On July 6, 2023 we recorded a Tricks of the Trade session covering Survey123 report automation with Microsoft Power Automate. Thanks to all attendees! In this post you will find the recording, resources and Q&A.
Highlights
Survey123 includes a report service. With it, you can create beautiful PDF reports including maps, photos, tables and more. Build your own reports for compliance, to document the work you do, to share information with stakeholders in a format they are familiar with or simply to create high quality printable documents.
If you are not familiar with Survey123 reports, check this recording first.
Using the Survey123 connector for Microsoft Power Automate, you can automate report generation. This webinar demonstrates how you can trigger reports when a survey is sent, and on a schedule.
Recording
Slides
Find the slides at the bottom of this post (They are attached in PDF format) or click here.
Q&A
- Where is the April session recording covering the Reports intro? Here.
- What is the price of Microsoft Power Automate? You can try Microsoft Power Automate for free for a limited period of time. Standard subscription pricing available here.
- Is the new Create Report action Premium? No. The Survey123 connector (including all its triggers and actions) is not a Premium feature of Power Automate. However, report generation consumes ArcGIS Online credits (unless you are creating reports from ArcGIS Enterprise).
- What if I don't have Microsoft Power Automate? How can I automate reports? You can use the Make.com connector to automate reports. Additionally, you can use the Survey123 REST API from Python or any other tool that works with REST APIs. FME Server is a good example of such a tool.
- Can I use the Survey123 Connector and Power Automate with ArcGIS Enterprise? Yes. Check this Esri Technical Article for details.
- Why my flow fails stops working after 2 weeks? Because the Survey123 connection expires after two weeks. Refresh the connection in Power Automate to keep it going. The team is working to address this problem.
- Do I have to upload PDF reports into OneDrive before I can include them as an attachment in an email? Yes, unless you can find another way to do it! 🙂 If you worry about having the files in OneDrive, add a Delete File action at the end of your flow, once the file is attached to the email message.
- How do I refresh my Survey123 connection in Power Automate? In Power Automate, go to Data -> Connections -> Survey123. Click on switch account and re-enter your credentials again.
- Can I automate reports in Make.com? Yes, the report action is available in Make.com. The only thing missing is the WHERE parameter, which you will need in case you want to schedule your reports. We are planning an update to the Make.com connector soon to include the WHERE parameter.
