Power Automate Quick Actions – A Simple Guide

Microsoft Power Automate – Common Actions Explained

Microsoft Power Automate helps you automate work between different apps and services without writing complex code. By learning a few common actions and expressions, you can build useful and powerful flows easily.

This guide explains frequently used Power Automate actions with simple examples and real-life use cases.

1. Trigger – Start the Flow

A trigger decides when your flow should start.

Examples:

• When an item is created (SharePoint)

• When a new email arrives

• Manually trigger a flow

• When a form is submitted

Use cases:

• Start a flow when a user submits a request

• Run automation when data changes

• Schedule daily or weekly tasks

2. Condition – If / Else Logic

The Condition action checks a rule and runs actions based on Yes or No.

Example:
If Status equals Approved

Use cases:

• Make decisions based on approval

• Check status values

• Run different actions for different results

3. Apply to Each – Loop

This action runs the same steps for each item in a list or group.

Examples:

• Loop through SharePoint list items

• Process email attachments

Use cases:

• Send emails to many users

• Update multiple records

• Process list or form data

4. Get Items / Get Item – Read Data

Used to get data from SharePoint or Dataverse.

Use cases:

• Read list data

• Get configuration values

• Fetch user or request details

5. Create Item – Save Data

Creates a new record in a data source.

Use cases:

• Save new requests

• Store approval history

• Log activities

6. Update Item – Modify Data

Updates an existing record.

Use cases:

• Update approval status

• Add comments or dates

• Track workflow progress

7. Send an Email (V2)

Sends emails automatically.

Use cases:

• Send approval emails

• Notify users about status

• Send alerts and reminders

8. Start and Wait for an Approval

Used to build approval flows.

Use cases:

• Manager approval

• Multi-level approvals

• Finance or admin approvals

9. Compose – Format Data

Stores or formats data temporarily.

Example:

concat('Hello ', triggerOutputs()?['body/Title'])

Use cases:

• Create email messages

• Format text

• Check or debug values

10. Initialize Variable / Set Variable

Used to store values while the flow is running.

Types:

• String

• Integer

• Boolean

• Array

• Object

Use cases:

• Store status

• Count records

• Control flow logic

11. Delay – Wait

Pauses the flow for a set time.

Use cases:

• Send reminder emails

• Do follow-ups

• Handle time-based approvals

12. Switch – Multiple Conditions

Used when you have many conditions for one value.

Example:

• Status = New

• Status = In Progress

• Status = Completed

Use cases:

• Route approvals

• Handle different statuses

• Category-based actions

13. Terminate – Stop the Flow

Stops the flow.

Use cases:

• Stop if validation fails

• End after rejection

• Prevent unnecessary steps

Conclusion

By learning these Power Automate actions, you can:

• Automate daily work

• Reduce manual effort

• Build approval processes

• Improve overall efficiency

These actions are the foundation of most Power Automate flows and are useful for both beginners and experienced users.