Hello, this is ohya.
This time, we will be looking at "Workflow" as the first in a new series.
When studying for PL-200 and in practice, I am often asked, "What's the difference between this and Cloudflow?"

This time's wall

"Is Workflow still usable? Wouldn't Cloudflow be better?"

Workflows also appear in the PL-200 text, but not only during the exam but also in the field, there are many questions such as, "I heard it's not recommended, but is that actually the case?"

1. 1.What is a workflow?

　is Dynamics 365 (Dataverse)Server-side automation.
Triggers such as creating, updating, and deleting records automatically perform conditional branching, data updates, and email sending.

Features

• Server-side execution(It works without any user interaction)
• ・Can be created without coding
• ·real timeOrasynchronousYou can choose
• ・Specialized in D365 internal processing (external service integration is generally not possible)

2. 2. Basic workflow configuration

1. 1. Select an entity (table)
2. 2. Set the execution timing (when creating, updating, etc.)
3. 3. Set conditions (if...)
4. 4. Add an action (update, create, send email, etc.)

💡 PL-200Key Points
In the exam, it is important to understand "What is a trigger?" and "The difference between synchronous and asynchronous."

3. 3. Scope

When creating a workflow, there is a setting item called "Scope."
This is an important setting that determines "for whom the workflow will be executed."

Scope type

Points to note in practice

• ・If the scope is too broad, which may process unnecessary records, resulting in poor performance and incorrect processing.
• ・On the other hand, if it is too narrow, the process may not reach the required records.
• ・The PL-200 exam is likely to include questions asking, "What range of users and records are covered?"

💡 Failure Stories

I initially created it in the "user" scope, which resulted in records created by other members not being processed at all...
Scoping is really important.

4. 4. Are there still situations where it can be used?

Microsoft is working on workflowPlan to gradually replace with Power Automate (Cloud Flow)However, it is still used in practice.

Reasons for use

• - Many workflows are built into the existing system
• ・Workflows are lighter for simple processes that do not require external collaboration
• ・Few restrictions on permissions and execution environment

5. 5. Practical examples

Example 1: Send an email to the person in charge when a record is created

• ·trigger: Create a record
• ·conditions:Important flag is "Yes"
• ·action: Send an email to the person in charge

Example 2: Automatically update fields under specific conditions

• ·trigger: Record update
• ·conditions: Status = "Complete"
• ·action: Set the completion date field to the current date

💡 Key Points
With Cloud Flow, you have to be aware of unnecessary external connections and API restrictions, but with Workflow, you can complete the process within D365.

6. 6.Differences from Cloudflow

7. 7. Summary

• - Workflow is a simple automation function that runs within D365
• ・It is still useful for light processing that does not require external collaboration.
• ・Cloudflow is recommended for new construction, but it is still in use in existing environments.

(I.e. Next notice

Next time we will cover "Business Rules".
We will explain with examples how to achieve input control and automatic input in forms without coding!

Thank you for reading to the end!