1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,560 Welcome to another episode of Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets. 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,760 I'm Mirko Peters, today's topic as your logic apps. 3 00:00:05,760 --> 00:00:08,160 Here's the question, what if you could connect your apps 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,080 without writing a single line of code? 5 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:12,520 I'm not talking about simple things like sending an email. 6 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:13,880 I'm talking about connecting systems 7 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,760 that don't talk to each other, your email, 8 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,680 your file storage, your database, your customer records, 9 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:20,800 and making them work together automatically. 10 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:22,240 That's what as your logic apps does. 11 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:25,080 In this episode, I'll explain what it actually is, 12 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:26,880 how it works, and why it matters 13 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,400 for anyone who uses Microsoft tools at work. 14 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:31,520 By the end, you'll understand the big picture 15 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,560 and know exactly where logic apps fits in your world. 16 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:37,400 The problem, why automation needs a glue? 17 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:39,720 Let's start with a scenario most people know. 18 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:41,960 You get a file dropped into a SharePoint folder 19 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:43,760 and someone needs to know about it in Teams. 20 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:46,000 Maybe a database needs to be updated too. 21 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:48,560 Three separate systems with no connection between them. 22 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:49,360 So what happens? 23 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,080 Someone manually checks the folder, copies the information, 24 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,560 pastes it into Teams, then opens the database 25 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:56,080 and makes the update every single time. 26 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,880 It's slow, boring, and easy to make mistakes. 27 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:00,240 The old way of handling this was to have 28 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:01,600 someone write custom code. 29 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,200 That means finding a developer, explaining what you need, 30 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:05,760 waiting weeks for them to build it, 31 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:07,320 then waiting again when something breaks. 32 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:08,920 For most Teams, that's a non-starter 33 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:10,640 because the IT department has a backlog 34 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,200 and business teams have problems they need solved now. 35 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,480 So the work stays manual. 36 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:16,440 The problem isn't that people don't want to automate. 37 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:18,400 It's that connecting different systems is hard. 38 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,800 Each system has its own way of handling authentication, 39 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:22,920 its own data format, its own rules. 40 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,800 Writing code to bridge all of that takes time and expertise 41 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,360 and most companies don't have enough developers to go around. 42 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,440 So what if there was a platform that did all that 43 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:32,520 connecting for you, a platform that already knows 44 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,040 how to talk to SharePoint, Teams, Outlook, Databases, 45 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,040 and hundreds of other services where you just say 46 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,600 when this happens, do that and it handles the rest. 47 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,840 That's exactly what Azure Logic Apps is. 48 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:44,520 What Logic Apps actually is. 49 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,320 Welcome to another episode of Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets. 50 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:49,360 I'm Mirko Peters and today we're talking about 51 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,000 Azure Logic Apps in plain English. 52 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:52,920 So what exactly is it? Let's break it down. 53 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,440 Azure Logic Apps is a cloud-based workflow service 54 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:56,280 from Microsoft. 55 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,080 It runs in Azure, which means Microsoft 56 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,520 handles the servers, the scaling, the uptime. 57 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:02,240 You don't have to worry about any of that. 58 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:04,120 You just build your workflow and it runs. 59 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,000 Here's the simplest way to think about it. 60 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,680 Imagine your company is in office building. 61 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:09,120 Each department is a separate room. 62 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:11,160 SharePoint is one room, Teams is another. 63 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:12,360 Your database is down the hall. 64 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:15,120 Normally, if you need something to move from one room to another, 65 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,000 someone has to physically carry it. 66 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,840 Logic Apps is the automated mail room. 67 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,280 It sits in the middle, knows where everything needs to go 68 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,600 and roots messages between departments automatically. 69 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,800 You don't need to build new doors between every room. 70 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:27,600 You just tell the mail room what to do. 71 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,760 Now you might have heard of Power Automate 72 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:31,760 and you might be wondering, isn't that the same thing? 73 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:32,800 Not exactly. 74 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,720 Power Automate is built for business users. 