Create an excel file on a SharePoint Site and email it based Power Apps trigger

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Posted on by jbrines

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Hi Guys,

I am going to be honest that I have been using Copilot to do this and stuck at a part that I am not confident Copilot know what it is doing :)

I am trying to create an excel file on a SharePoint Site and email it based Power Apps trigger, below is the flow I have so far.

All help greatly appreciated

if(empty(triggerBody()?['date']), '', formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['date'], 'yyyy-MM-dd', 'en-GB'))

outputs('Compose_–_ISO_FromDate')

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Building flows

Using connectors

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SpongYe 5,883 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @jbrines

You’re very close, but the main issue is the Create file step. In Power Automate, you cannot create a valid .xlsx file by putting SharePoint list column values directly into File Content. An Excel file needs real workbook content, for example the usual approach is to use an existing Excel template that already contains a table, then create/copy a new file from that template and use Add a row into a table to populate it.

This guide by Matthew Devaney shows the common Power Automate pattern for creating an Excel file and adding rows to it dynamically.

https://www.matthewdevaney.com/create-an-excel-file-and-add-rows-using-power-automate/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. Have a great day! 😊

-----------------------
SpongYe Power Platform Enthusiast [LinkedIn] | [Youtube| [My blog]

I love to share my knowledge and learn from others. If you find my posts helpful, please give them a thumbs up 👍 or mark them as a solution ✔️. You can also check out my blog [@S pongYe] for some cool solutions and insights. Feel free to connect with me on any of the platforms above. Cheers! 🍻

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jbrines 1,145 on at

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Hi @SpongYe

I created the flow I need but how do I get it to use the Power Apps inputs as I am only wanting excel data from those inputs

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SpongYe 5,883 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @jbrines,

Yes, you can use the Power Apps inputs as parameters for the flow.
In your case, the Power Apps inputs should mainly be used in the Get items filter, so the Excel file only includes the SharePoint records matching what the user entered in Power Apps.

You need to change these parameters and replace Test with the Powerapps input.

For example, if Power Apps passes in Description and Date, use those values in Get items:

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jbrines 1,145 on at

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Hi @SpongYe

Thanks for the above.

I am now getting the following error when testing the flow.

Action 'Create_table:_AttendeesTable' failed The request is forbidden by Graph API. Error code is 'AccessDenied'. Error message is 'Could not obtain a WAC access token.'. clientRequestId: 13242047-1f01-40ed-8978-676a9d526967 serviceRequestId: 761730d9-b9de-4805-9064-9b1b2c73b4d7

What could the issue be

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jbrines 1,145 on at

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Hi @SpongYe

It appears t be creating files but not CSV or XLSX ones

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SpongYe 5,883 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @jbrines,

From the screenshot, it looks like the files are being created without a file extension.
For Excel, the file name must end in .xlsx. For example, in the Create file action, use an expression like:

concat('Attendees_', formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss'), '.xlsx')

At the moment it looks like the flow is creating files named something like:

Attendees_2026-06-04_012117

but it should be:
Attendees_2026-06-04_012117.xlsx

Also, make sure the File Content is coming from a real Excel template file.

Adding .xlsx to the name alone is not enough if the content is not valid Excel workbook content.

If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. Have a great day! 😊

-----------------------
SpongYe Power Platform Enthusiast [LinkedIn] | [Youtube| [My blog]

I love to share my knowledge and learn from others. If you find my posts helpful, please give them a thumbs up 👍 or mark them as a solution ✔️. You can also check out my blog [@S pongYe] for some cool solutions and insights. Feel free to connect with me on any of the platforms above. Cheers! 🍻

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jbrines 1,145 on at

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Fixed the issue with not being an XLSX file as I hadn't added the .xlsx extension to the end of the compose.

Now the excel file has no data it it except a table with one header called Column1

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SpongYe 5,883 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @jbrines

One option that may be simpler is to use Copy file action instead of creating the Excel file.

Create one Excel template file in SharePoint with the correct table and headers already set up.

Then in the flow, use SharePoint Copy file to copy that template into the output folder with a new name, for example:

concat('Attendees_', formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss'), '.xlsx')

After that, use Add a row into a table against the copied file.

That way, the new file already has the correct Excel structure, headers, and table name, and you can skip the Create table step entirely.



      Microsoft reference for the SharePoint Copy file action :  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/connectors/sharepointonline/#copy-file

If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know. Have a great day! 😊

-----------------------
SpongYe Power Platform Enthusiast [LinkedIn] | [Youtube| [My blog]

I love to share my knowledge and learn from others. If you find my posts helpful, please give them a thumbs up 👍 or mark them as a solution ✔️. You can also check out my blog [@S pongYe] for some cool solutions and insights. Feel free to connect with me on any of the platforms above. Cheers! 🍻

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jbrines 1,145 on at

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Hi @SpongYe

I have fixed the filename issue.

The reason for the spreadsheet not having headings on the table is down to the Odata filter, I have removed the filter for now as I want to get the flow working.

Issue now is the "Add a row into a table: Export To Excel Data Row" isn't working

Gives this error

A value must be provided for item.
clientRequestId: 968d7694-6608-4e42-8cba-4563a186b0a2

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SpongYe 5,883 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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@jbrines

Could you share a few screenshots of the current setup? Since a few things have changed, it would help to see the latest flow configuration, especially around the Apply to each and Add a row into a table steps.

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