SharePoint is the backbone of document management in Microsoft 365. Power Platform is where automation, custom apps, and analytics live. When you connect the two, the possibilities expand significantly.
Here is a practical overview of how SharePoint integrates with each component of Power Platform.
Power Automate
Power Automate enables low-code workflows that connect Microsoft 365 services and trigger actions based on events. It plays the most central role in Power Platform's integration with SharePoint.
Flows consist of two types of steps: triggers that initiate the workflow, and actions that execute in response. Triggers can be automated conditions, scheduled timers, or button presses.
SharePoint Triggers
- When an item or file is created
- When an item or file is created or modified
- When an item or file is modified
- When an item or file is deleted
Other Useful Triggers
- When a Microsoft Form response is submitted
- When an email arrives
- When a Planner task is assigned to you
- When a calendar event is created
SharePoint Actions
- Create, update, move, or delete items and files
- Check files in or out
- Add or remove attachments
- Create sharing links or stop sharing
- Grant or deny access
Practical Flow Examples
- Save Microsoft Forms responses automatically to a SharePoint list
- Send a Teams channel notification when a SharePoint list item status changes to "Complete"
- Create an invoice from a template, fill in the date and client details, convert to PDF, and email to the client
Power Apps
Power Apps lets you build custom applications that use SharePoint as their data source. SharePoint provides excellent storage and structure for app data, while Power Apps provides a much richer user interface than a plain SharePoint list allows.
What Power Apps Can Do With SharePoint Data
- Display gallery views of all items in a SharePoint list for browsing and selection
- Show and edit forms for individual list items
- Use data entry inputs including text fields, dropdowns, date pickers, radio buttons, and media upload
- Pre-populate forms with existing data so users see what needs to change
- Write data back to SharePoint as new items or updates using patch commands
- Display charts and Power BI tiles built from SharePoint data
- Trigger Power Automate flows from within the app
The Broader Possibility
There are very few limits to what SharePoint and Power Platform can accomplish together when the right expertise is applied. If you are dealing with manual processes that could be automated, or data that lives in SharePoint but is difficult to work with in its current form, Power Platform is likely the solution worth exploring.