Power Automate Training Recommendations from Automation Consultants

For everyone looking to expand their Power Automate skillset, or train their team, it’s hard to decipher the best sources. Smartbridge automation consultants share their favorite resources and routes to certification!

Power Automate Training – for Individuals, Teams & Organizations

Power Automate, a versatile tool by Microsoft, is becoming increasingly essential for businesses aiming to streamline their operations through automation. Whether you’re an individual looking to upskill or a manager seeking to empower your team, navigating the sea of available training options can be daunting.

If you’re lucky enough to work for a company that supports your professional growth, you may want to earn a Power Automate certification or two, that will in turn pay out in compensation and career advancement.

If you’re seeking training for your team, department or organization, not only will the individuals benefit professionally, but it will encourage standardization of use, governance, and ultimately adoption.

Below is a high-level list of topics that people are looking to master, and ones we commonly train teams on. Reach out to Smartbridge for custom training options if you want to just skip to the good stuff!

  • Introduction to RPA, Power Automate, and desktop flows
  • Create your first Power Automate desktop flow
  • Use Input & Output Parameters
  • Use desktop flow in Power Automate through gateway and connection
  • Connect to Outlook
  • Integrate with AI Builder
  • Integrate with Microsoft Teams
  • Add Power Automate for desktop Web and Excel capabilities
  • Unattended desktop flows
  • Error handling
  • Monitor Desktop flow runs and manage gateway queue
  • Identify automation opportunities and process bottlenecks using Process advisor
Microsoft Power Automate Partner
Microsoft Digital & App Innovation Solutions Partner

THE BASICS

FREE POWER AUTOMATE WEBSITES EVERYONE SHOULD BOOKMARK

Official Power Automate Documentation

Step-by-step guides, tutorials, and reference materials provided by Microsoft. Visit the website >

Power Automate Community Forum

The best place to ask specific questions is this active forum, which is also monitored by Microsoft staff. Visit the website > 

PCF Gallery

This is the official repository for Power App Component Framework components. People upload pieces of Power Apps (aka components) here that were built with the code-first Power App Component Framework for others to use in their own apps. Visit the website >

 

BONUS! Did you know there is also another forum for Power Apps & Power Automate in SharePoint? Visit the website >

INTERMEDIATE PROFICIENCY

POWER AUTOMATE ONLINE COURSES & TRAINING

Microsoft Learn

For individual learning, there’s no better place to start your education than on Microsoft Learn. The reason being, is that if you plan to ever become certified, the Learn modules and learning paths are designed to prepare you for the exams. You also have confidence that you’re learning the latest features. Third-party lessons may become quickly outdated.

It can be overwhelming when you first visit, even with filters selected. Here are Smartbridge’s favorite places to start:

MeasureUp – IT certification exam preparation store, real exam simulations

By the way, if you are preparing for an exam, our consultants recommend this website for very informative, always correct, and Microsoft-provided practice questions.

Automation in a Day Workshops

There is no better Instructor-led course than this one!

Qualified partners, such as Smartbridge, work with Microsoft to hold all-day Automation-in-a-Day workshops. (View the current calendar here.) We provide the trainers, and Microsoft provides the content! These workshops are available through out the year and can be found here. They do fill up very fast, they are not recorded, and they are truly all day.

We plan to be on Microsoft’s calendar soon with another workshop, but for now we are only offering them as a paid custom 1-on-1 workshop. If you wish to attend this workshop with us, here are a few advantages to booking a Automation-in-a-Day custom workshop:

  • We can tweak the content to be more relative to your company or department’s needs
  • We can make it shorter, or break it into multiple days
  • We can record it!
  • Remote or in-person options
  • We’ll provide documentation and leave behinds, and of course be available for more training as your Power Automate skills mature
Power Automate in a Day workshop delivery partner

Typically this is the best option if you wish to train 3 or more employees and need the flexibility of time, content and delivery mechanism. Contact us and we are happy to discuss your options.

Video Tutorials

There are plenty of paid and free courses and workshops on YouTube, Udemy, etc. Smartbridge advises that you work with a company that is a specialized Microsoft partner, and pay attention to the date it was created or last updated.

We asked Smartbridge Automation consultant Cramer what his favorite YouTubers are, and here’s his list!

  • Reza Dorrani – This guy is phenomenal and the first place I go when I’m building a production-ready solution, incorporating concepts I haven’t used before

  • Shane Young – This guy gets second place. If I can’t find it on Reza’s I go to Shane’s.

  • Computer Science – This is what I’m currently using to upscale my code-first skills. Both UiPath and Power Automate use a lot of VB.NET and C#.NET when it comes to “code-first”, and this channel has great conceptual videos on both.

  • Guy in a Cube – This “guy” is great for any Power BI needs I have.

ADVANCED EXPERTISE & CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT

IN PERSON TRAINING (REMOTE WORKS TOO)

The Biggest Power Automate Conference

The Power Platform Community Conference (in Las Vegas for 2024, coming this September) is not hosted by Microsoft, but officially endorsed. This is likely the largest gathering of Power Automate users in the US. Visit the website >

Tailored Training Programs for Organizations

Training looks different for every person and organization. You may be wishing to gain certification, or train your team to adopt standardized usage.

Smartbridge trains teams, trains the trainers, provides temporary staffing or guidance on how to set up a center of excellence. Skip sales and talk to a manager or director by selecting a time on our calendar here!

Keep Reading: RPA Is a Two-Way Street – Power Automate Desktop Wait Actions

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