Cloud flows are automated workflows that trigger when an event occurs in Engage. With a Cloud flow, you can create a flow to trigger automatically, instantly, or via a schedule.
A flow is made up of:
- Triggers: what causes the flow to begin.
- Actions: what is automated once something meets the trigger.
- Connectors: A series of pre-built actions and triggers to help build your automation.
Triggers
A trigger is the event that starts a cloud flow. Triggers can be started instantly or manually, on a schedule, or automatically when some other event occurs.
Select the Flow Trigger
Before you can build a flow, you need to create a solution or add the flow to an existing solution.
- Select the Solutions tab.
- Select the Solution for these changes.
- Select +New.
- Select Automation.
- Select Cloud Flow.
- Then select the Cloud flow trigger.
Automatic Flow
This is a flow that triggers on an event and performs actions automatically. Once a condition is met, the flow will run through all steps until it is complete.
Instant Flow
This is a flow that is triggered by a user clicking a button. Anytime you had a user manually trigger a workflow, you can now create an instant cloud flow for the same thing.
Scheduled Flow
This is a flow that is scheduled for a specific date/time. Scheduled flows can be configured to perform one or more tasks:
- Once a day, an hour, or a minute
- One a date that you specify
- After a number of days, hours, or minutes that you specify.
Connectors & Actions
Once you've defined your trigger, you will need to define the connector and action that takes place once the trigger occurs. There are a series of pre-built actions and triggers to help build your automation. A new box will appear in the flow labeled Choose an Operation. Use the search box to find appropriate the connector and action for the trigger.
Connectors
Connectors are a series of pre-built actions and triggers to help build your automations. Broadly speaking, connectors are how all of the Microsoft cloud systems are able to connect to one another via the Common Data Model. The connectors are located at the top of the Choose and Operation box.
Some of the most popular connectors used in Engage are:
- Controls
- Microsoft Dataverse
- Office 365 Outlook
Actions
An action is what is automated once something meets a trigger. Actions are located at the bottom of the Choose an Operation box.
