Workflow Automation with Microsoft Power Automate: Design and scale AI-powered cloud and desktop workflows using low-code automation

Looking for a reliable, real-world guide to Power Automate? Industry experts consistently point to this book:“Most common questions I get is: ‘Can you recommend a great Power Automate book?’ My answer is simple: Workflow Automation with Microsoft Power Automate (Third Edition)”— Thomas Rice “The book doesn’t just teach features; it helps you think like a workflow designer”— Steve Miles Free with your book: DRM-free PDF version + access to Packt's next-gen Reader* Book DescriptionIf you’re using Power Automate today, you’ve probably noticed that it doesn’t work quite the way it used to. The interface keeps evolving, AI shows up in new places, and features are rolled out faster than most documentation can keep up.The third edition of Workflow Automation with Microsoft Power Automate is written for this reality. It focuses on practical, low-code workflows that help you automate real work using cloud flows, desktop automation, and Microsoft’s latest AI capabilities.You’ll start with clear, step-by-step tutorials to automate everyday tasks across tools like Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Slack, and more — because not every workflow lives entirely inside Microsoft Teams. You’ll work with approvals, Forms, databases, and shared flows, and learn how to handle more advanced scenarios like parallel logic and multi-step processes.The book also goes deeper into desktop RPA, showing how to automate legacy applications, web interfaces, and even Access databases using Power Automate Desktop. On the AI side, you’ll explore AI Builder, sentiment analysis, Copilot, and generative AI workflows, with practical examples that bring AI-generated content directly into your automations.With 7 new chapters added, this edition helps you move from “I built a flow” to “this automation actually works in the real world.*Email sign-up and proof of purchase requiredWho this book is forIf you automate work in Microsoft 365, this book is for you. Designed for information workers, citizen developers, and power users, with basic Microsoft 365 familiarity assumed.What you will learnBuild cloud flows using triggers, connectors, and actionsUse Copilot and generative AI to create and edit flowsAutomate desktop tasks with Power Automate for DesktopCreate approval processes for Teams, Slack, and emailConnect Power Automate to Dataverse, Forms, and SQLImplement error handling, monitoring, and troubleshootingGovern and scale automations using best practicesTable of ContentsIntroducing Microsoft Power AutomateGetting Started with Power AutomateWorking with EmailCopying FilesCreating Button FlowsGenerating Push NotificationsWorking with Shared FlowsWorking with ConditionsUnderstanding Expressions and FunctionsGetting Started with ApprovalsWorking with Multiple ApprovalsPosting Approvals to TeamsUsing DatabasesWorking with Microsoft FormsPosting to SlackAccepting User InputAutomating Entra IDIntroducing Robotic Process AutomationContributing to an Access Database with RPAAutomating Webpages with RPAIntroducing AI Models and Generative AICreating a Sentiment Analysis Flow(N.B. Please use the Read Sample option to see further chapters) Read more