This article going to give a detailed introduction to Microsoft Flow.
First, let’s try to understand what is Microsoft Flow?
- Microsoft Flow is a cloud-based service that allows business users to create and automate tasks across multiple applications.
- Business users setup flows without help from developers.
- Automated workflows are called flows.
What a Microsoft Flow can automate?
- Microsoft Flow automates everything from simple push notifications to complex business processes with defined steps and stages.
- Flows work with a wide range of applications such as Salesforce, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dynamics 365, SharePoint and many more.
Features of Microsoft Flow
- Flow can be used with a wide variety of applications
- Connectors are available for 200+ services at the moment.
- Connector available for Salesforce, SQL Server, Twitter, Box, DocuSign, Slack, Skype and Google Drive.
How to use Flow:
- Flows can be created from Flow Portal or from a mobile device.
- Flow can be accessed from different Microsoft apps – Dynamics 365, SharePoint etc.
- Automated flows can be used with Power BI, PowerApps, Dynamics 365 and Office 365.
Where to use Microsoft Flows:
The most common uses of Flow is to trigger notifications.
Flows can also be used for:
- Send and receive notifications
- Sync files
- Collect data, copy files.
- Create records.
Microsoft Flow Templates:
Share Microsoft Flows with your Colleagues:
- Flow can be shared with your colleagues and team members
- Using Flow bot, employees can trigger flows within Teams conversations.
- One example use is, team members can run a flow that sends a text message to a support engineer to flag an issue or to log an issue in an Excel spreadsheet.
Microsoft Flow Licensing:
Basically, there are 3 licensing options available:
1.Free version: up to 750 runs per month and 15-minute checks.
2.Mid-tier Flow Plan 1: 4,500 runs per month and three-minute checks.
3.Flow Plan 2 (The business level plan) : up to 15,000 runs per month and checks every minute, along with “premium” level connectors, policy settings and business process flows.
There is a free version of Microsoft Flow.
Two monthly subscription options, which are currently $5 or $15 per month.
Microsoft Flow and Alternatives:
IFTTT: This is a free web-based tool that uses simple syntax and conditional statements to automate workflows. Its simplicity makes for an easy roll out. It offers single action workflows.
Zapier: Zapier can automate multistep workflows and has connections with more third-party apps. Zapier has a free option, as well as two tears of paid monthly subscription plans for businesses.
Microsoft Flow: Flow can automate more complex processes, incorporating for-loops, while-loops, and if-else conditional statements.
