Perform actions in cloud flows by calling external APIs

Performing actions in cloud flows by calling external APIs is a crucial aspect of Microsoft Power Automate’s RPA Developer capabilities. APIs allow you to integrate and communicate with external services, systems, and data sources, enabling you to automate complex business processes. In this article, we will explore how you can leverage external APIs within your cloud flows to enhance the functionality and efficiency of your RPA workflows.

Calling External APIs in Cloud Flows:

Microsoft Power Automate provides various actions and connectors to interact with external APIs seamlessly. By utilizing these actions, you can send requests, receive responses, and manipulate data with ease. Let’s dive into the steps to perform actions in cloud flows by calling external APIs.

Step 1: Define the Trigger:

Before calling an external API, you need to define a trigger that initiates the flow. You can choose from a wide range of triggers available in Power Automate, such as a scheduled flow, a button trigger, or event-based triggers like when a new email arrives.

Step 2: Add an action to call the API:

To call an external API, add the “HTTP” or “HTTP with Azure AD” action to your flow. These actions enable you to send HTTP requests to the desired API endpoint. The “HTTP” action allows you to call APIs that don’t require authentication, while the “HTTP with Azure AD” action is suitable for APIs that require Azure Active Directory authentication.

Step 3: Configure the API action:

Once you add the API action, you need to configure it by providing the necessary details. This includes specifying the API endpoint URL, HTTP method (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.), and any required parameters. You can pass dynamic content or variables from previous actions as inputs to the API action.

Step 4: Handle the API response:

After calling the external API, you can handle the response within your flow. Based on the API response, you can perform various actions such as parsing the returned data, extracting specific values, or processing it further. Power Automate provides an extensive set of actions and expressions to manipulate and extract data from the API response.

Step 5: Error handling and retries:

To ensure robustness, it’s essential to handle errors and retries when calling external APIs. Power Automate offers built-in error handling capabilities that allow you to handle exceptions, such as timeouts or failed API requests. You can define error actions, such as sending an email notification or logging the error details, to take appropriate corrective measures.

Step 6: Transform and process the data:

Once you receive the API response, you might need to transform or process the data before proceeding further in your flow. Power Automate provides a range of data manipulation actions like filtering, mapping, and sorting, enabling you to manipulate the retrieved data as per your requirements.

Step 7: Perform subsequent actions:

After processing the API response, you can carry out subsequent actions within your cloud flow. These actions can include updating data in a database, sending data to another system, generating reports, or triggering additional processes. Power Automate offers a vast collection of connectors that integrate with popular services, enabling seamless interaction.

Example Code Snippet:

HTTPPOST(
uri: "https://api.example.com/users",
body: json('{ "name": "John Doe", "email": "[email protected]" }'),
headers: {
"Content-Type": "application/json"
}
)

Conclusion:

Calling external APIs in cloud flows provides you with immense capabilities to automate complex processes and integrate with various systems. Microsoft Power Automate’s RPA Developer capabilities allow you to easily incorporate these actions within your workflows. By leveraging the HTTP actions, handling responses, and processing data, you can create powerful automations that interact with external APIs efficiently. Experiment with different connectors, explore Microsoft’s documentation, and unleash the potential of external API integration in Power Automate.