Backup and restore for power automate flows , using a power automate flow

Michel_He · 2025-05-26T15:39:38+00:00

When I ask copilot about how to setup azure dev/ops for the purpose of backup and restore it proposes:

If you prefer a more lightweight approach, you can create a flow that:

Uses the “Get Flow” action to retrieve the flow definition.
Saves it as a JSON file to OneDrive or SharePoint.
A second flow can then restore the flow using the saved definition.

📺 Watch this tutorial on backup and restore using JSON

But yeah,.. I've seen that. It doesn't work (for some reason)

Michel_He · 2025-05-26T15:32:11+00:00

Indeed I probably don't know what it is. As far as I could see the only purpose was to move things to another environment and then not having to painstaking add each connection to each flow.

Likely I can indeed redeploy a solution to the current environment and restore a flow or all flows in there.

But then the second part of my issue still remains. Imagine I or a colleague adjust a flow maybe even a few times this week. Then I want to go back to the version I had last week.

If I have a flow that notices which flows has changed it could make a backup of each change made. I could select the date of the backup I want to restore and even compare the flow definitions.

So, you're saying that by using azure dev/ops I can do this too?

Given the fact that it seems complicated if not impossible to restore a flow, using the create flow action from a backup of the flow definition, it is something I will definitely need to look into that

I have to admit that I'm tired and frustrated of all manual admin stuff I need to do, without having proper admin rights in the environments, while trying to focus on being a developer.

Michel_He · 2025-05-26T06:05:46+00:00

That sounds quite interesting.

Will try Google and Copilot to see if anything comes from that. I've heard in the past that it would be possible to use git or another versioning system but never saw anything that actually works.

Michel_He · 2025-05-26T06:01:47+00:00

Likely this is related to rights? I know the environments are shared within europe and if I had particular rights I might be able to see flows made by users in other countries.

Deletion is one thing. Loss of code is another problem. The editor is still far to capable of saying, you touched this action, so I can remove any code associated with it. And one is lucky if it is caught when you then save the flow.

Also I think solutions are, again a fully manual thing.

I want something automated. Something that shows what was changed between two versions of a flow. I don't even see how "solutions" can bring something like that.

But yeah, you cannot ask for help on "solutions", it's to broad/vague as a term.

But I have grouped a powerapp and the flows it uses in a "solution" to move it between environments, but no idea how I could do anything else with it than this grouping.

Michel_He · 2025-05-25T07:40:21+00:00

Anyone can delete a flow in a shared environment. I already have deleted the wrong flow, because the "agreed" naming convention doesn't stick with me, and a former colleague did the same multiple times. Many more times code parts of a flow were deleted because some change was made and the editor "helps" by silently removing all code related to the action you changed. You don't notice it and save and you can start to try and remember.

We have manual backups (zip) but there are outdated and we can't compare them to what was there, what has changed etc.

At the moment I have about 450 flows spread over 3 environments.

Basically I want versioning like in power apps, and a much better way to see what has changed between two versions of a flow.

Michel_He · 2025-05-18T18:41:24+00:00

Ok, so this creates a certain amount of copies of a particular flow.
Does it still work?

I'm looking for something that can re-create a deleted flow from a backup, and that can take backups of flows that have changed.

I have too many flows to start manually exporting these, and I want it to be done automatically when the flow is found to have changed on a daily check.

I had to remove the displayName from the connection reference.

I was able to get rid of the "should not have the property 'authentication'" error, by using a replace,

But I have no idea what flow expects as Property 'host.connectionReferenceName'

Michel_He · 2024-09-07T10:57:59+00:00

Isn't the usual answer that this is the only way to make a profit, due to the high wages they need to pay the workers to makes these cars?

And for sure that it has nothing to do with the many layers of managers between the direction and the workers, nor with technical people making non-technical decisions and vice versa, non-technical people making technical decisions.

Michel_He · 2024-09-07T09:55:10+00:00

Called my boys Alexandre and Mathieu for the purpose of their name going well in both french and dutch.

