Read OptionSet Labels from CDS/Dataverse Triggers or Action Steps in a Flow | Power Automate

December 24, 2020December 24, 2020 priyeshwagh777 Power Automate cloud flows, Dynamics 365, optionset, outputs, Power Automate, triggerBody, triggerOutputs

Retrieving OptionSet Labels from CDS data in a Cloud Flow / Power Automate / Flow is an extra step than just picking from the Dynamic Values. Check this post!!

Scenario

While working with data that is either a result of a Dataverse Trigger (on Create/Update) or Action like (Get record, list record), the OptionSet fields from CDS/Dataverse return the Values of the OptionSet instead of the Text Labels –

Let’s say this is the OptionSet in Dynamics
And when you pick the OptionSet field from CDS either from an Action or a Trigger like this
Let’s say I’m capturing this in a variable to show you

I’m storing this in a variable for this example to show you
I’ll capture the Value of the OptionSet i.e. the Value part

Result –
What needs to be displayed is the Label of the OptionSet! Let’s see how we can do this –
1. Triggers
2. Actions – List records (Inside Loops)
3. Actions – Get record (Single record)

triggerOutputs() / triggerBody() to read the OptionSet values from Triggers

Let’s see how to read the OptionSet values from CDS Triggers, Create or Update –

When a Flow is triggered using CDS/Dataverse Triggers (I’m using Common Data Service Environment(Current Environment) trigger), you can read the OptionSet value by using triggerOutputs() / triggerBody() function –
Here’s a triggerBody() example

Now, notice that the name of the field is cf_accounttype. So, the label in Triggers can be retrieved as _cf_accounttype_label and NOT cf_accounttype.

Same way, you can also use triggerBody() function instead as well to yield the same result

Here’s a post on triggerBody() / triggerOutputs() for your reference – Using triggerBody() / triggerOutput() to read CDS trigger metadata attributes in a Flow | Power Automate

items() to read the OptionSet values from Action Step – List Records (Multiple Records)

Let’s look at this example where you are retrieving multiple records using List Records and now, you apply a loop on each of those to read individual records.

Assuming you are using List Records and you loop through the outputs of each of these records
Now, the value is represented by items() function on the Loop that you are in i.e. Apply to each.
Hence, the function is
items('Apply_to_each')?['cf_accounttype@OData.Community.Display.V1.FormattedValue']

This will show the label of the OptionSet in the results

outputs() to read the OptionSet values from Action Step – Get a record (Single Record)

Similar to items() function, we can use outputs() function to read from the Output’s of the Get a Record Action from Common Data Service (Current Environment)

Get an Account is a ‘Get a record’ Action in CDS/Dataverse Current Environment connector. It’ll only fetch a single record.
Now, let’s look at how outputs() function, similar to items() function used in case of Loops is used.
Formula is –
outputs('Get_an_Account')?['body/cf_accounttype@OData.Community.Display.V1.FormattedValue']

In the above scenario, I’m reading under body hierarchy for cf_accounttype@OData.Community.Display.V1.FormattedValue

Using JSON Parse to get the values

Finally, there’s also a method in which you can create a Parsed JSON from the Outputs

Pick JSON from the Actions, it is under Data Operations connector and is a very popular one.
Now, you’ll need to pass Outputs of the CDS Step to the Inputs of the Parse JSON step. Now, since you don’t already have a schema yet, Just put {} and save (else, you won’t be able to save)
Now, Run the Flow once where the CDS step was successful and copy the Outputs from the Body
Now, go to the same Parse JSON Step and click on Generate from Sample
Now, paste the copied Body to generate the schema.
Once you click OK, the schema will be generated.
Finally, you can select the Parsed schema and use it as Outputs.

And it will appear as below –

Again, this will also show the same results as the above approaches.

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate / Cloud Flow posts you might find helpful –

Thank you!!

Using outputs() function and JSON Parse to read data from missing dynamic value in a Flow | Power Automate

November 30, 2020 priyeshwagh777 Adaptive Cards, Power Automate Adaptive Cards, parse json, parse json power automate, Power Automate, power automate outputs, triggerOutputs

I faced this issue lately and not sure if it’s a bug or something I might be missing. But, I couldn’t find anything in Dynamic Content in a Flow and I was not able to pick fields to use further in a Flow.

