Office365 SharePoint : Converting Enterprise System Data using Azure Integration Account Map Component and Logic Apps

This article explains the advantages of using Azure Integration account along with Azure Logics App for integrating enterprise systems with Office 365 SharePoint.  

Azure Integration Account & Logic Apps:

Azure Integration account provides ways to store and manage the components/artifacts, that includes agreements, maps, schemas, etc. In this article, let us look at leveraging maps component and also look at advantages of using it.  

Maps component is used for mapping the data from one system into another system. The mapping of two systems, those using different form of data. These scenarios are handled by using liquid template mapping or XSLT mapping formats. Here in this article, liquid templates are used for mapping the data. 

Azure Logic apps is leveraged to explain the enterprise integrations scenarios, along with usage of Azure Integration account’s map. In the scenarios explained below, I have shown the data flow between HTTP service and SharePoint for easy understanding. 

Business Scenario & Mapping:

We are considering two services. One HTTP services that uses JSON for representing the data, and other SharePoint REST API that again uses JSON to represent the data. But there is variation in format that is being used between these two services. Say for example, we are using services to move the book details from one HTTP post request to SharePoint. The following picture depicts the data transformation. 

Data Representations between two services/systems considered

Note: Assume HTTP service as another system, which posts data. For our easy/better understanding, i have simplified the logic with simple data representations.

Analyze Office 365 SharePoint online Data using Azure Data Lake Storage and Analytics Service – Part II

In this article, we will understand how Microsoft flow can be configured to push the data from Office 365 SharePoint list into Azure Data Lake Storage service. We could also understand, how the data can be analyzed using the Azure Data Lake Analytics service.

In the previous article, you could understand the benefits of using Azure Data Lake Storage & Analytic services. Also, it helps configuring these two Azure services.

• Analyze Office 365 SharePoint online Data using Azure Data Lake Storage and Analytics Service – Part I

Setting up Microsoft Flow 

• Login to the Microsoft Flow Portal. Go to my flows, and select create flow from blank option. The following snapshot shows the flow being configured.

MS Flow steps to push Data From SharePoint to Azure Data Lake Storage

Analyze Office 365 SharePoint online Data using Azure Data Lake Storage and Analytics Service – Part I

This article series helps you understand pushing the data from SharePoint online into the Azure Data Lake Storage, then making data available for analytics services. We could get to know the benefits of using Azure Data Lake storage and Data Lake analytics service.


The following steps are created and configured for the flow.

• Create Azure Data Lake Storage 
• Create Azure Data Lake Analytics 
• Configure Microsoft Flow to push data into Azure Data Lake Storage 
• Configure Azure Data Lake Analytics service to process the storage data. 

Note: There might be plenty ways to integrate the data into the Azure Data Lake storage. But here, let us leverage Microsoft flow for easily pushing data from one system to another. It is just a two step process.

Why Azure Data Lake Storage & Analytics? 

Before building the solution, let us know the benefits of using these services. Azure Data Lake storage is primarily used for processing big data analytics. The services/solution works around big data, can be easily integrated with the Azure Data Lake storage service. This will be optimized storage for big data work analytics workloads. The data stored into the Azure data lake store, are in the form of hierarchical file system.

Adding Tasks to Office 365 Project Online Plan Schedules Using Microsoft Flow - Automate Project Management Process

Here let us look how to automate the addition of tasks into Project online using Microsoft Flow. Let us trigger this automation, on mail arrival. This article helps in automating project management processes.

As you are aware, MS flow helps connecting systems, with only condition that the services should be exposed. In this article, I have leveraged the inbuilt triggers and actions to achieve our requirement. This flow creates tasks on Office 365 project web app online plans, when an email arrives on to Office 365 outlook mailbox.

Scenario & Flow

Trigger can be from anything. Here for our basic understanding, I have thought of leveraging mailbox. So let us look at the flow.

• Trigger - In this use case, I have considered email trigger. i.e., mail arrives with specific subject. The subject contains the task detail. 
• Flow will be triggered, on arrival of any mail to the mailbox mentioned. 
• Flow checks few conditions. i.e., mail subject contains text for addition of task to project. 
• If condition is satisfied, then process the following. 
• Checkout project 
• Add task with task name. (Task name will be extracted from the subject of email) 
• Publish & Check-in the project. 

CSOM: Working with Office365 Project Online Tasks - Part II

This article explains steps for adding, updating or deleting a task to/from Office 365 Project Online plan schedules.

This article series focuses on working with  office 365 project online plan schedule tasks using Client Side Object model approach. In the previous post, we have seen multiple ways of retrieving tasks from the project plans.

• CSOM: Working with Office365 Project Online Tasks - Part I

Adding a Task: 

A task can be added to the Office 365 project plan schedule by the following steps.

• Required project needs to be checked-out before any operation. 
• Task collection is retrieved from the draft project. 
• Task creation object is created with necessary OOB field values, and will be added to the task collection. 
• Then the draft project will be updated and published.