Connection Reference Failures in Power Automate

What is Power Automate?

Power Automate is a cloud-based service that allows you to create automated workflows between different applications and services, such as the Dataverse, SharePoint, Teams and many other Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications!

What are Connection References?

In Power Automate, connection references play a crucial role in managing authentication credentials for connectors. Credentials are managed with 2 components:

1. Connections: These are stored authentication credentials for connectors. For instance, OAuth credentials for the SharePoint connector. They allow users to connect their accounts and use prebuilt actions and triggers to build apps and Flows.
2. Connection References: These are solution components that reference a specific connection for a connector. Both solution-aware canvas apps and operations within solution-aware Flows bind to connection references instead of directly to connections. During solution import, connections must be created for all connection references, allowing referencing flows to be automatically turned on after import.

Reasons Connection References may fail

1. A Connection has not been created for the environment. Each Connection Reference needs a Connection, which is separate from the Power Platform solution. Connections can be created for users and service principals, but cannot be shared with other users.
2. The Connection link has been removed from the Connection Reference. If you ever see the red exclamation mark next to a Connection Reference inside of a Power Automate Flow, check that the Connection is linked!
3. The underlying Connection needs to be fixed. There are many reasons for this such as a password expired, or the token has expired.

Methods to prevent Connection References from failing

It can be frustrating to set up a Power Automate Flow, test it, deploy it and have it running successfully for months…(read full post on www.beringer.net)

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