75 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,040 It's designed for simple personal workflows. 76 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:39,600 Like email me when I get a message in Teams. 77 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,440 Logic Apps is built for IT teams and developers. 78 00:02:42,440 --> 00:02:45,000 It handles more complex scenarios, bigger volumes 79 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,960 and enterprise great needs like security and compliance. 80 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:49,840 Think of Power Automate as a bicycle. 81 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,520 Great for getting around the office. 82 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:53,080 Logic Apps is a delivery truck. 83 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,400 Built for heavier loads and longer routes. 84 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:56,920 Logic Apps is also serverless. 85 00:02:56,920 --> 00:02:59,400 That's a technical term, but it means something simple. 86 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:01,480 You only pay when your workflows actually run. 87 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:03,480 If nothing happens all day, you pay nothing. 88 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:05,560 If a thousand files get uploaded at once, 89 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:07,760 the platform scales up automatically to handle it 90 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,240 and you pay for what you used. 91 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,840 No service to manage, no capacity planning, 92 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:14,240 no wasted money on idle hardware. 93 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,840 The building blocks, triggers and actions. 94 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,000 Every Logic App starts the same way with a trigger. 95 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,280 A trigger is just something that kicks off your workflow. 96 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:23,760 Think of it like a motion sensor. 97 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,360 When the sensor detects movement, the lights turn on. 98 00:03:26,360 --> 00:03:28,120 In Logic Apps, when the trigger fires, 99 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:29,480 your workflow starts running. 100 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,080 Triggers come in two main flavors. 101 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,440 Event-based triggers wait for something to happen. 102 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,200 A file uploads to SharePoint. 103 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:36,720 An email arrives in Outlook. 104 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:38,880 A new row appears in a database table. 105 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:40,880 Schedule-based triggers run on a timer. 106 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,760 Every hour, every day at 9 a.m., every Monday morning. 107 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:45,640 You pick what makes sense for your scenario. 108 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:47,400 Once the trigger fires, you add actions. 109 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,280 Actions are the steps your workflow takes. 110 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:50,480 Send a message in Teams. 111 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:51,880 Create a record in Salesforce. 112 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:53,360 Update a row in SQL Server. 113 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:54,840 Call an external API. 114 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,160 Each action is a building block. 115 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:57,320 You can snap together. 116 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:58,840 Let me give you a concrete example. 117 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:00,680 Say you have a SharePoint document library 118 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:02,600 where your team uploads proposals. 119 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:04,400 When a new proposal lands, you want the team 120 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:05,960 to know about it in Teams. 121 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,680 Your trigger is when a file is created in SharePoint. 122 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:11,520 Your action is post a message in a Teams channel. 123 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:12,880 Two blocks, that's it. 124 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,960 The workflow runs automatically every time someone uploads a file. 125 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,400 No one has to remember to send the notification. 126 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:19,480 It just happens. 127 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:21,880 The visual designer is where you build these workflows. 128 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:24,120 It's a drag and drop canvas in the Azure portal. 129 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:25,600 You pick your trigger from a list, 130 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,600 drop it onto the canvas, then add actions underneath. 131 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,360 Each action connects to the one before it. 132 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:32,760 You can add conditions. 133 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:34,560 If the file is over one maybe be, 134 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,440 send it to the review team, otherwise, 135 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:37,680 file it in the archive. 136 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:38,520 You can add loops. 137 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,240 You can add parallel branches. 138 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:42,880 The designer shows you the whole flow visually, 139 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:45,240 so you can see exactly what will happen at every step. 140 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:46,040 And here's the thing. 141 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:47,800 You don't need to be a developer to use it. 142 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:48,760 If you can draw a flow chart, 143 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:50,120 you can build a logic app. 144 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,000 The platform handles all the technical plumbing 145 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:52,920 behind the scenes. 146 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,760 Authentication, error handling, retries is all built in, 147 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,920 but the real power isn't just the workflow itself. 148 00:04:57,920 --> 00:04:59,400 It's what you can connect to. 149 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,200 And that brings us to connectors. 150 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,400 Connectors, the real superpower. 151 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,280 Logic apps comes with over one 400 pre-built connectors. 152 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:08,440 That number sounds impressive, 153 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,160 but let me tell you what it actually means. 