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Power Automate Tips, Tricks & Best Practices

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01-04-2024 02:20 PM
AnthonyRyanEQL
Frequent Contributor

Hi there,

Is there a blog, document or something that has a list of tips, tricks & best practices when using Power Automate with Survey123?

I'm finding some gotchas as I put my first flow together.

Some of things I would like to know are:

  • Should you use a built-in named user or enterprise user using an AD service account with SAML/SSO for the authentication in the Surevy123 connector?
  • Appears only the owner of the survey can be used as the authentication in the connector to see it. The Portal permission/security model of content sharing, create webhooks, etc isn't being used when other built-in accounts have those permissions (similar to geoevent server).

 

There would be plenty more but these 2 above define the landscape of how user access/permission is defined especially when having to pass this to cyber security teams, etc for endorsement.

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3 Replies
abureaux
MVP Frequent Contributor

Aw man. I really want to put something like this together...

There isn't anything that comprehensive for S123 atm.

  • Should you use a built-in named user or enterprise user using an AD service account with SAML/SSO for the authentication in the Surevy123 connector? This is up to you. I use a built-in named user for my Enterprise connector (Essentially, my Portal's service account). The only big thing would be to choose a single account that isn't going anywhere (I.e., Don't use Fred, because Fred may leave the company in the future. Use a dedicated "service" account that will never get up and walk away).
  • Appears only the owner of the survey can be used as the authentication in the connector to see it. The Portal permission/security model of content sharing, create webhooks, etc isn't being used when other built-in accounts have those permissions (similar to geoevent server). Correct. Again, I use a single service account for all of these tasks. Two accounts in total, actually. One is a built-in Portal account (mentioned above) and the other is an MS account for Power Automate (plus a myriad of other applications). As I tell my boss often, all these mission critical services need to be set up such that if I ever leave, the tower of cards doesn't come crumbling down.
abureaux
MVP Frequent Contributor

May as well drop a few Power Automate tips while I'm here:

  • Learn to use ParseJSON instead of referencing the flow Trigger. This will save you a LOT of headache. On that same note, get Visual Studio Code as it helps format the JSON.
  • You can set up templates for yourself to make creating new flows incredibly fast. For example, all of my surveys have templates with a basic structure that never changes. I also have a couple of Power Automate "templates". All I do is change a few fields, and within 1-2 minutes a newly published survey can be delivering Feature Reports.
  • Sometimes Power Automate's search feature gets borked... I.e., You type in a field name that you know is there, but nothing appears (check out the example below)
    abureaux_0-1704408202079.png
    This is easily resolved by going to "Expression" > type "=" > go back to "Dynamic content" > delete the "=" > scroll through the list and you will find the missing variable (this disables the 'type to search' feature, but un-hides all hidden variables)
  • Sometimes, you may wish to grab something from your Trigger. When you format a label in S123, that is what appears in Power Automate's Dynamic Content list, NOT your easy to read name. A reasonable workaround is actually to decrease your browser's size until Power Automate shifts from a floating menu to an integrated menu (see below). The integrated menu allows you to hover over an item to see the FULL label
    abureaux_2-1704408843146.png

     

AnthonyRyanEQL
Frequent Contributor

Thanks for confirming this. We get a little worried when either the PSA or admin account is used to do the authentication and not sure what information is actually stored.

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