Zapier as an integration platform for Dynamics

Recently came across Zapier integration platform and was keen on checking if it works with Dynamics/ Dataverse. So I tried one simple Zap (Zap is just one integration workflow within Zapier). Just like any other technique, such as power automate, Zapier too produces plethura of connector to select from.

As per this writing, Power Automate/ Cloud Flow is the way to accomplish many integration workflows in Power Platform, however Zapier got much wider selection of connectors and ease of connectivity. Hence, Zapier can be the way to go depending on third party app you may need to integrate with.

In my example, I would like to create a Dataverse Contact when I add a contact to my Google Contact.

A. Building the Zap

I added the Google Contact as the connector and New Contact as the trigger.

Then I added Dynamics 365 Connector and Create Contact as the Action.

I am able to map frield comming from Google Contact as I wish. I can even add hard coded values of any field. (Ex. Ownership of record)

It also help testing under a different Tab as below.

Now its a matter of giving a suitable name for the Zap and publishing.

B. Advantages

1. Zaps can be arranged in a hyerarchical folder structure for improve useability

2. Change History of the Zap is logged.    

3. Run History is saved and can be illustration is available.

4. Version Contraolling 

5. Can use current Zaps as a Template for developing of new ones.

Call Azure Function from Webhook

Previously we checked how to create a Azure function and call it directly from Plugin cade. Now we will check how to call a Azure Function via webhook using a Plugin registration too.

I am opening Plugin Registration Tool, connect to the environement and open a New Web Hook.

Give a name to new Web Hook in resulted window and select Authentication as Webhook Key. This populate End Point URL and Code. (These are available in Azure.. refer previous post)

Once saved, you will see the Webhook entry in the Plugin Registration tool. Then we can add our preferred trigger details as Step under it. I am creating it so that Webhook will pass the message to Azure function when Contact is created. Trigger will happen Asynchronously in Post-operation.

Now, when we create Contacts message will be passed to the Azure Function which can be monitored from Azure Logs.

Cloud Flow to fetch Team Chat to Dataverse Entity

Among many ways we would integrate Teams with Dataverse, we can just fetch details directly from a Chat channel, using a Cloud Flow/ Power Automate. Suppose I have below TestABC channel created under Platform and Development as below.

I am triggering a Cloud Flow when a new message is added to the channel.

Then you can simply write to Dataverse table.

Anyway, I just did this to make sure there is no drama of directly triggering from a entry to a team and writting to entity. Obviously this is not much of a use. Perhaps we can filter inbetween to check if given keywords are present in subject or details of the channel enrtry and write them. 

There is an interesting collection of triggers for Teams which make much more sense in real world.