154 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:11,800 A connector is a ready-made bridge 155 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:14,240 between logic apps and another service. 156 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:15,960 Microsoft has already handled the hard work 157 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:18,280 of authentication, error handling and retries, 158 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:20,560 so you just pick the service you want and it works. 159 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:22,040 Want to pull data from Salesforce? 160 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:22,840 There's a connector. 161 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:25,520 Need to update a record in SAP connector for that too. 162 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,480 And if you need to send a message to a service now, 163 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:29,480 queue, there's a connector ready to go. 164 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:32,600 Microsoft 365 services like SharePoint, Teams Outlook, 165 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,360 and OneDrive all have connectors. 166 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,800 As your services like SQL Database, Blob Storage, 167 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:38,480 and Event Grid all covered. 168 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,760 Third party services like Dropbox, GitHub, Twitter, and Slack, 169 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:43,440 connectors for every one of them. 170 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,360 Each connector gives you a set of triggers 171 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,520 and actions specific to that service. 172 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,320 The SharePoint connector listens for new files, 173 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:50,760 the Outlook connector sends emails 174 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,000 and the SQL connector runs queries and stored procedures. 175 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,360 You don't need to learn the API for each service. 176 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:58,480 The connector abstracts all that away. 177 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:01,200 Now, two types of connectors you should know about. 178 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,240 Built-in connectors run inside the logic apps runtime itself. 179 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:05,720 They're faster and cheaper because there's 180 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:07,880 no external call to a hosted service. 181 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,920 Built-in connectors include HTTP, service bus, 182 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:13,280 Azure Functions, and some Azure services. 183 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:15,360 Managed connectors are hosted by Microsoft 184 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:17,000 and cover the broader ecosystem. 185 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,520 Hundreds of services from Microsoft and third parties. 186 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,280 They cost a bit more per call, but they cover way more ground. 187 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:25,040 If no connector exists for the service you need, you're not stuck. 188 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,080 Logic apps include a generic HTTP action 189 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,440 that lets you call any rest API directly. 190 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,400 Just passing the URL, method, headers, and body. 191 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:33,680 It works the same as a connector 192 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,280 just without the pre-built convenience. 193 00:06:35,280 --> 00:06:36,560 You handle authentication yourself, 194 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,800 but you still get all the retry and error handling logic apps provides. 195 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,040 The one 400 connectors matter because they remove 196 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,640 the biggest barrier to automation, the integration work. 197 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,440 Every connector you don't have to build yourself 198 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:48,200 saves weeks of development time. 199 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,760 When you combine connectors with triggers and actions, 200 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,000 you can build workflows that span your entire technology stack 201 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,920 without writing a single line of integration code. 202 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,640 Consumption versus standard, which model fits you. 203 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:01,280 You understand what logic apps is, 204 00:07:01,280 --> 00:07:03,960 how triggers and actions work, and the power of connectors. 205 00:07:03,960 --> 00:07:06,920 But there's another decision you need to make that affects how much you pay. 206 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,680 Logic apps comes in two flavors, 207 00:07:08,680 --> 00:07:11,200 consumption and standard, and they're not the same thing, 208 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,920 so choosing the wrong one can cost you. 209 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,640 Consumption is the pay per execution model. 210 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:19,800 You build your workflow and only pay when it runs. 211 00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:21,680 If it sits idle all day, you pay nothing. 212 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:24,920 If it runs a hundred times, you pay for a hundred executions. 213 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:27,600 The first 4,000 actions each month are free, 214 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,160 and after that it's fractions of a penny per action. 215 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,920 Connector calls cost a bit more, but still tiny amounts. 216 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:35,080 For most beginners, this is the right place to start. 217 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:36,880 Think of consumption like a taxi. 218 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:38,280 You pay for the ride you take. 219 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:40,320 If you don't go anywhere, you don't pay. 220 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,440 If you take a short trip, it costs a little. 221 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,520 If you take a long trip, it costs more. 222 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,320 The price matches your usage exactly. 223 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:47,640 Standard is different. 224 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,520 It runs on dedicated compute, like having your own server, 225 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:51,800 but managed by Microsoft. 226 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,040 You pay a fixed monthly cost based on how much compute power you reserve. 