Tuesday, 13 August 2024

Pulumi to create App Insights on Azure with VS Code

Overview: Provision Azure App Insights using Pulumi on VS Code using TypeScript, code generate by Pulumi's AI web code engine.  It is so lovely. 


Series on Pulumi:

Introduction and setup Pulumi on VS Code

Pulumi to create App Insights on Azure with VS Code (This post)


An Introduction to Pulumi for Azure

Overview:  I have been using Pulumi predominantly on AWS.  This post is an introduction to setting up Pulumi on VS Code and building resources out on Azure.

Setup Pulumi a new Pulumi project using VS Code, connect to Azure and retrieve a specific Azure Resource Group", the video below walks thru me setting it up.

Summary:  At this point you should have a VS code TypeScript pulumi project setup that can read/access a resource group in Azure.

Series on Pulumi:

Introduction and setup Pulumi on VS Code (This post)

Pulumi to create App Insights on Azure with VS Code 

Power Automate, calling child flow Bad Request Error

Problem: When I call a child flow that uses a connection, the parent calling flow receives the error "Bad Request" with the following details "Action 'Run_Child_Flow' failed: Failed to parse invoker connections from trigger 'manual' outputs. Exception: Could not find property 'headers.X-MS-APIM-Tokens' in the trigger outputs. Workflow has connection references '["shared_wordonlinebusiness","shared_sharepointonline"]' with invoker runtime source.". 

Error shows in the parent flow runs.

Initial Hypothesis: Reading the message originally to me suggested that permissions are being lost between the parent and child flows.  I did some Googleing/copiloting to see if anyone had seen the issue before and Darren Lutchner has a video that explains the issue and fixes it perfectly (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yuh3Nlf9wrs).  

Resolution: Watch Darren's video for a great walkthrough to understand the issue fully. 

Resolution Summary:

1. Go to the "Child Flow", Edit the "Run only users"

2. I had two connections: Word Online (Business) & SharePoint, change them both from "Provided by run-only user" to "Use this connection (...)".  Save and the parent flow starts working and calls the child flow correctly.

Saturday, 10 August 2024

What is a Digital Twin?

Digital Twins: Predict and optimise asset performance.  Provides digital simulation by integrating data and models of physical assets from design to tear down with a real-world physical asset.

A digital twin is a virtual, real-time representation of a physical object, system, or process. It mirrors its behaviour, characteristics, and performance and is connected to its real-world counterpart through a two-way flow of data.

Tuesday, 6 August 2024

Using Power automate to populate Excel files with data

 



Power Automate Flows containing Approvals failing with XrmApprovalsUserRoleNotFound

Overview: The Power Automate Approval action on an existing flow stops working and throws the error:  "'XrmApprovalsUserRoleNotFound'. Error Message: The 'Approvals User' role is missing from the linked XRM instance."  I did not have control on the environment so I needed others to perform the fix so that I could verify.

Problem:

The ‘Start and wait for an approval’ action/connector used in a Power Automate flow has been failing for 3 weeks in Dev, I now need this functionality to change the workflow ‘IDC-StartApprovalCertificateWorkflow’.  The error show is “Action ‘Start_and Wait_for_an_approval_xx” failed.  The request failed: Error code: ‘XrmApprovalsUserRoleNotFound”. Error Message: The ‘Approvals User’ role is missing from the linked XRM instance.'

Initial Hypothesis:

All the runs of my flow have been failing for 3 weeks in Dev for 3 weeks on the ‘Start and wait for an approval’ in the dev env.  I have tried creating a new vanilla flow using the ‘Start and wait for an approval’ action and it fails with the same issue.

Triggering the flow in other environment including my production, and the ‘Start and wait for an approval’ action works.  I cannot see any difference except the environments.  The error message "XrmApprovalsUserRoleNotFound" is basically telling me that my user should be in the Approval Users role. I have the role assigned.

  • Env: Client-DEV
  • Type: Automated
  • Plan: This flow runs on owner's plan (paul@client.com)

Resolution:

Microsoft Support: Check the user running the flow is int he 'Approvals User' role is correctly assigned in the environment user security roles. 

Admin: The user running the flow already has the role assigned. We have re-assigned the role again.  Did not test, got the developer/owner to test.

Developer/me/flow owner: The approval has started working again in the Dev environment, I just retested and flow that was not firing yesterday is now working again.  New flows also fire/work correctly.

Summary: The user role in the Dataverse was correctly assigned, it looks like a refresh of the user in the 'Approver User' role corrected the issue.

Research:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-automate-approvals-flows-failing-adrian-colquhoun



Saturday, 3 August 2024

Mendix Notes 2024

Extendibility: Mendix Studio Pro IDE

  • Currently, Aug 2024 you can build Extensions with Mendix with C#.  Extend the Mendix Studio Pro/IDE/editor e.g. Connect to Azure, and query for resources, unit testing,..
  • Mendix look like they will also support TypeScript (TS) and JS for extensions.  Eventually, we may add low-code extensions using Mendix...

Mendix Series

1.  Overview of Mendix 

2. Mendix - Part 2 - Diving deeper

3. Extensibility for Mendix Studio (this post)

4. Building a Mendix Widget for the Mendix Market Place (Convert text to Audio using Azure AI)

5. Mendix Tips & Thoughts