As you may aware Microsoft Azure provides you a bunch of services, feature and Azure Logic Apps is one of the best Service which Microsoft provides to automate, orchestrate tasks, business process etc.
Logic Apps is the simplest visual designer solution to solve your simple to advance problem without writing a complex logic.
I know you might be thinking where we can use this. So my answer is everywhere in your business where you might need some kind of automation. Let’s understand the need with a few examples here.
Example:- Suppose, you are a business owner and most of the customer contact you via email. So, whenever a mail comes with subject invoice or new order you read those email carefully and depending upon the the subject you either send then to Account department or Production team moreover if the email is coming from new client then you add his basic details in your system and once the production team update status of work complete and notify you. You again send the completion confirmation to end client.
Now, all these processes which we have gone through are in the different system and most of them required human interaction, for example, identifying the new client and firstly make their entry in the system.
So, this whole process can be automated using Azure Logic Apps. So, in the above problem, Azure Logic Apps firstly read your email and identify the specific subject’s email. Once those identify check the email address in your client repository whether that exists or not if not exists then will add in the client repository.
In the next step, Logic Apps send detail to the production team or Account system. Also, keep eye on the database of the production team and when they trigger order complete send an email or SMS to end client.
And believe me, all this complex logic you can achieve in Logic Apps without writing complex code but using designer object provided in Azure logic Apps.
One more thing which I have faced personally if you worked in supply chain system especially E-Pedigree, EPCIS & EDI then you might need to work on complex XML, AS2 format files for which you have to write complex code but with the help of Logic Apps this can be few steps job and without writing any complex code.
Few more example like
1. Connect with Facebook and find the negative post and remove from your wall.
2. Fetch Tweets and either retweet or find the sentiment
3. Fetch newly added detail from SQL Server/ CRM/ Sales Force and send a welcome SMS or Email.
There are tones of the example where Logic Apps workflow makes your life easy.
Let’s understand the main component of Logic Apps which is a Connector.
These connectors will help you to connect with various API, protocols, integration account and enterprise account connector.
Now, to proceed further let me tell you there is more than 200 connector (predefine components) available to help you in achieving your goal.
Every connector has two main parts which are Action & Trigger
By the name, it is clear that Action is the action item needs to be taken and Trigger will help us to define when to take the action.
Now, Lot’s of theory here let’s understand this by a step by step simple example. The problem statement is whenever an Email comes to our Office 365 account we will create a file in Dropbox and the file will content the email body. Isn’t it cool?
Prerequisites:- The first and most important prerequisites here is that you should have Microsoft Azure portal Account.
Step 1: Login to Microsoft Azure Portal https://portal.azure.com/ using your credentials
Step 2: Once the login is done the next step is to click on All services and find integration option when you click on that option you will get Logic Apps option as shown in below figure.
Step 3: When you click on the Logic Apps option you will get the following screen. Here if you have not created any Logic Apps earlier then the grid will show blank. So just click on Create Logic Apps option or Add button
Step 3:- You will get the following screen after using Add new Logic Apps option. Where you need to provide your application name and select the subscription, and use the existing resource group or create new. At last, need to select the location where to deploy the app. Once you are done with this just Click on Create button in the bottom of the screen.
Step 4: – Now, it will take a few minutes to complete and you will get following notification that application is deployed.
Step 5: Now open this application by going back to Logic Apps Resource Grid or Pin the Application on Dashboard by clicking Pin To Dashboard option and open from Dashboard.
Step 6: Now when you click on open you will following screen. Where you can choose any predefined template which fulfils your business needs. But in this example, we are taking option Add new Logic App and proceed further
Step 7: You will get the following screen after clicking New Logic Apps option.
Step 8: Now when you click on Connector you will find there is various connector available which you can choose. In this example we are taking Office 365 outLook email connector
Step 9: When you click on OutLook option you will get a new screen where you will find the different trigger on which you want to take action. To make this example simple we are choosing the option when a new Email Arrives
So, it means whenever a new Email comes to the outlook we will do something. Now when you click on When A new Email Arrives it will ask you Outlook credential
Step 10: Give proper credentials and allow the Logic Apps to access Office 365 email.
Step 11:- Once you allow Access then you will get the following screen where you need to define the different option value. For example how frequently mail need to be check etc
Step 12:- Now, what we need to do here, whenever a new mail found we will create a file in Dropbox. So just add Create a file in dropbox connector for next step.
Step 13: As obvious, you have to provide drop box access to Logic Apps to further action. So, just press the allow button.
Step 14:- Once you authorized in the next step you have to configure the dropbox like where should we save file folder path in the current example we are saving the file in root folder.
Next what is the file name so, we are creating email subject as the file name. and to view it properly we will append the extension HTML in the filename.
Next property is file content, so we are going to save email body (email content) in the file.
You can configure the properties as per your ease.
Step 15: Just save the Logic Apps and hit the run button to test it further
Step 16: To make sure it is working properly, we are going to send an email from my personal Gmail to my office 365 account
Step 17: Now, once we send this email to my office 365 account. The logic app should create a new file in my dropbox. As you can see in below figure it showing WOW Azure Logic App.html as expected.
Step 18: Now, we will try to open it and check the content of the file and WOW, it is working as per our expectation.
So, we have created our first simple Azure Logic App without writing a single line but handled a complex logic.
In my next few post, we will see more inside of Azure Logic Apps.
I hope you may like this post.
Happy learning.
