microsoft flow - sharepoint saturday paris 2017

Introduction à Microsoft Flow

Serge LucaIsabelle Van Campenhoudt

Sabrine Chouk14 octobre 2017

#SPSParis

Merci pour votre soutien

Serge Luca11 x SharePoint MVP, Brussels

SharePoint since 2002

Architect (Admin, Dev, gouvernance)

Managing partner of www.shareql.com

Worked for the MS workflow team

Blog: http://sergeluca.wordpress.com/

sergeluca@shareql.com

@sergeluca

SQL Server MVP, Brussels

Consultant, speaker, trainer, GUSS Board Member, PASS V-Chapter Leader

Managing partner de www.ShareQL.com

SQL Server since 1999

Blog: http://thesqlgrrrl.wordpress.com/

ivc@ShareQL.com

@thesqlgrrrl

Isabelle Van Campenhoudt

• Consultante Office 365 & SharePoint Chez Orange Application For Business

• Pseller Office 365 chez Microsoft

• Membre de L'AOS community

• Blog: http://sharepointsabrine.wordpress.com/

• Sabrine.chouk@orange.com

• @ChoukSabrine

Sabrine CHOUK

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Logic Apps

Prices & Roadmap

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Conclusions

Introduction : the context

The context : business Apps

Empower power users

Connect data across apps

More efficient developersApp Services

Service Fabric

Azure Functions

…

Logic Apps

API Management

BizTalk

…

SQL Server BI

Data analytics

Internet of Things (IoT)

…

Build modern business app fast

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Creating and managing Flows

Microsoft Account (free) or Office 365 or Dynamics 365 or Flow (paid) or PowerApps ( or free new PowerApps Community Plan)

Flow.microsoft.com

Powerapps.microsoft.com

A modern SharePoint Online list

Mobile app (iOS and Android, Windows Mobile is coming)

Flow templates

demoEXPENSE REPORT

Flows and on premises

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Flow and data on Premises

• Install the « on Premises data gateway »(shared between PowerBI, PowerApps and Azure Logic

Apps)

demoFLOW AND DATA ON PREMISES

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Why« environments » ?

• Isolated spaces where Flows/Data are running/stored– Ex HR, Marketing, Production, Legal, DEV,

TEST, UAT, PROD…

• Different rules (DLP)– Ex marketing can use twitter, Legal and

Production cannot

• Different regions if needed

Flow Administration Center

demoENVIRONMENTS & DLP

Limitations

• Gateways are created in the default

environnement

• Resources like Custom API must be in

the same flow environment

• The Microsoft Common Data Service is

linked to only 1 environnement

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Action Request

Custom Connector (REST API described in a Swagger ) Action Http

PowerApps calls Flow

A custom app calls Flow

PowerBI calls Flow (Data Alerts)

Flow calls the outside world

demoPOWERAPPS CALLS FLOW

demoA CUSTOM APPLICATION CALLS FLOW

demoFLOW CALLS THE OUTSIDE WORLD

FLOW & POWER BI

FLOW

DATA ALERTS

DATA SOURCES

POWER BISCHEDULED REFRESH

STREAMING DATA

LIVE

demoFLOW & POWERBI

demoPOWERBI CALLS FLOW (data alerts)

)

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Logic Apps

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Logic Apps

More dev oriented(Json, Rest api, Visual Studio …)

Logic Apps connectors can be used in Flow

Exceptions : B2B connectors B2B (Very good integration with Biztalk Server)

The workflow engine behind Flow is Logic Apps

demoLogic Apps

)

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Logic Apps

Prices & Roadmap

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Tarifs: Comparison

Tarifs: Comparaison

Today : SharePoint Designer versus FlowSharePoint Designer Flow

Multiple connections to >150 data sources SQL, SP, ODBC & WSDL only ALWAYS

Out of box templates <5 100s

Workflow & approval history <365 days Perpetual

Approvals over mobile + mobile notifications NEVER iOS, Android, Windows Phone + in Outlook. History coming imminently.

Loops, Do Until, Switch-case, parallels, variables Yes Yes

On-premises support Native Gateway support

Extended field types (people, choice, MMS, lookup) Yes People, choice, lookup – Yes new, MMS –coming soon

Send email as user or system System only Yes

Attachments Yes Yes new

Gaps -> roadmap SharePoint Designer versus FlowSharePoint Designer Flow

Out-of-box send for review Limited Q4CY2017

Reassignment of approvals Yes Q4CY2017

Approval reminders Yes Q4CY2017

Custom input forms for approvers Yes Q4CY2017

Document library CI-CO, approve Yes Future

Approver impersonation Via permission elevation Future

Site level actions Yes Future

Set permissions on an item Yes Future

Submit/upvote ideas : https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Flow-Ideas/idb-p/FlowIdeas

Microsoft Flow roadmap - highlights

H2 Calendar 2017 Calendar 2018

o Export/import app packages across envs

o SPO – “In-the-box” review flows

o SPO – use flow for Content Publishing approvals

o SPO – people, choice, attachment and multi-values

o In-context in Dynamics 365

o Embedded Power BI analytics

o Office 365 audit logs

o Support for GDPR compliance

o UK deployment

o HTML rich text editor

o Guides for debugging actions and conditions

o Government and sovereign clouds deployment

o ALM – Sandbox environments

o ALM – Move or copy across environments

o Leverage device signals (e.g. Location)

o AppSource integration

o Azure functions integration

Flows and on premises

Environment + Data Loss prevention

Extensibility : communication with the outside world

Logic Apps

Prices & Roadmap

Creating Flows

Introduction : the context

Conclusions

Positive

• Simple

• Not just SharePoint

• Connection to hundreds of services

• Including on prem!

• SharePoint Integration

• PowerApps, PowerBI integration

• Team Flow is very proactive & delivers

Negative

• Young, unknown reliability

• Cannot copy flow across environments

• No state machines (but we have loops and tests)

• Collect feedback weak

• SharePoint integration weak (no lookup,…)

Advices

• Keep your forms as simple as possible

• Manage the business logic in the workflow

• Learn the Logic Apps Workflow Definition Language (WDL)

– Read my blog post https://sergeluca.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/using-the-azure-logic-apps-workflow-definition-language-in-microsoft-flow-part-1/

Thank you, for your for #SPSParis