Automating SharePoint Approvals with Power Automate

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Streamline your SharePoint content approval workflows using Power Automate to eliminate manual delays and boost productivity. This guide provides verified steps, commands, and best practices for setting up automated approvals.

You Should Know:

1. Setting Up the Approval Flow

  • Trigger: “When an item is created or modified” in a SharePoint list/library.
  • Action: “Start an approval” (specify approvers, due date, and instructions).
  • Condition: Check approval response (Approved/Rejected).
  • Update Item: Modify SharePoint column status based on approval.
  • Notification: Email the requester with the outcome.

PowerShell Command to Enable SharePoint Workflows:

Connect-PnPOnline -Url "https://yourtenant.sharepoint.com" -Interactive 
Enable-PnPFeature -Identity "Workflows" -Scope Site

2. Tracking Approvals in an HTML Table

Use Power Automate’s “Create HTML Table” action to log responses. Example schema:

| Approver | Decision | Comments | Time |

|–|-|-|-|

| User1 | Approved | Looks good | 10:00 AM |

3. Auto-Updating SharePoint Status

Use the “Update Item” action with dynamic content from the approval response.

PowerShell Alternative (Manual Update):

Set-PnPListItem -List "Documents" -Identity 1 -Values @{"ApprovalStatus"="Approved"}

4. Notifying Users

Configure “Send an email” with adaptive cards or plain text.

Microsoft Graph API (Alternative):

curl --request POST \ 
--url 'https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/sendMail' \ 
--header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' \ 
--data '{"message":{"subject":"Approval Completed","body":{"contentType":"Text","content":"Your submission was approved."},"toRecipients":[{"emailAddress":{"address":"[email protected]"}}]}}'

5. Error Handling

  • Use “Configure run after” to retry failed steps.
  • Log errors to a SharePoint “Errors” list with:
    Add-PnPListItem -List "ErrorLogs" -Values @{"ErrorMessage"="Flow failed at Step X"; "Timestamp"=Get-Date}

What Undercode Say

Automating SharePoint approvals with Power Automate reduces human error and accelerates processes. For advanced users, integrating Azure Logic Apps or custom APIs can further enhance workflows. Key commands to remember:

  • Linux/Mac (via CLI):
    Use Microsoft Graph CLI for approvals 
mgc users mailbox-settings create --user-id "[email protected]" --body '{"automaticRepliesSetting":{"status":"scheduled"}}'

  • Windows (PowerShell):

    Bulk approve SharePoint items 
Get-PnPListItem -List "PendingApprovals" | ForEach-Object { 
if ($<em>["Status"] -eq "Pending") { 
Set-PnPListItem -List "PendingApprovals" -Identity $</em>["ID"] -Values @{"Status"="Approved"} 
} 
}

For large-scale deployments, consider:

  • Azure Automation for scheduled approvals.
  • Power BI dashboards to monitor flow analytics.

Expected Output:

A fully automated SharePoint approval system requiring zero manual intervention, with logs, notifications, and real-time status updates.

Reference: Create SharePoint Content Approvals with Power Automate

Prediction

As organizations adopt AI-driven approvals, expect deeper Copilot integrations in Power Automate, enabling natural-language workflow adjustments and predictive approvals.

References:

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