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Looking to convert a CSV to JSON in Power Automate without using an Apply to Each? In this post, I’ll show you a super efficient method using the Select action that processes your entire CSV in zero seconds. If you’ve been looping through rows one by one, you’ll want to see this. Background Are you looking to parse any CSV to JSON without having to worry about the file encoding, the header names, or the length and shape of the CSV? I have a new one solution fits all method here (May 2021) which I encourage you to try. The method I propose below is off the back of my demo of the Union, Except, Intersect actions in Power Automate where I learned something new. How to use the Select Action. How about using this action to create an efficient method for converting CSV to JSON? ...

Need to compare two datasets in Power Automate — finding what’s common, what’s unique, or combining them all? In this post, I’ll show you how to efficiently perform Union, Intersect, and the elusive Except operation without using a single Apply to Each loop. The results are dramatically faster. Image from EssentialSQL.com Watch my demonstration or continue reading below ...

Looking to automate ServiceNow with Power Automate Desktop? After my previous post demonstrating how PAD can close down ServiceNow calls and save admin time, I was asked to do a step-by-step build video. Below you’ll find a 20-minute walkthrough covering the entire process. End to end build demo ...

Ever come back to your Power Automate environment and have no idea what half your flows do? A little housekeeping goes a long way. In this quick tip, I’ll share my naming convention for keeping flows organised and easy to find. Keeping things nice and tidy The Problem with Default Names It sounds pretty obvious really, you build a solution and you give it a meaningful name or next time you return to your environment you cannot remember what on earth your automatically named flow does or what it was for? ...

I wanted to explore just how good Microsoft’s AI services really are, so I set up Azure Cognitive Services to detect celebrities from Twitter photos and gauge their emotions. Here’s what happened when I pointed Face and Computer Vision APIs at #breakingnews tweets — and how I shaved 12 months off Bill Gates’ age. Microsoft gives you a 12 month Azure free trial and so I thought I would have a play with some of their Cognitive Services API’s. ...

Ever needed to quickly pull a list of members from your Microsoft 365 Groups and export them? In this quick post, I’ll share a simple PowerShell script using the Get-UnifiedGroup cmdlet that does exactly that — filters your groups and dumps all members into a tidy CSV file. The PowerShell Script Use the Get-UnifiedGroup CMDLet and if your sites are prefixed like mine, filter on the DisplayName. $CSVPath = "C:\Temp\AllGroupMembers.csv" Connect-ExchangeOnline $list=Get-UnifiedGroup -Filter "DisplayName -like 'SitePrefix*'" foreach ($Group in $list) { #Get Group Members and export to CSV Get-UnifiedGroupLinks –Identity $Group.Id –LinkType Members | Select-Object @{Name="Group Name";Expression={$Group.DisplayName}},` @{Name="User Name";Expression={$_.DisplayName}}, PrimarySmtpAddress | Export-CSV $CSVPath -NoTypeInformation -Append } Output The above script will return a CSV. ...

What if you could run PowerShell scripts directly from Power Automate? After attending the Global Automation Bootcamp and seeing demos by Ben Stegink and Jaap Brasser, I was inspired to build a PowerShell Azure Runbook called from Power Automate using the Azure Automation Create Job step. Here’s how I did it. The Problem — SharePoint External Sharing My employer has a policy where all new SharePoint sites are setup with external sharing disabled and the only way to change this setting (as of today) is via the Admin GUI or PowerShell. We have a requirement to change the default setting to existing guests if manager approval has been granted, PowerAutomate has Approvals built in. This is the perfect opportunity for PowerShell to meet PowerAutomate. ...

If you rely on Microsoft Stream for storing meeting recordings, heads up — the default storage location is changing. Historically, recordings would be available via the Stream portal, but for some and soon for all, Stream recordings will be diverted to OneDrive for Business. Details of which are here. Reverting the Storage Location with PowerShell If this happens to affect your business and you wish to revert back to or check the setting of the default storage location for your Stream videos, please try out the following PowerShell. ...

Ever wanted to generate a PDF from a Microsoft Forms response without paying for premium connectors? In this post, I’ll show you how to populate a Word template dynamically using data from Microsoft Forms — all without the Premium Word Template action — using a clever SharePoint document library trick in Power Automate. The Build Demonstration Does your line of work require you to populate the same template over and over again? Maybe it’s invoices, certificates or receipts? What if you could complete a microsoft form and receive the completed file in return in under 60 seconds? Direct to you or your customer’s email or your document library in Teams? ...

Tired of wasting time on repetitive helpdesk admin? In this post, I’ll show you how I used Power Automate Desktop to automate ServiceNow call management — saving valuable time every week. When a user contacts you direct with a query, if it’s a quick fix, it’s often tempting to resolve there and then, albeit I have to request that the end user logs me a call so that I can record my time, the outcome and then close the call for KPI’s. ...