Power Platform: Use AI to evaluate every incoming email

Ben Prins Power Platform

Leveraging AI for email management not only saves time but also reduces the risk of human error. By automating the evaluation process, businesses can ensure that important emails, such as orders, are promptly and accurately identified, allowing for quicker response times and improved customer satisfaction. Embracing AI in email workflows is a smart move towards greater productivity and operational excellence.

In this article, I explain how to create an AI prompt model using Microsoft GPT to streamline email processing. By integrating Power Automate, the flow sends the content of each new email to the AI model, which then determines if the email is an order. If identified as an order, the AI responds with a JSON output indicating a positive result. This approach enhances the efficiency and accuracy of order processing through intelligent automation.

Create an AI model

For this blog I create a simple AI prompt to evaluate if a incoming email is a request for an order. The actual prompt is more complicated but confidential.

  • Open the AI hub aka AI Builder and select the Create text with GPT using a prompt.
  • Give the prompt a name.
  • Create three input parameters.
    • Email
    • EmailSubject
    • Attachments
  • Select by Output JSON (preview) and click on Edit.
  • Add the following JSON code.
{
      "Order": "true"
}
  • Set the Model to either GPT 3.5 (cheaper but less accurate) or GPT 4 (more expensive and more accurate).
  • Set the Temperature to 0.
  • Set the Prompt as follows or make your own prompt.
  • Save the prompt.

Create a Power Automate Flow

The Power Automate flow will start for every incoming email and will send to the AI model, the email body, subject and names of the attachments. The model will return its determination in JSON form.

  • Create a new Power Automate flow with an outlook/email trigger, When a new email arrives in a shared mailbox.
  • Add an Initialize variable action to create a variable called All attachment names.
  • Add an Append to string variable and select by the name the All attachment names variable.
  • Set for the value the attachments of the email, with the following code. This will automatically add a Apply to each action.
items('Apply_to_each_-_Attachment')?['name'] -
  • Add the Create text with GPT using a prompt action.
  • Select your created AI Prompt.
  • Set by attachments the variable All attachment names.
  • Set by Email the Body of the email.
  • Set by EmailSubject the Subject of the email.
  • This will start the AI model and it will return its results to the flow.
  • Form here on you can add in the requered steps for your specific process and test the process.

Power Automate: Set email category

Ben Prins Power Platform

In a recent AI project, I developed a solution to evaluate every incoming email in a shared mailbox using an AI model (GPT with prompt). To inform users of the shared mailbox that an email has been processed, the email is flagged with a custom Outlook category. This process leverages a special HTTP action for Outlook, simplifying the implementation. Notably, there is no need to set up any special permissions if the flow owner already has access to the shared mailbox. This example does not cover the specifics of communicating with the AI through Power Automate.

Creating custom category in Outlook

  • Open Microsoft Outlook.
  • Click on Category in the Home Ribbon.
  • Click on All Categories.
  • Click on New.
  • Set a name and select a color.
  • Click on OK followed by Clicking on OK.
  • You have now created the custom Outlook category.

Setting the category with Power Automate

  • Create a new Power Automate flow with an outlook/email trigger. For example: When a new email arrives in a shared mailbox.
  • Add the Send an HTTP request action.
  • Set the URI to be following code.
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/mailFolders/Inbox/messages/triggerOutputs()?['body/id']
  • Set the method to PATCH
  • Use the following JSON code for the body
{
"categories": ["AI Finished"]
}
  • Set the Content-Type to application/json.
  • Save the flow.

From Bing Maps to Azure Maps

Ben Prins Power Platform

Bing maps has been an easy-to-use solution for getting location information in canvas apps, but this offering will be placed under the Azure Maps umbrella. While Bing Maps will continue to function for now, it’s essential to prepare for the transition. In this blog post I will explain how to use Azure Maps in a Canvas App. Please note that the locations shown in this post are not my actual location.

Azure Maps Services

  • First, we need to create a Azure Maps Account in a resource group (I will presume you know how to create a resource group).
  • Open your resource group.
  • Click on Create and search for and click on Azure Maps.
  • Click on Create.
  • Give the Azure Maps Account resource a name.
  • Select the correct Region and Pricing tier.
  • Agree with the terms and click on Review + Create.
  • Click on Create and wait for the deployment to be ready.
  • Click on Go to resource.
  • Click on Authentication and copy the Primary Key. You will need this in the Power Automate Flow.

