Power Automate Desktop, a critical component of the Microsoft Power Platform, is designed to optimize productivity by automating repetitive and time-consuming activities. Its functionality revolves around creating and managing flows that automate tasks based on specific triggers or events.
For professionals seeking to conquer the PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals exam, understanding actions for Power Automate desktop flows is instrumental.
I. Flow Recording
Power Automate Desktop offers a flow recording feature that captures your actions on the computer and then maps them to specific flow actions. This is especially useful for complex, multi-step tasks. For instance, you can record actions like opening a specific application, filling forms, clicking buttons, or even performing complex Excel operations.
II. Web Automation Actions
Power Automate desktop flows give users the power to automate various web-related tasks, drastically simplifying web automation. Activities in this category include launching new browser sessions, navigation actions (refresh, go forward, go back), webpage interactions (like input to text fields, click on web elements), and web extraction actions.
III. System Actions
This category encompasses actions that deal with system operations. Examples of system automation actions include actions to manipulate files and folders (create, delete, copy, move, rename), interact with system applications (launch, close, maximize, minimize, get details), and perform clipboard operations (copy, paste, clear).
IV. Excel Automation Actions
Power Automate Desktop can automate Excel processes, without requiring actual instances of Excel to run. It supports operations such as creating new Excel sessions, working with workbooks (create, open, save, close), worksheets (add, delete, rename), and performing data manipulations (read cell, write cell, find and replace, sorting, and filtering data).
V. Conditional and Loop Actions
For more complex flows, Power Automate Desktop includes actions that allow for decision-making and iteration.
For instance, conditional actions like ‘If Else’ can be used to perform different actions based on certain conditions. Loop operators such as ‘While’, ‘For Each’, and ‘Do Until’ allow actions to be repeated for a specific number of times or until a certain condition is met.
VI. UI Automation Actions
UI automation actions allow interaction with UI elements of different applications. These activities include clicking, typing into fields, sending hotkeys, finding elements, and more.
VII. User Interaction Actions
These actions serve to take inputs from users or display messages during the execution of a flow. User interaction actions can be employed to show message boxes, input dialogs, or ask for file/folder input.
VIII. Advanced Actions
Power Automate Desktop goes beyond basic automation, offering advanced actions for complicated tasks. This includes running scripts (PowerShell, VBScript, JavaScript), calling REST or SOAP Web services, or OCR activities to extract text from images.
Understanding and leveraging these actions for Power Automate Desktop flows will not only aid in passing the PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals exam but will also empower you with the tools to create robust and efficient workflow automation.
Practice Test
True or False: Power Automate Desktop can run flows locally on your own machine.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop allows you to automate tasks and processes right on your local machine using what’s known as attended automation.
What actions are available in Power Automate Desktop to assist in automating business processes?
- A) Web automation
- B) Desktop automation
- C) Data extraction
- D) Creating and managing CRM entries
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop supports web automation, desktop automation, and data extraction. It does not inherently support creating and managing CRM entries.
True or False: Power Automate Desktop can trigger flows on the cloud.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop can connect to Power Automate cloud service, allowing you to trigger flows in the cloud.
Power Automate desktop flows can______
- A) Run only in browsers
- B) Run both on desktop and Web applications
- C) Run only in the cloud
- D) Run only on mobile applications
Answer: B
Explanation: Power Automate desktop flows can run both on desktop applications and web applications.
Which of the following features does Power Automate Desktop provide?
- A) Run flows only in the web browser
- B) Record and play back of tasks
- C) Remote desktop automation
- D) Mobile automation
Answer: B
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop includes features that enable the record and play back of tasks, as well as desktop automation and web automation.
The Flow Designer in Power Automate Desktop is used to_________
- A) Design the UI for a mobile app
- B) Build and manage your desktop flows
- C) Deploy cloud flows
- D) Integrate with third-party applications
Answer: B
Explanation: The Flow Designer in Power Automate Desktop is used to build and manage your desktop flows.
True or False: Power Automate Desktop doesn’t support Windows applications automation.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop supports both web automation and Windows applications automation.
Power Automate Desktop uses ____________ to automate tasks.
- A) Java code
- B) Python code
- C) Flow actions
- D) CRM entries
Answer: C
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop uses ‘Flow actions’ or ‘steps’ to automate tasks.