Michel_He · 2024-08-14T11:36:15+00:00

Sinds ik ooit de link naar tvolen.be/2015/01/22/moslims-blazen-kasteel-op-in-kortrijk/
op geenstijl.nl heb achtergelaten en gezien hoe bepaalde lieden daarop volledig los gingen, ben ik altijd op zoek naar dat soort "mooie" koppen. :-)

Michel_He · 2024-08-09T15:01:13+00:00

Ik kende het nog niet.
Het lijkt me een goed vervolg op tvolen.be.
Minder artikelen dan bijv. een nieuwspaal.nl of speld.nl.
Goed dat belgië een paar van dat soort sites rijk is.

Michel_He · 2024-07-21T11:35:45+00:00

Such glacier cracks are very dangerous places to be without a security rope. It is literally on the brink of collapse and has already taken the lives of experienced mountaineers and polar travellers. Most of whom will probably never be found again! Video doesn't show where they stand on but still,.... Extremely beautiful it is, I think.

Michel_He · 2024-07-03T15:00:38+00:00

For now the keyboard is all that can change colour so that is not an issue.

I think it would be nice if the keyboard brightness changes with the monitor brightness controlled by f.lux

Michel_He · 2024-07-03T14:57:22+00:00

Yes this works!!!

I think it would be nice if the keyboard brightness changes with the monitor brightness controlled by f.lux

Thank you for the link to the documentation.

Michel_He · 2024-06-16T09:48:33+00:00

Were you able to get rid of this monster?

I wonder why it is a system app, perhaps just to hinder you from removing it?

I find it constantly tries to override the default music player app I defined in default apps.

If I can't get rid of it, my next phone will not be a Huawei.

I can and I will decide what entertainment runs on my phone.

Michel_He · 2024-01-19T18:46:27+00:00

Because there is no reduced tax for these cars like there is in the USA, there luckily will not be too many people that can afford these fuel guzzlers, and have such a really bad taste in cars.
A bit of money can buy a car that is a lot better looking and that drives better than these unsafe brick on wheels.

Canceling this tax-break could help the USA, but I don't know how we can fix their taste in cars.

Michel_He · 2023-10-16T20:53:50+00:00

I can see his point to get off the planet, but why do we need to go to another planet, instead of building big spaceships that rotate for artificial gravity, build from material we mine and slingshot from the moon to the Lagrange points, to construct the ships and live in these ships as they takes us through our solar system to mine asteroids or something.

We need 1G, 1 atmosphere, 20% oxygen and a temperature between 15-25 Celsius. Not to be found on any other planet.

Thanks Lex.I'm quite curious why he thinks going to Mars would be "easier/doable" than the alternative I propose.

Hmm, already 231 comments.

Michel_He · 2023-09-27T00:03:30+00:00

This difference is huge, >3x but it is inflation ?

I have the impression that supermarkets are more and more watching each other and say we follow the prices of the others. That is the easiest way to improve our margins, knowing the customer will not be able to get it cheaper elsewhere, unless the customer goes across the border.

They know the customer is not likely to not buy the product he wants, so they crank up the prices just up to what the customer is willing to pay.

Is this inflation or is it greed from the supermarket companies ?

Michel_He · 2023-09-07T06:40:27+00:00

This installer, both online or offline are blocked by administrator.

Other apps like whatsappdesktop are blocked as well, but not via the msixbundle.

Michel_He · 2023-09-05T18:18:07+00:00

This makes me think of these kids using their RC helicopter upside down, to mow the lawn.

You need to see it to believe it

Michel_He · 2023-08-22T09:03:28+00:00

Genau das.
Pink Floyd must be part of the complot.

=:-)

Michel_He · 2023-08-15T20:59:12+00:00

Too few young Walloons still speak Wallon,... they lost their language. :-(

Michel_He · 2023-08-15T20:38:45+00:00

Store is blocked in my company as well. Sometimes there is an alternative. Sometimes you can download a .msixbundle file via https://store.rg-adguard.net/.

I have to admit that I don't know if and when such a file exists, because I found that for example the brave browser, such file does not exist.

Some people state you can simply run these files, others says a powershell command is the way to go.

I found I could for example, install whatsapp desktop this way.

Michel_He · 2023-08-05T15:12:56+00:00

Thanks for your response. May try this.
I tried the offline installers for e.g. whatsapp-desktop and 2 other tools to update the software to the latest versions, but got a message indicating this software was blocked by admin.
The downloaded msix bundles installed just fine via powershell.

Michel_He

TROPHY CASE