How to Automate Weekly Reports Using Power Automate

Weekly reports help teams stay aligned and make smart decisions. But creating them manually every week? That can be a real time-drain ⌛—and it opens the door to errors. Luckily, there's a better way.

With Power Automate, Microsoft’s workflow automation tool, you can automatically create and send reports each week—without lifting a finger after setup 🚀

In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll walk you through how to automate your weekly reports step-by-step. No coding skills required!

Step 1: Know What Your Report Needs 📃

Before automating anything, take a moment to figure out:

• What data your report needs (e.g. sales numbers, task updates, etc.)

• Where the data is stored (Excel, SharePoint, a database, etc.)

• Who needs to receive the report

• How they want to see it (email, PDF, Excel file?)

Having this information ready will make the setup much smoother.

Step 2: Create a Report Template 📄

Design a template that will be used each week. It could be:

• An Excel file stored in OneDrive or SharePoint

• A formatted email body with key stats

Tip: If your Excel file pulls in live data (using formulas or Power Query), make sure it updates automatically or set it to refresh as part of the automation.

Step 3: Set Up Your Automated Workflow in Power Automate 🔄

Here’s a simple way to build your flow:

1. Start with a Schedule

   • Use the Recurrence trigger to run the flow weekly (e.g., every Monday at 9 AM).

2. Pull in Your Data

   • Add steps to grab data from sources like Excel, SharePoint, or a database.

   • You can apply filters or choose specific rows/columns if needed.

3. Fill Out the Report

   • For Excel reports: Use actions like "Add a row" or "Update a row" in your template.

   • For email summaries: Create a message that includes dynamic fields (like "Total Sales: $[value]").

4. Send the Report 📧

   • Automatically send it via email

   • Save it to a shared folder

   • Post it to a Teams channel or SharePoint site

5. Optional: Turn It Into a PDF

   • Want a clean, professional look? Use a premium connector like Adobe PDF Services or OneDrive to convert your file.

Step 4: Test Your Flow ✅

Do a test run:

• Is the data correct?

• Does the format look good?

• Did it reach the right people?

Power Automate shows a detailed run history, so you can easily find and fix any hiccups.

Why Automate Your Weekly Reports? 🚀

• Save hours every month

• Cut down on human error

• Deliver reports consistently, even when you're on vacation ✈️

Once set up, your reports will basically take care of themselves.

Need a Hand?

At Hydrogen BI, we help organisations get the most from their data tools. If you want to go beyond the basics or set up enterprise-level automations, our team is here to help.

📢 Book a free consultation to see how automation can boost your productivity.

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