True or False: You cannot transfer a flow from one machine to another in Power Automate Desktop.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: You can export a flow to a file in Power Automate Desktop and then import it on another machine.
Which of these can be automated using Power Automate Desktop?
- A) Data extraction from a web page
- B) Opening an application
- C) Log in to a web service
- D) Turn on your computer
Answer: A, B, C
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop can automate a wide range of tasks, including data extraction from a web page, opening an application, or logging into a web service. It is not capable of turning on a computer.
True or False: Power Automate Desktop flows can only be started manually.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop flows can be started manually, or they can be scheduled to start at a specified time.
Power Automate Desktop can interact with ______.
- A) Web applications
- B) Windows applications
- C) Terminal Emulators
- D) All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop can interact with a wide range of applications including web applications, Windows applications, and terminal emulators.
True or False: Each flow must start with a ‘Trigger’ in Power Automate Desktop.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Unlike Power Automate cloud flows, Power Automate Desktop flows don’t necessarily have to start with a trigger.
Power Automate Desktop only supports _____ platform(s) for flows.
- A) Windows
- B) MacOS
- C) Linux
- D) All of the above
Answer: A
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop only supports the Windows platform to create and run desktop flows.
True or False: Power Automate Desktop only supports the English language.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Power Automate Desktop supports multiple languages, not only English.
Interview Questions
What is Power Automate Desktop in Microsoft Power Automate Platform?
Power Automate Desktop is a feature in Microsoft Power Platform that lets users automate both desktop and web processes. It utilizes both UI flow and API capabilities to allow a non-coder to automate time-consuming manual work.
Can you describe the two types of flows in Power Automate Desktop?
The two types of flows in Power Automate Desktop are desktop flows and cloud flows. Desktop flows automate Windows-based tasks and software, while cloud flows are designed for service automation tasks and data processing.
What is the role of the Power Automate Desktop console?
The Power Automate Desktop console is where you can manage and run your desktop flows. From here, you can create new flows, execute flows, edit existing ones, and even import or export flows.
What are the main steps to create a Power Automate Desktop flow?
First, open the Power Automate Desktop console and click the New Flow button. Next, provide a name for the flow and start adding actions to your flow from the Actions pane. After you have added your actions, save and run the flow to test it.
What is the purpose of the “Launch New Internet Explorer”?
The “Launch New Internet Explorer” action in Power Automate Desktop is used to open a new Internet Explorer instance and navigate to a specified URL.
How can we add conditions in a Power Automate Desktop flow?
In Power Automate Desktop, we can add conditions by using the “If-Else” action under Control actions. Here, we can define the conditions that determine the flow of execution.
Can you export and import desktop flows in Power Automate Desktop?
Yes, the Power Automate Desktop console provides an option to export and import flows. You can use this feature to share your flows with other users or to take a backup of your flows.
How does Power Automate Desktop handle errors during the execution of a flow?
The “OnError” action in Power Automate Desktop enables you to define actions to perform when an error occurs during the execution of a flow.
Can desktop flows be connected to cloud flows in Power Automate Desktop?
Yes, desktop flows can be connected to cloud flows via a gateway. This lets users integrate the automation of desktop tasks into broader organizational processes and workflows.
What is the role of variables in Power Automate Desktop flows?
Variables are used to store data in Power Automate Desktop flows. They can be used to store and manipulate data throughout the execution of a flow.
How does the “Web scraping” function work in Power Automate Desktop?
The “Web scraping” action in Power Automate Desktop lets users extract data from websites. It’s typically used to extract structured data like tables from web pages.
Can we handle Excel files in Power Automate Desktop?
Yes, Power Automate Desktop provides several Excel-related actions like Open Spreadsheet, Read From Excel, and Write to Excel that allow handling Excel files in the automation flow.
What are sub-flows in Power Automate Desktop?
A sub-flow in Power Automate Desktop is a flow that can be run (called) from another flow. It is a way to reuse sequences of actions and to keep your flows modular and easy to maintain.
How can you manage to run the Power Automate flow in the background?
In Power Automate, you can run the flow in the background by using cloud flows. They are executed on the cloud server and can run even if your system or machine is off.
What will happen if you delete a flow in Power Automate Desktop?
If you delete a flow in Power Automate Desktop, it will be permanently removed from the system and cannot be recovered. However, if the flow has been shared with other users, their copy will remain unaffected.
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