227 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,240 The smallest standard plan starts around $175 a month 228 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,760 and gives you one virtual CPU and 3.5 gigabytes of memory. 229 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,800 You can run as many workflows as you want on that plan, 230 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,880 and the price doesn't change based on how many times they execute. 231 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:09,360 Standard is like a car payment. 232 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:10,760 You pay the same amount every month, 233 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,840 whether you drive it once a day or once a year. 234 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:15,480 If you drive a lot, that fixed cost can be cheaper per trip 235 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,040 than taking taxis everywhere. 236 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,760 But if you barely drive, you're paying for capacity you don't use. 237 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:21,160 So when do you pick each one? 238 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,920 Consumption is great for spiky or low volume workloads. 239 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:25,840 Say a workflow that runs a few times a day 240 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:27,040 when someone uploads a file, 241 00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:28,760 that's pennies per month on consumption. 242 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:31,120 So putting it on standard would be a waste. 243 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:33,400 But if you have a workflow that runs thousands of times 244 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,080 in our processing orders, handling real-time data, 245 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,160 or orchestrating complex integrations, 246 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,640 the per execution costs of consumption add up fast. 247 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:43,680 At that point, standards fixed monthly price 248 00:08:43,680 --> 00:08:45,200 becomes the cheaper option. 249 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:46,680 There's another difference worth knowing. 250 00:08:46,680 --> 00:08:48,480 Standard gives you more control. 251 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,440 You get better performance because the compute is dedicated to you, 252 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,760 plus virtual network support for strict security requirements. 253 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:58,160 And you can even run standard workflows locally on your own hardware. 254 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:01,360 Consumption runs only in Microsoft's cloud on shared infrastructure, 255 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,360 so you don't get the same level of control, 256 00:09:03,360 --> 00:09:05,320 but you also don't have to manage anything. 257 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:07,560 For most people starting out, the answer is simple. 258 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:08,760 Start with consumption. 259 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:10,560 It costs virtually nothing to try. 260 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:12,400 Build your first workflow, see how it works, 261 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,240 and only worry about standard if your volume grows 262 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:17,200 to the point where consumption becomes more expensive than the fixed plan. 263 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:19,000 You can always migrate later. 264 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:20,600 Real-world examples in action. 265 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:23,120 Let me show you what this looks like when real companies run it. 266 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:24,320 These aren't just ideas. 267 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,200 They're actual workflows happening today. 268 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:27,680 Example one is the simplest. 269 00:09:27,680 --> 00:09:31,120 A file lands in a SharePoint document library, and that's the trigger. 270 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,400 The action fires off a notification to a Microsoft Teams channel, 271 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:37,160 name of the file, who uploaded it, and a link to open it. 272 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:38,600 Setup takes about three minutes. 273 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:39,440 The result? 274 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:41,840 Nobody has to manually check the folder anymore. 275 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,160 Every team member sees that notification instantly. 276 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,280 Over a year that one workflow saves hours of checking, forwarding, 277 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:49,200 and those, did you see the new file? 278 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:49,920 Messages. 279 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,120 It's a small thing, but it adds up fast. 280 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:53,680 Example two gets more complex. 281 00:09:53,680 --> 00:09:55,880 A customer places an order on a website, 282 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:57,840 and that order hits a SQL database. 283 00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:01,280 A logic app picks it up, validates the inventory against another database, 284 00:10:01,280 --> 00:10:03,080 shoots a confirmation email throughout look, 285 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:04,800 creates a record in Salesforce, 286 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,640 and posts a notification to the warehouse team in Teams. 287 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,120 That's five different systems connected in one flow. 288 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,920 Before logic apps, someone would have to check that database manually, 289 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,080 send the email, open Salesforce, and walk over to the warehouse. 290 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:17,960 Now it happens in seconds, automatically, 291 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:19,720 with no human touching a thing. 292 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:22,320 That's the kind of integration that saves whole departments. 293 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:24,200 Example three comes from healthcare. 294 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,200 A research case study documented a logic app's workflow for patient onboarding. 295 00:10:28,200 --> 00:10:31,760 When a new patient was registered in their electronic medical record system, 296 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:35,000 the logic app would create accounts in Microsoft 365, 297 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,920 send welcome materials, schedule the first appointment, 298 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:39,600 and notify the care team. 299 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,400 The numbers were impressive, manual errors dropped by 75%, 300 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:45,680 and onboarding speed improved by 40%. 