The Power Automate Flow

  • Create a new Power Automate Flow and name it Azure maps get Postal Code.
  • Add as the trigger Power Apps (V2), with two text inputs called Longtitude and Latitude.
  • Next, we will add a HTTP action, this will call Azure Maps to get the location details based on the provided GPS location.
  • Set the method to Get.
  • Set the URI to the following code, make sure to put in your subscription-key (that is the primary key from the Azure Maps Account resource).
  • Set the Latitude and Longitude with the input fields form the trigger.
https://atlas.microsoft.com/search/address/reverse/json?api-version=1.0&subscription-key={YOUR KEY}&query={Latitude},{Longitude}
  • Add the action Parse JSON and give it the name Parse JSON – Location information.
  • Set the Content to the body of the HTTP call and set the schema as detailed in the linked file.
Azure-Maps-JSON-SchemaDownload
  • Add a compose action (if you want to only return the first found postal code).
  • The code for the input is as follows if you have named the Parse JSON action the same as I did.
first(body('Parse_JSON_-_Location_information')?['addresses'])?['address']?['postalCode']
  • Add the Respond to a Power App or flow action.
  • Add an output text called postalcode and add the compose as its value.
  • Your flow will now look like this.

The canvas app

We will now create the canvas app with a map that shows the user’s current location on a map, and a button to get the postal code of that location and a reset button. Please note this is not my actual location.

  • Create a new canvas app, I blank Phone canvas.
  • Click on Power Automate followed by Add flow to add the earlier created flow.
  • Add the map element to the canvas app.
  • Set the DefaultLatitude property with the following code.
Location.Latitude
  • Set the Location.Latitude property with the following code.
 Location.Longitude
  • Set DefaultLocation property with the following code.
true
  • If you want to see your Latitude and Logitude you can add labels to display the values.
  • Add a Label and set the Text property with the following code.
"Latitude: " & Location.Latitude
  • Add a Label and set the Text property with the following code.
"Longitude: " & Location.Longitude
  • Add a button and set the Text property with the following code. 
"Get postal code"
  • Set following code on the OnSelect property. If needed update the code with your flow name, I used AzuremapsgetPostalCode.
Set(varPostalCode,AzuremapsgetPostalCode.Run(Location.Longitude, Location.Latitude));
  • Add a button and set the Text property with the following code.
"Reset"
  • Set following code on the OnSelect property. 
Set(varPostalCode, Blank())
  • Add a label and set the Text property with the following code.
"Postal Code: " & varPostalCode.postalcode

Power Platform and Chat GPT

Ben Prins Power Platform

In today’s digital age, businesses are constantly looking for ways to streamline their processes and improve their customer experience. One way to do this is by leveraging the power of chatbots, which can quickly and efficiently answer customer inquiries. In this blog post, we will explore how to create a canvas app that uses Power Automate flow to ask ChatGPT API questions and display the response in the canvas app. By the end of this tutorial, you will have the tools and knowledge to build your own chatbot app that can answer your customers’ questions in real-time, enhancing their overall experience and increasing your operational efficiency. So, let’s get started!

Create a Chat GPT Api secret

  • Open the ChatGPT API site.
  • Login or create an account.
  • Click on Personal, followed by View API keys.
  • Click on Create new secret key and save the key in a password vault.

Creating the Power Automate Flow

  • Create a new Power Automate flow with the name Canvas app – Chat GPT.
  • Add as the trigger a PowerApps V2.
  • Add a text input with the name Question.
  • Add a HTTP action with the name Post to Chat GPT.
  • Set the Method to POST.
  • Set the URI to https://api.openai.com/v1/completions.
  • Set the header to Content-Type with value application/json.
  • Set a second header to Authorization with the value Bearer [API Secret].
  • Set the body to the following json code.
{
  "model": "text-davinci-003",
  "prompt": "triggerBody()['text']",
  "temperature": 0,
  "max_tokens": 4000
}
  • Add a Parse JSON action with the name Chat GPT Response.
  • Set the Content to Body (response of the HTTP call).
  • Set the following schema (update the schema is the response is different).
{
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
        "id": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "object": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "created": {
            "type": "integer"
        },
        "model": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "choices": {
            "type": "array",
            "items": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "text": {
                        "type": "string"
                    },
                    "index": {
                        "type": "integer"
                    },
                    "logprobs": {},
                    "finish_reason": {
                        "type": "string"
                    }
                },
                "required": [
                    "text",
                    "index",
                    "logprobs",
                    "finish_reason"
                ]
            }
        },
        "usage": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "prompt_tokens": {
                    "type": "integer"
                },
                "completion_tokens": {
                    "type": "integer"
                },
                "total_tokens": {
                    "type": "integer"
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
  • Add the Respond to a PowerApp or Flow action.
  • Add a text output called ChatGPTRepsonse and add the response from Chat GPT with the following code.
first(body('HTTP_-_Post_to_Chat_GPT')?['choices'])?['text']
  • The overall Power Automate flow will look like this.

