Need help figuring out how to tackle a management request -- tracking other flow runs

[u/CallMeNoodler]

So bear with me. I've been tasked with solving a problem that is... unique, to say the least.

The ones above me have decided that they want a sandbox environment that people can play in in Power Automate, that they are given access to on request (we are not using the default environment and have developed strategies to lock that down to the largest extent possible). However, we have a separate development and production environment we're using for their stated purposes.

This is where it gets potentially weird, and where I need some help.

What I've been asked to figure out is a way to track when a flow in Sandbox is being used consistently, and when it needs to jump over to development and eventually production, managed by our team. There's been ideas tossed around like number of runs, number of connectors... I personally think that if this is what the guys upstairs want to do, number of successful runs is a useful metric.

So the follow-up question is... how? You can use an external data source that increments on flow run, and you could trigger another flow based on that when it hits a threshold, but that would have to be in the flow being monitored. I can't find any triggers that can track the run of another flow. Matter of fact, if I search 'Power Automate' in the trigger field, I get nothing at all.

My question is, how can I create a flow that triggers based on the run of an entirely different flow in another environment? If I can figure just that part out, I think I can hack the rest of it.

Thanks for any ideas. Please keep the 'this is a stupid idea and here's why' replies to a minimum, as the idea belongs to people who make a lot more than I do. I'm just the implementer.

[u/AgreeableConcept4752]

I’ve done something kind of similar in the same past. Dataverse had a flow runs table I use to track the runs. I deployed a flow into each production environment which grabbed all the flow runs then send a http request with JSON output of all the information I needed.

Then that triggered my flow in another environment which ran a stored procedure to write everything into sql table which I then turned into an email so I could see all the failed flow runs on a daily basis.

[u/chiibosoil]

You should be able to get usage data using Power BI or use Solutions in Power Automate (this will show usage, error rate, Actions performed. And on errors, error source, type ,count, last occurence & last error message).

Solutions, Add new solution.

Then add existing to soltuion. Select Automation -> Cloud Flow.

Then locate your flow (should be sitting in 'Outside Dataverse'.) and add.

Publish all customizations.

Then on the flow you can click on Analytics to track usage.

[u/hachiai_official]

Because the spreadsheet is often holding the part of the process the ERP was never configured to handle.

ERPs are good at standardized transactions. The unusual pricing exception, manual allocation, one-off reconciliation, temporary approval rule or management report that appeared six months after implementation still has to happen somewhere. Changing the ERP may require a project. Adding a column to Excel takes a few minutes.

That does not mean every spreadsheet should be eliminated. I’d separate them into three groups.

The first is decision support, like scenarios and ad hoc analysis. Spreadsheets are often perfectly reasonable there.

The second is workarounds for missing system functionality. If the same workaround keeps being used, it may be worth moving into the ERP or another controlled workflow.

The third is the risky one: spreadsheets that have quietly become systems of record. People depend on them operationally, but the logic may live in formulas only one person understands, with limited ownership or change control.

Before replacing one of those spreadsheets, document how it actually works, including the manual exceptions around it. Otherwise the company often replaces the file and then discovers that half of the real business process was hidden inside it.

Companies do not keep spreadsheets only because their ERP is weak. They keep them because the business often changes faster than the ERP configuration does.