A cloud flow, previously known as Microsoft Flow, is a part of the Power Automate platform that allows users to design and automate business processes and tasks.
Microsoft Power Automate
Microsoft Power Automate is a powerful platform to automate business processes by connecting various cloud services and on-premise data. It provides a visual designer to model and automate your process – also known as a ‘flow’. These flows can be triggered manually, on a schedule, or in response to an event.
Modifying a Cloud Flow in Microsoft Power Automate
To modify a cloud flow, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Power Automate portal.
- On the left side panel, click on the ‘My Flows’ section. Here, you can view all the flows you have created.
- Locate the flow you want to modify, and click on the ‘Edit’ button. This will open up the flow editor where you can modify the flow.
With the visual designer, you can add new steps, modify existing ones, or even delete unnecessary steps. Each step in Power Automate corresponds to an action that you want to automate.
For example, if you have a flow that sends an email notification each time a new record is added to a SharePoint list, you could add a new step to also post a message in a Microsoft Teams channel. The steps to do this are:
- Click on the ‘+’ button to add a new step.
- Search for the ‘Teams’ connector in the search bar and select ‘Post a message’.
- Configure the Teams connector by choosing the appropriate team and channel, and then specifying the content of the message you want to post.
Importance of Flow Testing
It is essential to test the modified flow to ensure that it works as expected. To test a flow, you can use Power Automate’s inbuilt testing functionality. After any modification, click on the ‘Test’ button at the top right corner of the flow editor.
Power Automate offers two testing options:
- ‘I’ll perform the trigger action’: This method requires you to perform the action manually that will trigger the flow.
- ‘Using data from previous runs’: This method uses previously saved trigger data to run the flow.
After the test, Power Automate provides a comprehensive summary of the test result. It includes detailed information about each step, whether it succeeded or failed, and any error messages if applicable.
Conclusion
Modifying a cloud flow and understanding how your alterations impact its functioning is a foundational aspect of the PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals exam. It showcases your grasp on automating business processes using the Power Automate platform. Always remember to validate any modifications with the testing functionalities before implementing your flow.
Practice Test
True/False: It is possible to edit a cloud flow after it has been built and run.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Cloud flow can be changed, updated, or customized whenever necessary even after they have been built and run.
What can be used to manually run a flow?
- a) Power Automate
- b) Power BI
- c) Power Apps
- d) Microsoft Teams
Answer: a) Power Automate
Explanation: Power Automate is the tool used in Microsoft Power Platform to manually run flows.
Multiple select: What are the ways to modify a cloud flow in the Power Automate UI?
- a) Edit it
- b) Turning it on/off
- c) Delete it
- d) Broadcast it at a set time
Answer: a) Edit it, b) Turning it on/off, c) Delete it
Explanation: The Power Automate UI supports editing, turning on/off, and deleting a cloud flow, but broadcasting at set times is not a feature.
True/False: You cannot add new steps into an existing cloud flow in Power Automate.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: You can add new steps into existing cloud flows. Every flow can be modified after creation.
What do you need to consider before modifying a cloud flow?
- a) The ownership of the flow
- b) The duration of the flow
- c) The cost of the flow
- d) The complexity of the flow
Answer: a) The ownership of the flow
Explanation: To modify a cloud flow, user needs to be an owner or co-owner of the flow.
Single Select: To modify a cloud flow, which permission is not necessary?
- a) Owner
- b) Admin
- c) User
- d) None of the above
Answer: c) User
Explanation: Modifying a cloud flow requires either owner or admin permissions. User permission is not sufficient.
Multiple select: Which of these changes can be made to a cloud flow?
- a) Add an action
- b) Remove an action
- c) Rename a flow
- d) Change an instance of flow
Answer: a) Add an action, b) Remove an action, c) Rename a flow
Explanation: It is possible to add, remove actions or rename a cloud flow, but instances can’t be changed.
Which option will you select to modify a cloud flow from the flow details screen?
- a) Edit
- b) Share
- c) Run
- d) Delete
Answer: a) Edit
Explanation: You will click the Edit button to start editing and modifying a cloud flow.
True/False: Saving a modified cloud flow will immediately replace the original flow when live.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: As soon as you edit and save your cloud flow, the changes are live and replace the original flow.
Who can modify an existing cloud flow?