Creating the Canvas app

  • Open the Power Apps Studio and create a new canvas app.
  • Rename Screen1 to Home.
  • Add the Canvas app – Chat GPT Power Automate flow to the canvas app.
  • Add a Rectange Shape to the top of the canvas app with the name RectTitle.
  • Add a label over the RectTitle with the name lblChatGPT.
  • Set the Text to “Send your question to the all powerful Chat GPT AI bot”.
  • Add a label with the name lblGPTRepsonse.
  • Place the lblGPTRepsonse on the right side of the screen.
  • Add a text input with the name txtQuestion.
  • Place the txtQuestion on the left side of the screen.
  • Set the txtQuestion Default to “What is your question?”.
  • If you like add an Image with the name imgRobot and add an image of a robot in the Image property.
  • Place the imgRobot left and next to the lblGPTRepsonse.
  • Add a button with the name btnSendQuestion.
  • Set the following code on the Onselect of the btnSendQuestion.
    • This will save the response in the variable repsonsegpt.
    • Start the flow with the text provided in the textQuestion text input box.
Set(responsegpt, 'Canvasapp-ChatGPT'.Run(txtQuestion.Text).chatgptrespondse)

Power Automate: Dataverse Contact automatic invitation redemption

Ben Prins Power Platform

In my previouse blog post I explained how to automatically create and delete B2C account for Dataverse Contacts. In this post, I will dive deeper into the process by automating the redemption of an invitation code process. By default, new contacts need to redeem an inventation code before they can access the Power Pages. I am using the one-time-password setup for access to the Power Pages and for ease of use I don’t want the contact (external users) to have to redeem an inventation code.

To achieve this, we will automate the process by granting the contact a web role, connecting the B2C account ID, and adding the external identity. This will allow the contact to access the Power Pages without having to redeem an invitation code.

Creating the automated redemption process

  • Add the following actions below the Scope – Create B2C Users.
  • Initialize a variable called Role URL as a string.
  • Open the required web role in the Portal management tool, the ID is in the end of the URL.
https://[environment].crm4.dynamics.com/main.aspx?appid=39b012bd-1234-1234-1234-0022489fd314&pagetype=entityrecord&etn=adx_webrole&id=04ae7aa4-1234-1234-1234-0022489b74da
  • Add the following URL as the value, with your own unique web role id.
https://[environment].crm4.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.1/adx_webroles(04ae7aa4-1234-1234-1234-0022489b74da)
  • Initialize a variable called Invitation as a string.
  • Add as a value two guid()
  • Initialize a variable called External Identity URL as a String.
  • Add the following URL (with your environment name).
https://[environment].crm4.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.1/adx_externalidentities
  • Add a scope called Add Role to new contact and add the following actions.
  • Add the Dataverse Relate rows action called Add Role to Contact.
  • Set the Table name as Contacts.
  • Set the Row ID to Contact (the contact id of the contact where the flow was triggert on).
  • Set the Relationship to adx_webrole_contact.
  • Set the Relate with to the variable Role URL.
  • We are going to update the existing Dataverse Update a row action called Contact – Add User information.
  • Drag this action into the scope Add Role to new contact.
  • Set the Table name to Contacts.
  • Set the Row ID to Contact (the contact id of the contact where the flow was triggert on).
  • Set the Email Confirmed to Yes.
  • Set the Lockout Enabled to Yes.
  • Set the Login Enabled to Yes.
  • Set the Security Stamp to the guid() expression.
  • Set the Time Zone Rule Version Number to 0.
  • Set the User Name to the ID of the B2C account.
  • Add the Dataverse Add a new row action called External Identities.
  • Set the Table name to External Identities.
  • Set the Contact (Contacts) to Contacts(Contact) (the contact id of the contact where the flow was triggert on).
  • Set the Identity Provider to your Identity Provider URL
  • Set the User Name to the ID of the B2C account.
  • Add the Dataverse Relate rows action called Add External Identity to Contact.
  • Set the Table name to Contacts.
  • Set the Row ID to Contact (the contact id of the contact where the flow was triggert on).
  • Set the Relationship to adx_contact_externalidentity.
  • Set the Relate with the following code, the External Identity is the ID of the newly created External Identity.
https://[environment].crm4.dynamics.com/api/data/v9.1/adx_externalidentities()
  • The flow will now create a new B2C account when a new contact is created, link them together and automatically redeem the invitation.

