When routine work takes care of itself
Microsoft Power Automate is the process automation platform of the Microsoft Power Platform - a low-code tool that companies can use to automate recurring tasks and business processes without complex programming. Power Automate connects over 1,000 services and systems: Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, SharePoint, Teams, SAP, Salesforce and many more. When an event occurs in a system, Power Automate reacts automatically: forwards data, notifies employees, triggers approvals or starts follow-up processes.
Power Automate covers three fundamentally different automation scenarios: Cloud flows for digital processes between systems, desktop flows with RPA capability for automation on the Windows desktop - even in legacy applications without an API - and process mining for data-based analysis and identification of automation potential. Microsoft was categorised as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Robotic Process Automation in 2025, which underlines the platform's enterprise maturity.
Power Automate is aimed at two target groups at the same time. Business departments use pre-built templates and the visual flow designer to automate recurring tasks such as email notifications, data storage and approval requests themselves. IT teams and developers use Power Automate for complex enterprise integrations, orchestrate RPA bots for legacy systems and build scalable automation architectures that control hundreds of processes simultaneously.
Copilot is firmly integrated into Power Automate: Flows are created and customised using natural language input without having to open the visual designer. AI Builder brings AI directly into automations: Documents are read by AI, forms are processed automatically, texts are classified and images are analysed - all as part of a Power Automate flow, without the need for a separate AI model infrastructure.
Power Automate scales from the individual flow of a specialised department to a company-wide automation landscape. The Automation Centre offers observability, orchestration and ROI measurement for all cloud and desktop flows in a central overview. Companies can see which flows are active, how many hours of work they are saving and where there is further potential. collana supports companies in setting up this automation landscape - from the first flows to the strategic RPA architecture.
Cloud flows automate processes between cloud-based systems: A new form in SharePoint automatically triggers an approval request in Teams. An order in Dynamics 365 triggers a confirmation email and updates a warehouse dashboard. A Power BI alert when a threshold value is exceeded starts an escalation workflow. Cloud flows work on an event-driven, schedule-based or manually triggered basis and connect more than 1,000 services with each other via connectors.
Relevant for: All industries, especially Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Healthcare, NPOs & associations, E-Commerce
Desktop flows enable robotic process automation (RPA) directly on the Windows desktop - even in applications without an API or web interface. Mouse and keyboard actions are recorded and become reproducible automations. Companies use it to automate data entry into ERP systems, report exports from legacy applications, copy and paste tasks between systems and mass processing in desktop applications. RPA closes the automation gap that cloud flows leave open in system-side integrations.
Relevant for: Production & Manufacturing, process industry, Healthcare, Authorities & public sector, Financial service provider
In many companies, approvals for orders, investments, holiday requests, contract releases and invoices are still sent by email - without tracking, deadlines or escalation logic. Power Automate structures these processes: Applications are automatically forwarded to the right approvers, deadlines are monitored, reminders are sent automatically and status updates are communicated to applicants in real time. All steps are documented and audit-proof.
Relevant for: All industries, especially Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Healthcare, NPOs & associations, Authorities & public sector
AI Builder in Power Automate processes incoming documents automatically: invoices are read, fields are extracted and data is transferred directly to Dynamics 365 Finance or Business Central. Delivery notes are scanned, compared with orders and differences are highlighted. Contracts are analysed for key clauses. What used to be manual data entry becomes automated, error-free document processing - even for complex, unstructured documents.
Relevant for: Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Food industry, process industry, Healthcare, E-Commerce, Financial service provider
Power Automate is the native automation layer of Dynamics 365. New customer orders in Business Central automatically trigger warehouse processes. Open invoices in Finance trigger dunning workflows. Quality notifications in Supply Chain automatically escalate to responsible parties. collana develops Power Automate solutions that connect Dynamics 365 processes with upstream and downstream systems and eliminate manual coordination efforts between departments.
Relevant for: All Dynamics 365 customers, in particular Production & Manufacturing, Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Food industry
Power Automate Process Mining analyses process data from existing systems and shows how processes actually run - not how they are described on paper. Deviations, bottlenecks, rework loops and time losses become visible. On this basis, automation measures are prioritised and their ROI is measurable. Process mining turns automation into a strategic decision, not a guessing game.
Relevant for: All industries with complex, data-rich processes: Production & Manufacturing, Wholesale & Foreign Trade, Healthcare, Logistics & Transport
Not because they have more employees. But because their employees no longer waste time on routine tasks. Those who introduce Microsoft Power Automate do not gain a new software platform, but regained working time: for tasks that really require human judgement. The following companies have taken this step with collana and show what is possible.
