Translating entity content using Power Automate

Power Automate enables seamless automation for tasks, including translating entity content within Microsoft Dataverse. This process involves automating the translation of data stored in entities (tables) in Dataverse, such as text fields or description fields, to multiple languages using Microsoft’s Translator service or any other preferred translation API.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up Power Automate to translate entity content using Microsoft Translator.

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Step 1: Create a Flow in Power Automate

To start automating content translation for entities in Dataverse, you need to create a flow.

1. Log in to Power Automate: Go to Power Automate and log in with your credentials.
2. Create a New Flow:
   • Click on Create in the left navigation pane.
   • Select Automated Flow to trigger the flow automatically based on an event (e.g., when an entity record is created or updated).

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Step 2: Set the Trigger for the Flow

The flow will be triggered when an entity record in Dataverse is created or updated. Here’s how to set it:

1. Select the Trigger:
   • For example, choose the When a row is added, modified, or deleted trigger under the Dataverse connector.
2. Configure the Trigger:
   • Choose the appropriate environment and entity (e.g., Products, Articles, Customer Feedback).
   • Choose the trigger type: Create or Update based on your requirements.
   • Define additional parameters, such as filtering rows based on certain conditions, to ensure the flow runs only for the records needing translation.

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Step 3: Get the Text to Be Translated

Once the flow is triggered, you’ll need to extract the text that needs translation from the Dataverse record.

1. Add a Step to Get Record Details:
   • Add a Dataverse connector action.
   • Choose the Get a row by ID action.
   • Select the Entity Name (e.g., Product Description, Article Content) and provide the Row ID (typically, this ID comes from the trigger).
2. Select the Text Field:
   • From the retrieved record, select the field containing the text to be translated, such as Description or Title.

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Step 4: Translate the Text Using Microsoft Translator

Power Automate offers a built-in connector for Microsoft Translator. Here’s how to use it:

1. Add the Translator Action:
   • After getting the record details, add a new action by searching for Microsoft Translator in Power Automate.
   • Select the Translate text action.
2. Configure Translation Action:
   • In the Text field, use the dynamic content to select the text field from the previous Dataverse action (e.g., Description or Title).
   • Select the source language: Choose the language of the original text. This can be hard-coded (e.g., “en” for English) or dynamically detected.
   • Select the target language(s): Provide the target language code(s), such as “fr” for French, “de” for German, etc.
3. Translation Settings:
   • You can choose to translate to multiple languages at once by entering multiple language codes separated by commas (e.g., fr,de,es).
   • Optionally, enable detected language to let Microsoft Translator auto-detect the source language if you’re unsure.

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Step 5: Store Translated Content Back in Dataverse

Once the translation is complete, you will need to store the translated content back into the Dataverse entity, ensuring that the translations are linked to the original record.

1. Update the Entity Record:
   • Add a new Dataverse action: Update a row.
   • Choose the Entity Name and provide the Row ID from the trigger step.
2. Update Translated Fields:
   • Use the dynamic content from the Microsoft Translator action to update the respective fields in your Dataverse record with the translated text.
   • For example, update fields like Description (French) or Title (German) with the translated text returned from the Translator action.

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Step 6: Notify or Log Translations (Optional)

You may want to notify someone (e.g., a content manager) or log the successful translations.

1. Add a Notification Action:
   • Use the Send an email action or Post a message to Teams to notify users that the translation is complete.
2. Log Translations:
   • You can also log the translation process in a separate entity or create a new record that keeps track of the translation status (e.g., “Translated Text” or “Translation Logs”).

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Step 7: Test and Deploy the Flow

Before deploying the flow for production use, perform the following:

1. Test the Flow:
   • Trigger the flow by creating or updating a record in Dataverse and ensure the text gets translated as expected.
2. Check for Errors:
   • Review the flow’s run history to check for errors and ensure that the translations are correctly stored in the respective fields.
3. Deploy the Flow:
   • Once tested, ensure the flow is turned on and running in the background to handle new or updated records automatically.

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Example Flow Outline

Step	Action	Details
Trigger	When a row is added or modified in Dataverse	Track changes in an entity (e.g., Article, Product, or Customer Feedback)
Get Record	Get a row by ID	Fetch the row from the Dataverse entity that needs to be translated
Translate Text	Translate text	Use Microsoft Translator to translate the content field (e.g., Description, Title) into the target language
Update Record	Update a row	Store the translated text back in the entity’s translation fields (e.g., Description (French))
Optional	Send an email or Teams notification	Notify stakeholders that the translation has been successfully completed

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Best Practices and Considerations

1. Error Handling: Ensure the flow includes error-handling actions, such as logging failed translations or notifying users about issues.
2. Batch Translations: For large volumes of records, consider implementing batching to avoid hitting API limits or throttling.
3. Language Detection: If you’re unsure about the source language, use auto-detection in Microsoft Translator, but remember this might slightly impact performance.
4. Translation Quality: Automated translation services like Microsoft Translator may not always provide perfect translations. Consider reviewing or post-editing content, especially for complex documents.
5. Costs: Microsoft Translator’s API comes with associated costs, especially when translating large amounts of data. Keep an eye on your usage and evaluate costs based on volume.