Create and delete B2C accounts for Dataverse Contact

Ben Prins Power Platform

Today, we’ll be discussing a crucial aspect of B2C account management – the creation and deletion of B2C accounts in response to changes in the Dataverse Contact. This is an important topic for businesses that deal with external Power Pages user (contacts) that want to ensure the security of their records and Power Pages. In this post I will explain how to create or delete B2C accounts that are connected to a Dataverse Contact. So, let’s dive in!

Create a B2C account when a Dataverse Contact is created

Whenever a new contact is created a new B2C account needs to be created automatically that is linked to the contact. This is done thought the email address of the contact and the Azure B2C account id. These automations will limit the amount of manual admin work.

  • Create a new Power Automate flow with the name Create B2C user for Dataverse Contact.
  • Add the Dataverse trigger When a row is added.
  • Set the Change type to Added.
  • Set the Table name to Contacts.
  • Set the Scope to Organization.
  • Create the following 3 variables.
  • You will need to create an Application Registration in the B2C tenant with the following permissions.
Permission typePermissions (from least to most privileged)
Delegated (work or school account)User.ReadWrite.All, Directory.ReadWrite.All
Delegated (personal Microsoft account)
Not supported
ApplicationUser.ReadWrite.All, Directory.ReadWrite.All
  • Store the Client ID, Tenant ID and Secrect in the corresponding variables.
  • Add a HTTP action called HTTP – Delete User to the flow.
  • Set the Method to: Post.
  • Set the URI to the following code.
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users
  • Set the body to the following code.
  • In my scenario the user will not be using the password but the one-time password from B2C. That’s why I have added a guid twice as the password.
  • This call will create an account of the type email address which allows for any valid email to be used. The email does not have to be part of the B2C domain.
  • Parse the JSON response of the HTTP – Create User call.
  • Add the Dataverse action Update a row.
  • Set the Table name to Contact.
  • Set the Row id to the contact id of the trigger.
  • Add the id that was returned by the HTTP call that created the B2C account.
  • Save the flow.

Delete B2C account when Dataverse Contact is deleted

In my scenario I am maintaining the Power Pages contacts within a canvas app, and when a contact is deleted the associated B2C account needs to be deleted too.

  • Create a new Power Automate flow with a Power Apps (V2) trigger with the name Delete B2C users for deleted Dataverse Contact.
  • Add an input Text field names ActiveDirectoryID.
    • This is the Object ID of the Azure B2C Active Directory User connected to the Contact.
  • Create the following 3 variables.
  • You will need to create an Application Registration in the B2C tenant with the following permissions.
Permission typePermissions (from least to most privileged)
Delegated (work or school account)User.ReadWrite.All
Delegated (personal Microsoft account)
Not supported
ApplicationUser.ReadWrite.All
  • Store the Client ID, Tenant ID and Secret in the corresponding variables.
  • Add a HTTP action called HTTP – Delete User to the flow.
  • Set the Method to: Delete.
  • Set the URI to the following code.
https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/users/
  • Add the PowerApp (V2) parameter ActiveDirectoryID to the end of the URI.
  • Set the Tenant, Client ID and Secret fields with their corresponding variables.
  • Set the Authentication to Active Directory OAuth.
  • Set the Audience to the following code.
https://graph.microsoft.com
  • Save the Power Automate Flow.
  • Open or create a canvas app (Power Apps).
  • Open the Power Automate panel in the canvas app.
  • Add the Delete B2C users for deleted Dataverse Contact Power Automate flow.
  • Add a gallery with the source set to the Dataverse Contact table.
  • Add a recycle bin or other delete Icon to the gallery.
  • Add the following code to the recycle bin icon under OnSelect.
    • This will remove the contact record.
    • Starts the Power Automate Flow and sending the User Name (Users B2C object ID).
    • Notifies the users.
Remove(Contacts, ThisItem);
DeleteB2CuserfordeletedDataverseContact.Run(ThisItem.'User Name');
Notify("Record deleted successfully", NotificationType.Success);
  • Save and publish the canvas app.