In almost every company, there are processes in which data is transferred manually between systems, emails are used as a coordination tool for approvals and employees spend hours every day on tasks that a system could do automatically. This is not an efficiency problem - it is an automation deficit.
Getting started with Power Automate does not begin with a complete automation strategy, but with the concrete next step: Which manual process costs the most time? Which one is error-prone enough for automation to bring immediate, measurable benefits? The answer leads to the first flow - developed in a structured workshop, productive in just a few days.
For companies with Dynamics 365, Power Automate is the most direct way to extend ERP processes across the board: data generated in the system is processed automatically, events trigger subsequent processes and manual handovers between departments are eliminated. Process mining helps to prioritise the right processes - based on actual process data, not on assumptions.
Process automation rarely fails because of the technology. It fails because processes were not properly defined before automation, data quality is not right or automation is rolled out without a governance concept and becomes shadow IT. collana supports companies in the strategic planning, technical implementation and ongoing operation of power automation solutions - with the claim that every automation brings measurable benefits.
collana is a six-time certified Microsoft Solutions Partner and fulfils the requirements in several areas of expertise: Business Applications, Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, Infrastructure, Security and Modern Work. These certifications are not an end in themselves. They prove that we not only know the Microsoft platform, but that we have mastered it at enterprise level and are continuously developing it further.
What distinguishes collana from a pure flow developer is the understanding of the processes that are to be automated. Good automation doesn't start with the tool, but with an honest analysis of the process: Which steps really take place? Where do errors occur? Which exceptions need to be taken into account? This process understanding from years of work in ERP, digitalisation and consulting projects flows into every Power Automate solution.
collana not only supports companies right up to the first productive flow. The aim is long-term partnership: from use case identification, flow development and rollout to the establishment of company-wide automation governance. More than 1,000 customers in Germany, Switzerland and other European markets rely on this collaboration.
Not every company knows immediately which process is the right first candidate for automation. The collana digitalisation check quickly provides clarity: Where are the greatest manual efforts? Which processes are ready for Power Automate? And which flow brings the fastest, measurable benefits?
Microsoft Power Automate is a low-code platform for process automation within the Microsoft Power Platform. Companies use Power Automate to automate recurring tasks between systems, structure approval workflows, process documents using AI, use RPA for desktop applications and control processes based on real-time data. Power Automate connects over 1,000 services and is natively integrated into Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365 and Azure.
Cloud flows automate processes between cloud-based or API-enabled systems: They are triggered by events, process data and execute actions in networked services. Desktop flows are the RPA component of Power Automate: they automate tasks on the Windows desktop like a human user, using mouse and keyboard interactions, even in applications without an API. Both flow types can be combined: A cloud flow recognises an event and then starts a desktop flow that transfers data to a legacy application.
Both products automate workflows, but are aimed at different target groups. Power Automate is designed for specialist departments and citizen developers: Low-code, visual designer, copilot support, seamlessly embedded in Microsoft 365 interfaces. Azure Logic Apps is for IT developers and complex enterprise integrations: more configurable and scalable, directly deployable in Azure and ideal for critical enterprise integrations with high governance and performance requirements. Many companies use both in parallel: Power Automate for departmental processes, Logic Apps for critical backend integrations.
Power Automate is available in various plans. Basic cloud flows are already included in the existing licence package for many Microsoft 365 users. The Power Automate Premium plan offers advanced features including RPA (desktop flows), premium connectors and process mining per user per month. For unattended RPA scenarios where bots run without human interaction, bot-based licensing models are available. The actual costs depend on the number of users, flow types and connectors used. collana advises on licence optimisation.
Yes, Power Automate has native connectors for SAP, Salesforce, Oracle, ServiceNow, Google Workspace, Slack and many other systems. Custom connectors can be used to integrate your own REST APIs. The on-premises data gateway securely connects local databases and systems with cloud flows. For systems without an API interface, desktop flows take over automation directly on the Windows desktop.
Process Mining in Power Automate analyses process data from existing systems in order to visualise the actual flow of processes. It shows how often processes deviate from the target sequence, where waiting times occur, which variants of a process exist and where automation potential is greatest. Process mining makes automation decisions data-based instead of experience-based and helps to evaluate the ROI of planned automation measures in advance.
Yes, Power Automate is part of the Microsoft cloud infrastructure and can be configured so that all data is processed in German or European data centres. Data loss protection (DLP) policies control at company level which connectors may be used and which data can cross which system boundaries. Microsoft Purview supplements Power Automate with classification and compliance functions for automated workflows.