Setup

Setup

For the first module, you need access to Microsoft 365 and Power Automate. You will also use the example Excel workbook and Word template supplied with the course.

Accounts and Apps

Check that you can open:

  • Power Automate;
  • Outlook;
  • OneDrive or SharePoint;
  • Excel for the web;
  • Word for the web;
  • Teams or the Approvals app, if available.

Power Automate uses connections to access services. In the workshop, check which signed-in account each connection uses. If that account cannot access a file, mailbox, SharePoint site or approval app, the flow may not be able to access it either.

Check the Word Template Action

Microsoft lists Word Online (Business) as a premium connector in Power Automate. Confirm whether your account and environment can use Populate a Microsoft Word template before the session; an ordinary Microsoft 365 sign-in does not establish this access.

Use the supplied template rather than creating its content controls during the workshop. Microsoft’s connector documentation notes that the Developer tab is unavailable in Word for the web; opening a template in the browser and creating its controls are different tasks.

If the template action is unavailable: use Excel values directly in a personalised test email body. You can still practise reading a table, mapping fields and inspecting the result without a Word action.

Download the Example Files

Use these files for the Excel and Word template activity:

Save both files somewhere Power Automate can access, usually:

  • OneDrive for Business; or
  • A SharePoint document library.

Do not leave the files only in your local Downloads folder. Power Automate needs the cloud location.

Example Excel Workbook

The supplied workbook is called Example_table.xlsx.

It contains a named Excel table:

Setting Value
Workbook Example_table.xlsx
Table name Table1
Columns First Name, Last Name, Email

The table contains test rows only. The email addresses are examples and should be replaced with your own email address or a safe test mailbox before sending anything.

Power Automate reads rows from the named table, not from an arbitrary range of cells. In the activity, use List rows present in a table and select Table1.

📌 If Table1 does not appear in Power Automate, check that the workbook is uploaded to OneDrive or SharePoint and that the data is still formatted as an Excel table.

Example Word Template

The supplied Word document is called Example_template.docx.

It includes two content controls:

Word content control Fill it with this Excel column
FirstName First Name
Surname Last Name

In Power Automate, use Populate a Microsoft Word template and map the Excel row values into these fields.

The template creates a simple letter. The populated document can then be attached to an email or saved into OneDrive or SharePoint.

🧩 The Word field names do not have to match the Excel column names exactly, but the mapping must be deliberate.

Suggested Working Folder

Create a small working folder in OneDrive or SharePoint, for example:

Power Automate Practice
├── Example_table.xlsx
└── Example_template.docx

Keep both files in the same working area for the session. This makes them easier to find when selecting files in Power Automate actions.

Safe Test Data

Before running any email workflow:

  • Replace example email addresses with your own email address;
  • Keep the number of test rows small;
  • Add an obvious test subject line;
  • Send only to yourself or a safe test mailbox;
  • Inspect run history before increasing the number of rows.

Do not use real mailing lists, live participant data, or external recipients during the workshop.

What You Should Be Able to Do Before the Activity

Before the Excel and Word activity, check that you can:

  1. Open Example_table.xlsx in Excel for the web.
  2. Click inside the table and see that it is named Table1.
  3. Open Example_template.docx in Word.
  4. Store both files in OneDrive or SharePoint.
  5. Find both files from Power Automate when adding actions.
  6. Send a test email to yourself from Power Automate.

If any of these checks fail, tell the teaching team before the session if possible. During the activity, work with a partner or inspect the instructor’s example and record the proposed trigger, field mapping and test; use the personalised-email fallback if only the Word action is unavailable.

After the Workshop

Use the safe test matrix and handover record before extending a flow. The Reference explains terms and first troubleshooting checks; Discussion helps you decide which part of a real process to tackle next.

Course Navigation

Course Overview · Setup · Additional Material · Reference · Discussion