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Excel Table Name Drops/Changes Every Morning

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Posted on by Phineas

5,325 Super User 2025 Season 2

I have a flow that is moving data from and Excel table to a SharePoint list.

The construction of the 'List rows present in a table' is below.

However, every morning when I my flow fails because the table in the source
Excel (not mine or under my control) keeps changing to something that looks
like the below.

I am able to select the correct table manually every morning. I don't know what
is causing the issue with the table in the source workbook. The table name should
remain the same every day, yes?

Categories:

Building flows

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v-wenjuan-msft Microsoft Employee on at

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Hi @Phineas ,

Do you mean the table name will somehow changed to unexpected value and the flow will fail to run every day?
1. Whether the value always changed to the same one?
2. Does the error message of failed runs always be the same? Could you share error message for further check?

Best regards,
Community Support Team _ Wenjuan Zou

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Phineas 5,325 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Yes and yes, the changed table name is the same and the flow fails every day.

Source table name (when working) - EmployeeTbl

Today, when I checked my flow, the same flow failed message was present.

The source table name that defaulted into my flow when I checked it was {B54B96.........).

When I clicked the Table dropdown the original/correct table name ('EmployeeTbl') was available to choose.

The creator of the source list gets his data every day in an email.

He uses a flow to move that data to an Excel workbook in OneDrive, where I go get it using my flow.

It was working fine, and then the table started changing and my flow started failing.

It is unclear to me why this is happening.

I can choose the correct table and run the flow and it executes fine.

But why does the table name change in the first place?

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v-wenjuan-msft Microsoft Employee on at

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Thanks for your detailed reply. But could you share error message from the failed run process with screenshot please?

Besides, as a workaround, would you please try to put the table name in a "Compose" action and insert its outputs into "Table" field?

Best regards,
Community Support Team _ Wenjuan Zou
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it.

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Phineas 5,325 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Different computer. Won't access again until morning.

I'll try you suggestion then, and provide you the content of the error message. From memory it said the table {erqewrqeaff...} not available, which isn't even the table I'm looking for: Though, if I click the dropdown the table I need to grab does show.

Original flow creation showed the desired table. Days latter during a run the table was not automatically the default table; I had to choose it manually.

What will the 'Compose' accomplish? And, if a 'Compose' to see the table, why can't the 'List rows...' action see it, as it IS in the dropdown - it just doesn't appear as the default table.

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v-wenjuan-msft Microsoft Employee on at

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Hi @Phineas,

Please try and let me know it result.
Regarding the wired string which replaced the table name, it looks like a Table ID.
In my test, once if I change the "Document library" accidently, the table name will automatically changed to a Table ID but it will still work to retrieve data from the right table.

So advice is to:
1. Compose a name and insert it to avoid it being changed unexpectedly.
2. Change "Document library" to another one and check the table ID. If it's not the same as the unexpected changed one, also try to compose the right one into an action and insert its outputs into the "Table" field to see.

Best regards,
Community Support Team _ Wenjuan Zou
If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it.

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Phineas 5,325 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Thank you for your time and patience.

This week the flow failed but with a different 'ID' (as you call it) than last week.

Error Details (from this morning)
No table was found with the name '{98a8sff89as7dff7sadff7asf78s} (not the actual content but looks just like it).
clientRequestId: as89uasf98uas9dfu9asud9uaps......

Seems I shouldn't have to go out of my way to retrieve this data, by building compose actions in my flow.

My question continues to be, what would cause the table name to change or make it unavailable 'AUTOMATICALLY' to my flow (I can choose is manually once I see it has failed).

One day it works fine, the next the table name has changed or is unavailable unless I manually select; Does not make sense to me.

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