Category: Power Platform

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 2nd of the new functionality in the section is scale faster with Power Automate Process Mining thin client app.

The current Power Automate Process Mining desktop app requires that you download the process model to the client computer in order to work with it. This download puts specific requirements on the hardware resources on the client computer. To unblock your resources, you can use the Azure Process Intelligence Analytic Service instead. With this service, you can use a lightweight desktop app with a process intelligence engine without the need to download the process model. The functionality of the thin desktop application offers features that are identical to the previous full desktop app. This allows you to scale faster, it supports larger process models, and doesn’t put specific requirements on your client computers.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview: Sep 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Nov 2024

Feature Details

Process Intelligence Analytic Service offers analytical functions in the form of an Azure API. When the desktop application connects to Process Intelligence Analytic Service, you have access to the identical functionality as in the full Power Automate Process Mining desktop app.

With Power Automate Process Mining thin client app, there’s no need to:

• Download the process model, which takes up your resources.
• Fulfill special hardware requirements when working with large process models.
• Install desktop application updates in case of analytical operation modifications.

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 25th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is Use the new desktop flow running timeout property.

This feature allows makers to set a maximum runtime for desktop flows. If this duration is exceeded, the flow will automatically time out and halt, ensuring that flows don’t run indefinitely or become unresponsive due to unforeseen conditions in the target application or potential infinite loops in the flow logic.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview: –
Early Access: –
General Availability: Jun 2024

Feature Details

This setting is off by default but can be activated through a toggle in the Power Automate for desktop console. Once enabled, makers can define the maximum duration for the flow, using a format of hours, minutes, and seconds.

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 24th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is use new Excel actions in Power Automate for desktop.

This group of newly introduced actions simplify the authoring process and enables makers to construct Excel flows more intuitively, preventing the need for complex logic.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview: –
Early Access: –
General Availability: Jul 2024

Feature Details

The actions pane now includes the following dedicated Excel actions:

• Get table range
• Set range color
• Copy worksheet
• Append range
• Look up range
• Read cell formula
• Auto fill range

These actions provide new capabilities previously unavailable, empowering makers to enhance their desktop flows involving Excel, one of the most common categories for automation.

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 23rd of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is Use new data table actions.

This collection of newly introduced actions reduces the time spent on authoring and assists makers in avoiding the need for complex logic when creating flows that have specific data table requirements.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview: –
Early Access: –
General Availability: Jun 2024

Feature Details

The actions pane now includes the following dedicated actions for data tables:

• Clear Data table
• Delete column on Data table
• Filter Data table
• Sort Data table
• Add column in Data table
• Join Data tables
• Merge Data tables
• Remove Duplicate rows in Data table
• Remove Empty rows in Data table
• Output Data table to text
• Generate data table from text

These actions empower users to manage data table variables, as needed, eliminating the necessity for workarounds in their relevant use cases.

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 22nd of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is use Copilot in automation center to ask Power Automate product questions.

Use Copilot’s comprehensive understanding of Power Automate to explore new possibilities and potentially optimize your workflows.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview:  May 21, 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Dec 2024

Feature Details

The automation center is available in the Power Automate portal and offers a comprehensive automation monitoring experience infused with the power of AI. Copilot in automation center provides a multi-skill experience enabling users to ask questions about cloud flow and desktop flow activity, work queues, and even features of Power Automate.

Copilot is able to answer Power Automate product related questions like:

• How can I add a condition in Power Automate desktop?
• Can cloud flows handle approvals and decision-making processes?
• Where can I find deleted flows in Power Automate?

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 21st of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is use Copilot in automation center to analyze work queue data.

With Copilot’s ability to answer questions about work queue statuses and handling times, you can enhance processing throughput and resiliency as well as understand and prevent SLA breaches.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview:  May 21, 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Dec 2024

Feature Details

The automation center is available in the Power Automate portal and offers a comprehensive automation monitoring experience infused with the power of AI. Copilot in automation center provides a multi-skill experience enabling users to ask questions about cloud flow and desktop flow activity, work queues, and even features of Power Automate.

Copilot is able to answer work queue related questions like:

• Show me number of items that are on hold.
• Show me the number of items that are at risk of breaching SLA.
• What’s the average handling time per processor (machine) and queue?

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 20th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is use Copilot in automation center to analyze desktop flow runs.

Maximize efficiency and focus on high-impact desktop flow automation with Copilot’s insightful analysis of desktop flow run history.
Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview:  May 21, 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Dec 2024

Feature Details

The automation center is available in the Power Automate portal and offers a comprehensive automation monitoring experience infused with the power of AI. Copilot in automation center provides a multi-skill experience enabling users to ask questions about cloud flow and desktop flow activity, work queues, and even features of Power Automate.

Copilot is able to answer desktop flow run history questions like:

• Which flows ran the most last week?
• What were yesterday’s top five flows by number of completed runs?
• What is the distribution of flow run statuses?

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 19th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is trigger attended desktop flows in picture-in-picture mode through the Power Automate console.

When you use picture-in-picture execution mode, the flow run doesn’t interfere with the user’s work on the machine. Makers can run attended desktop flows in a virtual window that replicates the main desktop.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview:  Jan 29, 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Jun 2024

Feature Details

Makers can trigger local attended desktop flows within an isolated Windows session in picture-in-picture mode. You can trigger a desktop flow in picture-in-picture mode through the Power Automate console. Select the target flow, open the More actions menu, and then select Run in picture-in-picture. Alternatively, enable the Run in picture-in-picture flow property so that the flow always runs in picture-in-picture mode when triggered locally.

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 18th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is use Copilot in automation center to analyze cloud flow runs.

With Copilot, unlock a deeper understanding of cloud flow trends, statuses and performance by simply asking questions in natural language.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview:  May 21, 2024
Early Access: –
General Availability: Dec 2024

Feature Details

The automation center is available in the Power Automate portal and offers a comprehensive automation monitoring experience infused with the power of AI. Copilot in automation center provides a multi-skill experience enabling users to ask questions about cloud flow and desktop flow activity, work queues, and even features of Power Automate.

Copilot can answer cloud flow run history questions like:

• How many runs last month were triggered by another cloud flow?
• Who initiated flow runs during the last month?
• How many flows failed yesterday?

This post is part of the New Functionality In Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1 series in which I am taking a look at the new functionality introduced in Microsoft Power Automate 2024 Wave 1.

The 17th of the new functionality in the Desktop Flows section is trigger attended desktop flows in picture-in-picture.

Makers can trigger attended desktop flows in a picture-in-picture window through the Power Automate console or through a cloud flow. This enables makers to work on their desktop undisturbed while the desktop flow runs in parallel within a virtual window that replicates their desktop.

Enabled for: Admins, makers, marketers, or analysts, automatically
Public Preview: –
Early Access: –
General Availability: Jul 2024

Feature Details

In Power Automate console, we’re introducing a new option to trigger local attended desktop flows within a picture-in-picture window. Additionally, we’re enhancing the Run a flow built with Power Automate for desktop cloud connector action, to support this new run mode. We’re introducing a new field called Attended mode in the advanced parameters of the action that applies to attended runs and enables makers to choose between running their desktop flow on their desktop or in picture-in-picture.

Finally, when a desktop flow runs in picture-in-picture, the information that the flow ran in picture-in-picture is displayed in the flow run details in the Power Automate portal.