Power Automate
- Fleshman-Cooper, Ian
Overview
Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is a powerful tool that allows you to automate workflows and integrate Microsoft Forms with other applications and services. By connecting Forms to Power Automate, you can streamline processes, save time, and enhance productivity. This guide will walk you through how to use Power Automate with Microsoft Forms.
For a video reference, please refer to Additional Resources.
What is Power Automate?
Power Automate is a cloud-based service that helps you create automated workflows between apps and services. It can trigger actions, such as sending notifications, updating databases, or syncing data, based on specific events—like when a form response is submitted.
Why Use Power Automate with Microsoft Forms?
Integrating Power Automate with Microsoft Forms enables you to:
Automate Repetitive Tasks: Save time by automating workflows, such as sending emails or updating spreadsheets.
Connect with Other Apps: Integrate Forms with hundreds of apps, including SharePoint, Excel, Outlook, and more.
Enhance Data Management: Sync form responses to databases, CRM systems, or other platforms.
Improve Collaboration: Notify team members or customers when a form is submitted.
How to Create a Flow with Microsoft Forms
Follow these steps to create an automated workflow using Power Automate and Microsoft Forms:
1. Start a New Flow
Go to Power Automate and sign in with your Microsoft account.
Select Templates to select from a variety of pre-built flows.
Use Search to look up specific flows, or refer to the tabs organized by category.
Templates will have pre-built flows for simpler processes such as “Send an confirmation email to the respondent”.
Click Create and select Automated Cloud Flow.
Name your flow and choose the trigger When a new response is submitted under Microsoft Forms.
Select Create.
2. Connect Your Form
You may see your trigger action listed with Invalid parameters.
Select Invalid parameters to modify.
Select the form you want to use from the dropdown menu.
Click Pick a form within Form Id.
Authorize Power Automate to access your Forms account if prompted.
3. Add Actions
Select to add a new action to the trigger.
Use the search bar to add actions that define what happens after a response is submitted. Common actions include:
Send an Email (Outlook): Notify yourself or others when a form is submitted.
Add dynamic content from the form response (e.g., respondent’s name or answers) to the email.
Add a Row to Excel: Save form responses to an Excel spreadsheet.
Specify the Excel file and worksheet, and map form fields to Excel columns.
Create a Task (Planner): Generate a task in Microsoft Planner based on form responses.
Post a Message (Teams): Share form responses in a Teams channel.
Update a SharePoint List: Add or update records in a SharePoint list.
You can also refer to Connector type or Triggers or Actions to filter actions further.
Example: Adding an Email Action
When connecting the Send an email action, here is what you can modify:
Add recipient: Specify the recipient of the email after a form is submitted.
Add a subject line: Define the subject of the email.
Write a custom message: Craft a personalized message for the recipient.
Use "/" to insert dynamic values and personalize your message.
To access specific form data, be sure to connect the Get response details action before the Send an email action, as shown in the image.
4. Test Your Flow
Click Save and then Test to run your flow.
For your first test, select Manual and Power Automate will redirect you to your Form.
If it takes a while to load, then go to your form in a separate tab and submit a response.
For tests after your initial run, select Automate to resubmit the previous submission automatically.
After the flow runs its tests, you’ll be notified whether it was successful or not. You’ll also see which parts of the flow succeeded or failed, indicated by green check marks or red X’s.
The image shows a flow that ran successfully.
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot can help you design the next steps of your flow when you're unsure how to proceed.
Select Copilot.
Type what you want Copilot to do.
Copilot will create and adjust your flow based on your input.
Be sure to test your flow to confirm it performs as expected.
For more information about MS Copilot, please refer to the Microsoft Copilot wiki page.
Monitor and Manage Your Flows
Go to the My Flows section in Power Automate to monitor the status of your flows.
Edit, delete, share, or monitor flows as needed to adapt to changing requirements.
Example Use Cases
Here are some practical examples of how to use Power Automate with Microsoft Forms:
Employee Onboarding: Automatically send a welcome email and create a task in Planner when a new employee submits their onboarding form.
Customer Feedback: Notify your support team and log feedback in a SharePoint list when a customer submits a feedback form.
Event Registration: Add event registrants to an Excel sheet and send them a confirmation email.
Quiz Grading: Automatically email quiz results to students and update a gradebook in Excel.
Best Practices for Using Power Automate with Forms
Plan Your Workflow: Map out the steps and actions you want to automate before creating the flow.
Use Dynamic Content: Leverage dynamic content from form responses to personalize emails, notifications, or database entries.
Test Thoroughly: Test your flows with sample data to ensure they work as intended, especially with MS Copilot.
Monitor Performance: Regularly check the My Flows section to ensure your flows are running smoothly.
Additional Resources