Microsoft Learn company training plans is worth a look

Overview: Microsoft Learn has a nice feature to ensure users are trained on MS technologies. You can create collections of learning resources and add these to plans. Then, specify who should do the training and record the progress.

An example of a plan for new joiners to ensure they are skilled.

Thoughts: I like this tool as you can create a set of courses for users to attend, and it tracks their completion/progress.  For instance, in a Centre of Excellence, users are expected to have completed some training before being given access to a Power Platform Dev environment.

I have not been able to add my own company's content, so I may have a recording of governance and standards for an environment that devs need to be aware of. I'd like the ability to add wikis or mp4s that users watch and then accept they have completed. It may be there, but I can't find it. Also, the portal's branding should allow enterprises to add their own logos. This would be a great Learning Management System (LMS) with customised content.

Power Automate Flows naming for documentation

I was recently shown this format and I think it's fantastic.  I'm moving all my flows to this Action naming approach:

Format: <Original OOTB name of the Action> | <Verb on Noun> 

Also, see my Flow tips here

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.

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.

Using Power automate to populate Excel files with data