Need to use another User's connections on a Flow

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Posted on by FacundoGorla

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Hi, I'll give some context with my problem.

I created a flow that uses Sharepoint, Exchange, o365 and Forms connections.

Now, I created it with an account that I want to disable/erase in the future.

I already shared the Flow to another account but it still uses my Connections and I'm not able to add Connections to that flow in particular.

I know that from "Connections" you can add another account connections but that won't add them to the flow I want to.

I tested and if MY account (the one that created the flow) loses the permission to SharePoint or gets disabled the Flow stops working even if it's shared with another user that can use and acces all the Application/sites/files used in the Flow.

In less words: the connections of a Flow can't be changed, they can be removed but can't add specific ones.

Any ideas/help with this?

Also tried to delete my connections, add someone's else and THEN create the flow but still doesn't take them into account.

@Flowinsight

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FacundoGorla 293 on at

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The only solution I find is to create a flow with the account wich Connections I want to use and then Share it with the account that I want to create the flow with.

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ScottShearer 25,278 Most Valuable Professional on at

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@FacundoGorla

You can, in fact, add connections for anther user and switch the actions to use the new connection. You'll need to know the new users email and password. You can do this eother from the Flow design environment or from the connections screen. Clcik on Add a new connection. When the screen appears to specify an account, it will default to you - the current user. Click on "Use another account" and provide the email and password. If you do this from the connections screen, you'll still need to go back to every action and switch the connection from your account to the new connection that you created. You'll likely have to create a number of connections - one for each connection type used.

Also, you'll probably want to add the new user as a co-owner of the Flow.

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FacundoGorla 293 on at

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Oh, that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! It's a little tedious to go action by action but since I already have the flow working I think I'll do that.

How would you do this kind of implementation or what's the recomended one?

I think creating the flow with the user that I want to use connections, then adding myself as a Owner and work the flow from there.

This is because I have a temporary account on my client organization and that account may be erased once the implementation is finished.

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ScottShearer 25,278 Most Valuable Professional on at

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I suggest creating the Flows when using the "permanent account" and adding your temp account as an owner.

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BTbearings 46 on at

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I am doing exactly this process, but when I switch the connections (i.e. switching from the original owner's connection to the new co-owner's), many of the contents/settings I have in the fields of the action get erased. Can I stop this from happening?

For instance, when I change the "Add a row into a table" action that is connected to Excel Online, I lose everything I had for each of the columns. It keeps the top few fields (Location, Document library, File, and Table), but everything else is now blank.

Is there a way to switch the connection without losing this?

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DeeTronSEAM 396 on at

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I am seeing MASSIVE instability when changing connections used within flows....for the most part with SQL (both OnPrem and Azure) data sources/actions.

Since we develop the PowerApp+Flows in a dev environment and then use the package export feature to deploy the app+flows, there are two points during the deployment process where connections may get changed.

1) during the initial "import" into our production enviro.
2) after the flow is in the new enviro and we change an action's connection using the method @ScottShearer (excellently!) described. We have not narrowed down which method is more problematic (or not), but MASSIVE amount of time is being wasted on the "bumps in the road" that such connection "re-alignments" cause.

Has anybody else figured this out or seen similar problems? Best advice I've heard so far is to do all dev work using/as your service account and add actual human users as co-owners. It makes sense (as it would prevent, mostly, the need to change connections), but not a proven workaround...and really, it's an ugly workaround to what "should just work."

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Gabor88 4 on at

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One additional question guys..

Can I change connections of a flow while it has "running" flows in the meantime?

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Anugrah17 4 on at

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Somehow my connection got changed to the other email id and now wherever i click on add connection it always directly add the other unwanted account and dont even ask me to signin with new account. let me know if someone have a suggestion

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Community Power Pla... on at

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I do want to point out the security issue here:

- You should never share your Windows credentials so someone else can create a connection in Flow on your behalf

- You should (in my humble opinion) never share a Flow with someone else that uses your connection

- Only export and share a copy of a Flow. This will require the other person to use their own connection

Rationale:

- Sharing personal login credentials is bad bad bad. Never do it.

- A nefarious (or upset, or x, y, z) person could do some nasty stuff on your behalf when you share your connection

Fix (NOTE: I have not tried this as its not allowed in my org):

- Create a generic Active Directory account (PowerApps@mycompany.com email address + security principal)

- Assign the generic AD account appropriate O365 licenses (+PowerApps / Flow premium lic's if needed)

- Login to your computer using your credentials

- Login to PowerApps/Flow using the generic credentials. Create all PowerApps/Flows in this context.

- THEN, when you share a Flow, its running under the generic creds, not your personal creds.

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Community Power Pla... on at

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It is 2020 and still no easy solution from Microsoft to switch all connection users to whoever I want on existing flows.

"go back to every action and switch the connection from your account to the new connection that you created. You'll likely have to create a number of connections - one for each connection type used." Seriously ?

THIS IS A VERY VERY BAD DESIGN. I AM VERY ANGRY AT THIS !!!!!!

How can Power Apps/ Platform community live with this ? Do we need to host a protest rally to get this fixed ?

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