301 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:46,920 That's not just faster. 302 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:49,240 That's better patient care, because the administrative work 303 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,120 doesn't fall through the cracks. 304 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,240 Example four is IT incident response, 305 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,680 and Azure Monitor alert fires when a server goes down. 306 00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:57,280 That alert triggers a logic app. 307 00:10:57,280 --> 00:10:59,480 The workflow creates a ticket in service now, 308 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:03,120 post the message in a team's channel with the incident details and starts a timer. 309 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:05,840 If nobody acknowledges the incident within 15 minutes, 310 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:07,280 the logic app escalates. 311 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:09,600 It sends an SMS to the on-call engineer, 312 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,640 then to the team lead, then to the manager. 313 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,440 It keeps going until someone responds. 314 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:15,600 Before this, IT teams relied on email alerts 315 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:17,160 that got buried in inboxes. 316 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:18,800 Now, incidents get addressed faster, 317 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:20,760 because the escalation is automatic. 318 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:23,320 The common thread across all these examples is the same. 319 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,080 Logic apps connect systems that don't naturally talk to each other. 320 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:27,480 SharePoint doesn't know about teams. 321 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:29,480 Your database doesn't know about Salesforce. 322 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:31,960 Your monitoring tools don't know about your ticketing system. 323 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,400 Logic apps sits in the middle, listens for events, 324 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,440 and routes information where it needs to go. 325 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:39,000 It's the glue that holds your automation together. 326 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,520 Where logic apps is headed, 327 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:41,720 a genetic automation. 328 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:43,920 So, that's where logic apps is today. 329 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:45,640 But the platform is changing fast, 330 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,120 and the biggest shift is something you need to know about. 331 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:49,840 It's called a "gentic automation", 332 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:52,160 and it's changing what's possible with workflows. 333 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,440 Microsoft announced Logic Apps Automation at Build2026. 334 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,240 The headline feature is simple but powerful. 335 00:11:57,240 --> 00:11:59,600 You can now describe what you want in natural language, 336 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,560 and the platform builds the workflow for you. 337 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,400 Instead of dragging and dropping every trigger and action, 338 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:05,600 you type something like, 339 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:06,960 when a support ticket comes in, 340 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:08,360 check the customer's history, 341 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,000 and if they're a premium customer, 342 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,560 assign it to the senior team. 343 00:12:11,560 --> 00:12:14,960 Logic Apps analyzes your request, picks the right connectors, 344 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:16,360 configures the parameters, 345 00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,200 and scaffolds the entire workflow. 346 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:19,960 You can then tweak it in the visual designer, 347 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:21,240 but the heavy lifting is done. 348 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:22,600 That alone is a big shift. 349 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:24,400 But the bigger change is AI agents. 350 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,000 Logic Apps now lets you integrate AI agents 351 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:28,960 directly as steps in your workflow. 352 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:31,760 These agents aren't just calling an API and returning a result. 353 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,640 They reason, they use tools, they make decisions. 354 00:12:34,640 --> 00:12:37,440 You give an agent a goal, a set of tools it can use, 355 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,040 and instructions on how to behave. 356 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,640 The agent then figures out the best way 357 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,040 to accomplish the goal, calling connectors, querying databases, 358 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:46,360 and even asking for human approval when it needs to. 359 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,720 Think about what that means for the examples we just covered. 360 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:50,880 The SharePointed Teams notification is simple. 361 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:52,640 But what about the customer order workflow? 362 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:54,000 Instead of hard coding every step, 363 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,200 you could have an agent that handles exceptions. 364 00:12:56,200 --> 00:12:58,080 An order comes in with a customer address 365 00:12:58,080 --> 00:12:59,680 that doesn't match the database. 366 00:12:59,680 --> 00:13:00,960 Instead of the workflow failing, 367 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:03,000 the agent can check the customer's history, 368 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,480 look up alternative addresses, 369 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,920 and decide whether to process or flag it for review. 370 00:13:06,920 --> 00:13:10,120 It adapts to situations the workflow designer didn't anticipate. 371 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:11,800 The key inside here is that logic apps 372 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:13,520 isn't just for connecting apps anymore. 373 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:15,960 It's becoming the orchestration layer for AI. 374 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:17,520 The connectors handle the plumbing, 375 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:19,200 the workflows handle the logic, 376 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:20,480 and the agents handle the decisions 377 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:22,160 that used to require a human in the loop 378 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:23,920 that's a fundamentally different way 379 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:25,880 of thinking about automation. 