- a) Only Microsoft Support agents
- b) An owner or a co-owner
- c) Anyone who has access to the cloud
- d) Only the creator of the flow
Answer: b) An owner or a co-owner
Explanation: Only the owner or co-owner of a cloud flow can modify it.
Single Select: Which of the following alerts you about errors after modifying a cloud flow?
- a) Power Virtual Agents
- b) Power BI Alerts
- c) Flow checker in Power Automate
- d) Power Apps monitor
Answer: c) Flow checker in Power Automate
Explanation: Flow checker provides a complete report of warnings and errors about your cloud flow.
True/False: All changes in a cloud flow are irreversible.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Most changes on a cloud flow are reversible by editing the flow again and reverting the changes.
Multiple select: What items can be installed to customize a cloud flow?
- a) Install a connector
- b) Purchase a flow
- c) Add a trigger
- d) Configure a control
Answer: a) Install a connector, c) Add a trigger, d) Configure a control
Explanation: Connectors, triggers, and controls can be installed and/or configured to customize a cloud flow.
True/False: All existing cloud flows can be modified from within Power Apps.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Although some cloud flows are associated with Power Apps, not all cloud flows can be modified from within Power Apps.
Single Select: Which of the following roles cannot give permission to modify a cloud flow?
- a) Sharing User
- b) Project owner
- c) The co-owner
- d) Environment Admin
Answer: a) Sharing User
Explanation: Sharing Users cannot give permissions to modify a cloud flow. Only the environment admin and owners have the necessary privileges.
Interview Questions
What is Cloud Flow in Microsoft Power Platform?
Cloud Flow is a software service in Microsoft Power platform that automates organizational and productivity tasks without requiring any coding skills. It’s a part of Power Automate feature of Microsoft Power Platform.
How do you modify a Cloud Flow in Power Automate?
To modify a cloud flow, you first head to the Power Automate page, select ‘My flows’, locate the specific flow that you want to modify, and select ‘Edit’. You can then modify or add actions/steps in the flow, based on your updated requirements.
What types of flows are available in Power Automate?
There are three types of flows in Power Automate: Automatic flows, which are triggered by an event; Button flows, which are manually triggered; and Scheduled flows, which run at set times.
Can Cloud flows trigger other flows in Power Automate?
Yes, a Cloud flow can be designed to trigger another flow. This allows for complex workflows with multiple sequences of operations.
Are there limitations to modifying a Cloud Flow in Power Automate?
Yes, there are limitations. For example, you cannot change the owner of a flow, or change the type of a flow once it’s created, such as updating an automated flow to instant.
What is the purpose of the ‘Trigger’ in Cloud Flow modification?
The ‘Trigger’ in Cloud Flow modification initiates the flow when a specific event occurs, it could be automatic or manual depending on the type of the flow.
Can you add conditions to a Cloud Flow?
Yes, by incorporating ‘Condition’ control, you can direct the Cloud Flow to execute certain actions based on specific conditions being met.
How can you test a modified Cloud Flow?
Once a Cloud Flow is modified, you can test it using the ‘Test’ function in the Power Automate platform. This allows you to verify if the modifications are working as intended.
Can you share a modified Cloud flow with others?
Yes, you can share a flow by selecting ‘Share’ in the flow’s menu. You can then add the names or emails of those with whom you’d like to share the flow.
Is it possible to make a copy of a flow?
Yes, copying a flow is possible. This feature is useful when you need a similar flow but with a few modifications.
How do we ensure that a flow runs only during certain hours of the day?
The ‘Delay’ or ‘Delay until’ actions can be used in the flow to ensure it runs only during certain hours of the day.
Can you modify a Shared Cloud Flow if you’re not the owner?
You can only modify a Shared Cloud Flow if the owner has granted you permission to ‘Edit the flow’.
How are errors in Cloud Flow modifications identified?
In the Power Automate interface, unsuccessful flow runs are indicated with a red exclamation mark, you can click on it to see more details about the errors.
Can a cloud flow be deleted?
Yes, a cloud flow can be deleted by selecting it and choosing ‘Delete’ from the menu.
How to integrate Power BI to a cloud flow?
Power BI can be integrated to a cloud flow by adding a Power BI action to the flow. This allows the flow to trigger when a Power BI alert is activated, for example.
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