
Trigger workflows from Power Apps
Perform complex data processing
Integrate with external systems (SQL, SharePoint, Dataverse, APIs, etc.)
Handle approvals, notifications, and document generation
1️⃣ Key Use Cases for Power Automate with Power Apps
1. Triggering Flows from Power Apps
Power Apps users can trigger Power Automate flows with parameters, allowing real-time automation.
Example:
A Power Apps form allows employees to request time off, and Power Automate sends the request to HR for approval via email or Microsoft Teams.
2. Writing Data to External Sources
Power Automate can handle data writes to SQL, SharePoint, or external databases, overcoming Power Apps delegation limits.
Example:
A sales rep submits a new order in Power Apps, and Power Automate saves the data to an on-premises SQL database.
3. Reading and Processing Large Data Sets
Power Automate can retrieve thousands of records from sources that Power Apps struggles with due to delegation limits.
Example:
Power Apps needs to display customer data from Dataverse, but due to delegation limits, Power Automate fetches the data and returns it in smaller batches.
4. Calling External APIs
Power Automate enables Power Apps to interact with third-party services and APIs that aren’t natively supported.
Example:
A Power Apps expense tracker submits receipt data, and Power Automate calls an AI-powered OCR API to extract text.
5. Sending Emails and Notifications
Flows can generate and send custom email alerts, Teams messages, or mobile notifications from Power Apps inputs.
Example:
A manager approves an invoice in Power Apps, and Power Automate sends an approval confirmation email with invoice details.
6. Automating Document Generation
Power Automate can create PDF reports, invoices, or certificates from Power Apps data and store them in SharePoint.
Example:
A Power Apps training app generates a training completion certificate (PDF) when a user completes a course.
2️⃣ Advanced Scenarios & Implementation
1. Passing Multiple Parameters from Power Apps to Power Automate
Instead of sending a single value, Power Apps can send multiple parameters as JSON objects to Power Automate.
Power Apps Formula:
Set(varResponse, PowerAutomateFlow.Run(TextInput1.Text, Dropdown1.Selected.Value, DatePicker1.SelectedDate))
Power Automate Flow:
- Accepts multiple inputs (text, dropdown value, date).
- Processes data and updates a database or sends notifications.
Example:
A helpdesk app allows users to submit IT support requests with priority level and issue type, sending details to Power Automate for ticket creation.
2. Handling Power Apps Delegation Limits with Power Automate
Power Apps has a 2000-record delegation limit. Power Automate can bypass this limitation by processing large datasets in the background.
Steps:
1️⃣ Power Automate retrieves all data from SQL/SharePoint/Dataverse.
2️⃣ Processes, filters, and formats data.
3️⃣ Returns paginated results to Power Apps.
Example:
A sales dashboard in Power Apps displays order history for the last 5 years, using Power Automate to fetch all records beyond the delegation limit.
3. Using Power Automate to Integrate Power Apps with On-Premises Data
If Power Apps needs to access on-premises SQL databases or file systems, Power Automate can do it using the On-Premises Data Gateway.
Steps:
1️⃣ Install and configure the On-Premises Data Gateway.
2️⃣ Create a Power Automate flow to query on-premises SQL.
3️⃣ Return the results to Power Apps.
Example:
A Power Apps inventory app queries real-time stock levels from an on-prem SQL database through Power Automate.
4. Connecting Power Apps to Third-Party APIs via Power Automate
Power Automate can connect Power Apps to external APIs that require authentication and structured requests.
Steps:
1️⃣ Power Apps sends user input to Power Automate.
2️⃣ Power Automate calls the external API (e.g., Twilio, Stripe, Salesforce).
3️⃣ The response is formatted and returned to Power Apps.
Example:
A customer service app lets users send SMS updates using Twilio API via Power Automate.
5. Generating PDF Reports from Power Apps with Power Automate
Power Automate can convert Power Apps data into PDFs using OneDrive or SharePoint actions.
🔹 Steps:
1️⃣ Power Apps sends form data to Power Automate.
2️⃣ Power Automate formats the data in an HTML template.
3️⃣ The flow converts the HTML to PDF and stores it in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Example:
A Power Apps contract management tool allows users to generate and download legally signed contracts as PDFs.
3️⃣ Best Practices for Using Power Automate with Power Apps
✔️ Optimize API calls – Minimize unnecessary flow executions.
✔️ Use Power Automate for complex processing – Keep Power Apps lightweight.
✔️ Limit data transfers – Use JSON parsing to send only required data.
✔️ Implement error handling – Use Try-Catch logic in flows.
✔️ Test flows with sample data – Ensure correct output format for Power Apps.
✔️ Secure Power Automate Flows – Restrict flow access with DLP policies.
Example:
An employee onboarding app in Power Apps triggers a Power Automate flow that:
1️⃣ Creates an Azure AD account.
2️⃣ Sends a welcome email.
3️⃣ Assigns Teams and SharePoint access.