Your first Power Automate integration

This tutorial shows how to trigger a Power Automate flow from a Python service and how to read what the flow returns. The flow already exists in Power Automate and starts with an HTTP request trigger, the service sends it a payload and receives its response.

Step 1 - Create an app registration in Entra ID

The connection signs in to Power Automate as an app registration from the Azure portal. Its overview page has the two IDs the connection needs, and a secret is created under Certificates and secrets.

You need to copy:

1. Directory (tenant) ID
2. Application (client) ID
3. The secret's value, which the portal shows once, right after it is created

You also need the ID of the Power Platform environment the flow is in. The Power Platform admin center lists it under Environments, and it looks like Default-98765432-5432-5432-5432-dcba98765432.

Step 2 - Create a Power Automate connection in Zato Dashboard

Open the Zato Dashboard and go to Cloud → Microsoft → Power Automate. Click "Create a new connection" and fill in the form:

Click "Ping". It obtains a token and lists the flows in the environment.

Step 3 - Find the flow's ID

Open the flow in Power Automate. Its ID is the GUID at the end of the address bar, after /flows/, e.g. 8f3c1a2e-5b7d-4e9a-b6c0-2d4f7a9e1c35. Copy it for the service.

Step 4 - Write the service

The service triggers a flow that checks whether a customer's order qualifies for a discount. It sends the customer and the order total, and the flow replies with the discount it worked out.

Take the code below and deploy it, then invoke it from the Dashboard's IDE under Services → IDE.

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

# Zato
from zato.server.service import Service

class CheckDiscount(Service):

    name = 'power-automate.check-discount'

    def handle(self):

        # The ID from step 3 ..
        flow_id = '8f3c1a2e-5b7d-4e9a-b6c0-2d4f7a9e1c35'

        # .. the payload the flow receives ..
        payload = {
            'customer_id': 'CUST-001',
            'order_total': 1250.50,
        }

        # .. get a Power Automate connection ..
        conn = self.microsoft.power_platform['Zato Power Automate']

        # .. trigger the flow ..
        result = conn.trigger(flow_id, payload)

        # .. and return its response to our caller.
        self.response.payload = result

Step 5 - Run it

After invoking the service you see the flow's response:

{"customer_id": "CUST-001", "is_eligible": true, "discount_percent": 10}

The same run is listed in the flow's run history in Power Automate, with the payload the service sent as the trigger's input.

See also

Learn more