380 00:13:25,880 --> 00:13:27,560 Getting started with logic apps. 381 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:29,040 Let me tell you exactly how to start 382 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:30,240 if you want to try this yourself. 383 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:31,280 You don't need much. 384 00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:32,720 You'll need an Azure subscription. 385 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:35,120 If you don't have one, Microsoft gives you $200 386 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:36,960 in free credit for the first month. 387 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:39,400 That's plenty to build and test several workflows 388 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:40,680 without spending a dime. 389 00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:42,400 And you'll need a work or school account. 390 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:44,840 A personal hotmail account works for some things, 391 00:13:44,840 --> 00:13:46,280 but for the full experience, 392 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,560 use an account tied to your organization. 393 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,000 Start with the consumption plan. 394 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,520 It's the cheapest way to learn. 395 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:52,840 You can build your first workflow 396 00:13:52,840 --> 00:13:54,600 without committing to any monthly cost. 397 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:56,520 If your workflow runs once a day, 398 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:57,600 you'll pay pennies a month. 399 00:13:57,600 --> 00:13:58,680 There's no risk. 400 00:13:58,680 --> 00:14:00,800 Pick a simple scenario you already do manually. 401 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,440 Don't try to automate your entire department on day one. 402 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:04,440 Focus on one thing. 403 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:05,720 Maybe it's getting a notification 404 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,880 when a file lands in a specific folder. 405 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,560 Or saving email attachments to one drive automatically. 406 00:14:10,560 --> 00:14:11,920 Or posting a message in Teams 407 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,040 when a new item appears in a SharePoint list. 408 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:15,320 The simpler the scenario, 409 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:16,960 the faster you'll get it working. 410 00:14:16,960 --> 00:14:19,400 And the more confident you'll feel building the next one. 411 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,280 The Azure portal has a visual designer. 412 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,040 Open it, pick a trigger from the list, 413 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:24,280 add an action and test it. 414 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,840 You don't need to write any code. 415 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:27,280 The designer shows you the whole flow 416 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,600 and you can run it immediately to see if it works. 417 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:32,840 Microsoft also provides templates for common scenarios. 418 00:14:32,840 --> 00:14:34,200 Open the Logic Apps Designer 419 00:14:34,200 --> 00:14:36,520 and you'll see a gallery of pre-built templates. 420 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:39,120 File upload notifications, email to Teams alerts, 421 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:40,680 scheduled data exports. 422 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,320 You can use a template as a starting point 423 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:43,720 and customize it for your needs. 424 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:45,720 That's the fastest way to get something running. 425 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:46,760 Start today. 426 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:49,720 Pick one repetitive task you do across apps and automate it. 427 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:51,320 Even if it saves you five minutes a day, 428 00:14:51,320 --> 00:14:52,840 that's five minutes you get back. 429 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,320 Once you see how easy it is, you'll start finding more. 430 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:57,760 So here's what you need to remember. 431 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,120 Logic Apps is Microsoft's automation glue. 432 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,040 It connects systems that don't talk to each other naturally. 433 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:05,200 It handles the plumbing, authentication, 434 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:07,280 retries, error handling, scaling, 435 00:15:07,280 --> 00:15:08,960 so you don't have to manage any of it. 436 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,680 And it runs without you thinking about servers. 437 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:12,800 The key takeaway is this. 438 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,040 You don't have to be a developer to build automations 439 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:17,360 and you don't have to be an IT pro to run them. 440 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:19,240 The visual designer, the pre-built connectors, 441 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:21,640 the templates, they're all designed to lower the barrier. 442 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:24,600 If you can describe a process, you can automate it. 443 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:25,800 Your homework is simple. 444 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,400 Think of one repetitive task you do across apps. 445 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,120 One thing that involves moving information 446 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:31,520 from one system to another, 447 00:15:31,520 --> 00:15:33,320 then go try to automate it with Logic Apps. 448 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:34,760 Start with the consumption plan. 449 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,400 Use a template if one exists. 450 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:37,520 See how far you get. 451 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:40,080 That's it for this episode of Microsoft Knowledge Nuggets. 452 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:41,600 If this helped you understand, 453 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:42,960 Logic Apps a little better. 454 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:44,880 Share it with someone who's starting their journey 455 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:46,600 into Microsoft automation. 456 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,000 And subscribe on your favorite podcast platform 457 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:50,480 so you don't miss the next one. 458 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,320 I'm Merco Peters and thanks for listening.