Not sure how many of you faced this since most fields you need are available in a Flow’s Dynamic Content part.

Scenario – Adaptive Cards for Teams issue

I had this one scenario in particular where the Adaptive Card I created for Microsoft Teams’ User sends back Response but the Dynamic Content doesn’t appear in the steps after the Card Step.

See below that I’ve declared a Variable just to show that the Dynamic Content that should appear after the Adaptive Card.
And if I press the Dynamic Content as shown above in Step #1, and minimize all the content, I don’t see the Teams’ Dynamic Content variables at all
And the Adaptive Card didn’t return the below Outputs

That’s when we should use outputs() function to read this data.

outputs() function

Here’s how you can use the Parse JSON action and outputs() method to read the Outputs of the step you want and then Parse JSON so that these can be picked as variables/dynamic values in steps following this –

Take Parse JSON action from Data Operations in a Flow
In that in Inputs, you can use Function on the Content field.
And write outputs function as shown below –

And the complete the function as below

Explanation:
MyCard is the name of the step of my AdaptiveCard I used. If the name of you step has spaces like “My User Adaptive Card”, then the function will look like outputs(‘My_User_Adaptive_Card’)[‘body’]

body is written because if you see in the Outputs originally in the Scenario section above, all results are sent in body field of Outputs.
Now, since you don’t know the Schema, just put a “{}” so that you can Save the step. (This is required)
Run the Flow once and collect the Outputs from this ‘Parse JSON 2’ step as shown above.
Copy the Outputs
Now, open the same Parse JSON 2 step which you created. And click on Generate from sample
And paste the schema in the box.
Once done, schema will be generated like this.
Now, this Parsed Outputs can be further used which will have the data from the Step which didn’t yield Dynamic Content
Example, I’ll create a variable to show Dynamic Content that can pop-up
It’ll show all the fields from the Card in the Parse JSON 2 outputs

And that solves the problem!!

Original Microsoft Documentation on the same is: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/logic-apps/workflow-definition-language-functions-reference#outputs?WT.mc_id=DX-MVP-5003911

Hope this was helpful.

Here are some more Power Automate / Adaptive Card content you might want to look at –

Thank you!!

Using triggerBody() / triggerOutput() to read CDS trigger metadata attributes in a Flow | Power Automate

September 6, 2020September 6, 2020 priyeshwagh777 Power Automate cds connector, Power Automate, triggerBody, triggerOutputs

Now, for all the newbies working with Common Data Service (Current Environment) connector face a little constraint in order to read certain fields which are NOT in the list of the Dynamic Content of the CDS connector itself.

Scenario

Let’s say you want to read this field from the Body / Outputs of the CDS trigger in a Flow in Power Automate

Attributes (or rather supporting metadata) won’t be accessible directly since it’s not from the context of the CDS connector itself like you see for other fields as below –

Flow

In this example, here’s how our Flow will look like.

We’ll declare 2 variables after the CDS connector with Create or Update trigger on Accounts entity and how we can work with the results.

Reading from triggerBody()

When to use triggerBody() ? – When you want to fetch attributes from the body of the trigger.

Here’s how you can use triggerBody() function to read ‘RunAsSystemUserId’ from the outputs of CDS connector.

Let’s say you have a variable declared to store your results. Let’s call it Trigger Body. Click on the fx sign to enter the formula
Now, in the formula, enter triggerBody()?[‘RunAsSystemUserId’]. triggerBody() is a method to you’ll find it in auto-complete
And the variable will look like this

Result of triggerBody() will be as below

Reading from triggerOutputs()

When to use triggerOutputs() ? – Whenever you need to access anything from within the body as well as some info from the header as well as shown in the 2nd screenshot in step #2 below.

Here’s how you can use triggerOutputs() funtion to read ‘RunAsSystemUserId’ from the outputs of CDS connector

Let’s say you have a variable declared to store your results. Let’s call it Trigger Output. Click on the fx sign to enter the formula
Now, in the formula, enter triggerOutputs()?[‘body/RunAsSystemUserId’]. triggerOutputs() is a method to you’ll find it in auto-complete.

The reason this we write “body/RunAsSystemUserId” is because in the JSON structure of the complete Outputs of the CDS Connector, you’ll see that RunAsSystemUserId attribute lies inside body in the JSON.
Whereas in terms of triggerBody() above, we are reading attributes from the “body” itself.